YepWill a more sensitive speaker simply be able to play louder with a given amplifier
I'm wondering that. I'm also wondering if there is an advantage to speakers with a higher sensitivity other than just the ability to play louder with a given amplifier. For example, if there is more dynamic range then tower speakers might have an advantage over standmount speakers beyond just lower bass extension. Just curious.Hi @luft262 are you now wondering why we don't all use high efficiency loudspeakers?
Don’t agree! Are you confusing loudness for a given power input with dynamic range?Sure, it takes less power at any sound level. And as long as it can output more (not a given), it will have more dynamic range.
Generally (it's always dangerous to generalise), everything else being equal, bigger boxes are more efficient.I'm wondering that. I'm also wondering if there is an advantage to speakers with a higher sensitivity other than just the ability to play louder with a given amplifier. For example, if there is more dynamic range then tower speakers might have an advantage over standmount speakers beyond just lower bass extension. Just curious.
No (?)Don’t agree! Are you confusing loudness for a given power input with dynamic range?
Louder is not always desirable if it is at high distortion. The ability to play loud at low distortion is not directly related to sensitivity. Loud is also highly dependent on the size and how empty the room is. Sensitivity is only indicative of the kind of power you need to reach a certain level of SPL with 1 watt at 1meter.I'm also wondering if there is an advantage to speakers with a higher sensitivity other than just the ability to play louder with a given amplifier
The challenge with smaller speakers is that you will have to sacrifice sensitivity to reach the lower frequency range at a decent level of SPL as opposed to using larger or multiple woofers that do not require as much power to move air. With the right design and proper amplification, both tower and stand mount can reach the same level of SPL. How close you are from the speakers and how big the room is will have a bigger impact on what SPL than any given design you use.For example, if there is more dynamic range then tower speakers might have an advantage over stand mount speakers beyond just lower bass extension
Will a more sensitive speaker simply be able to play louder with a given amplifier or will it have greater dynamic range
I like that !There's no replacement for displacement
Great comparison, thank you for this. Very interestingAs others have said, a resounding yes to the first part of the question.
To the second part of the question, there is no direct correlation between high sensitivity and dynamic range - at normal listening volume (it depends on the quality and intended use of the drivers). That's another one of those audio myths.
Let's take a woofer with extremely hard suspension and and sufficiently large Bl. The sensitivity will be very high, but often the linear excursion of the driver is very limited and therefore it will show increased dynamic compression below 200Hz (maybe the driver has a small voice coil too, which could additionally lead to dynamic compression in the upper frequency range). In addition, resonances can lead to a reduction of the dynamic range in a certain frequency range.
It is very likely that an active studio monitor, due to the default active limiter, tends to have a lower dynamic range (very often in the bass range, partly also in the treble range), then a comparable passive version (without limiter).
To show this, here are a few comparisons of dynamic range from Erin's website.
For a fair comparison, please consider only frequencies above 100Hz (a speaker that doesn't reproduce 30Hz, has probably a lower dynamic compression than a speaker that plays linear down to 30Hz).
Small studio monitor with active limiter:
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High sensitivity Hifi speaker:
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Huge PA speaker:
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High sensitivity speaker:
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Small Hifi speaker:
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