Good measuring floorstanding speakers with sensitivity above 95 dB

[geek101]

I would have thought we could come up with a longer list ...

Lol, easier said then done. After going though this journey the last decade. For price/performance for me I narrowed to following choices.

Higher budget:

1. ATC SCM50 ASL (active) (no need to worry about efficiency).
http://atcloudspeakers.co.uk/hi-fi/loudspeakers/classic-series/scm50/

2. Legacy Aeris - Bass section is powered hence Benchmark AHB2 is enough, comes with room correction + pre amp + dac (WAVELET)
https://legacyaudio.com/products/view/aeris/

Moderate budget:

3. ATC SCM19A (active) (no need to worry about efficiency)
http://atcloudspeakers.co.uk/hi-fi/loudspeakers/entry-series/scm19a/

4. Legacy Calibre XD (ask for XD , the website does not seem to have it, bass section is powered by class D).
https://legacyaudio.com/products/view/calibre/

I would say except for Aeris one would want to get a proper sub-woofer. No matter how good the freq response is room correction, placement and calibration is must. Else any good speaker is not worth the $$ unless one can treat the room and sit at the perfect spot.

 

[direstraitsfan98]

I would have thought we could come up with a longer list ...

The list will be small because the industry has been going towards smaller, slimmer designs with current hungry crossovers, sealed boxes. Looking for 95db sensitivity is going to really limit your choices to horns and the horn has to be designed supremely well. There are plenty more options if you would go actives instead of passives. I know many people here prefer actives.

I have a question. Why do you want sensitive speakers? Do you like tube amps, and want to use tube amps with the speaker?

 

[digicidal]

As per above, it may depend on the model.
https://www.henleyaudio.co.uk/shop/product/viewfile?FileId=4754&ProductId=937

"Klipsch claims an exceptional 100dB SPL sensitivity for its RF-7 III but our measured 92.8dB on pink noise suggests that figure might as well be plucked from the air."

Yikes... the measurements area on those is horrid! I'm sure some could be dealt with via DSP but it's far from easy on those...

One option for the big/ugly solution would be Tekton Design. (Similarly to Kllipsch, take their sensitivity with a fairly big grain of salt... easily over stated by 3-4dB).

 

[FrantzM]

The list will be small because the industry has been going towards smaller, slimmer designs with current hungry crossovers, sealed boxes. Looking for 95db sensitivity is going to really limit your choices to horns and the horn has to be designed supremely well. There are plenty more options if you would go actives instead of passives. I know many people here prefer actives.

I have a question. Why do you want sensitive speakers? Do you like tube amps, and want to use tube amps with the speaker?

Warning: Vague, anecdotes-based, subjective reply

I am not the OP but in my subjective, sighted auditions and that for several years, it seems to me that high sensitivity speakers that are also capable of high power handling and driven by powerful and clean amplifiers provide a more true to live dynamic representation that lower sensitivity models even if the average SPL is the same. I have not yet come across a study validating that point of view but I am not alone in that observation.
I could have included the Geddes Abbey speaker , rated at 95 dB but he no longer manufactures those, there are a few in the wild ... I am still trying to score a pair for my (almost/perhaps) end-game system ...

 

[FrantzM]

Lol, easier said then done. After going though this journey the last decade. For price/performance for me I narrowed to following choices.

Higher budget:

1. ATC SCM50 ASL (active) (no need to worry about efficiency).
http://atcloudspeakers.co.uk/hi-fi/loudspeakers/classic-series/scm50/

2. Legacy Aeris - Bass section is powered hence Benchmark AHB2 is enough, comes with room correction + pre amp + dac (WAVELET)
https://legacyaudio.com/products/view/aeris/

Moderate budget:

3. ATC SCM19A (active) (no need to worry about efficiency)
http://atcloudspeakers.co.uk/hi-fi/loudspeakers/entry-series/scm19a/

4. Legacy Calibre XD (ask for XD , the website does not seem to have it, bass section is powered by class D).
https://legacyaudio.com/products/view/calibre/

I would say except for Aeris one would want to get a proper sub-woofer. No matter how good the freq response is room correction, placement and calibration is must. Else any good speaker is not worth the $$ unless one can treat the room and sit at the perfect spot.

+1

 

[Sal1950]

Warning: Vague, anecdotes-based, subjective reply

I am not the OP but in my subjective, sighted auditions and that for several years, it seems to me that high sensitivity speakers that are also capable of high power handling and driven by powerful and clean amplifiers provide a more true to live dynamic representation that lower sensitivity models even if the average SPL is the same. I have not yet come across a study validating that point of view but I am not alone in that observation.
I could have included the Geddes Abbey speaker , rated at 95 dB but he no longer manufacturer those, there are a few in the wild ... I am still trying to score a pair for my (almost/perhaps) end-game system ...

Not to mention that the lowered demands on driver excursion etc, all things being equal should result in lower distortion.
Something Paul W Klipsch championed 70 years ago.

Big and ugly, but I like the look.

Speakers aren't supposed to be pretty, they're supposed to sound good.

 

[SWL3600]

Klipsch, huh? I dig em, since I.........

1. Upgrade all the components
2. Mod em
3. Beef em up
4. EQ the hell out of em
5. Treat the room

To my ears that's what it takes to deal with all their negatives (honky, boxie, ear piercing etc.) After that, you're left with all the good qualities. Detailed, clean, smooth and live realistic sound that is powerful. Oh yeah.....

 

[kevinh]

If you can find a pair of GedLee speakers they were ~97 db efficiency.

 

[Apesbrain]

Most of the Omega speakers are rated in the mid/high 90s.

 

[gvl]

What about full range Fostex kits from Madisound?

 

[Music1969]

I have a question. Why do you want sensitive speakers?

As I hinted to someone else above, I'm not in crisis mode to find efficient passive speakers.

But if I can find a list of good measuring efficient passive speakers, I'd like to have a list to demo.

Good measuring meaning good 3rd party measurements.

As others have mentioned above, this list is not easy to develop - that's why I created this thread to ask for others experiences.

After seeing 3rd party measurements where Klipsch's sensitivity numbers are questionable, I can't really trust manufacturer figures alone.

I've always been attracted to high efficiency horn speakers that I've heard in the past.

But would like to find good measuring ones, just so I can feel warm and fuzzy inside that nothing is 'broken' in terms of design and measured performance, as Amir would say in his reviews.

Efficiency is probably (only guessing) not really a concern with active speakers - the designer/s have selected the right amp for each driver to play loud with low distortion... that's always the goal anyway I assume.

 

[direstraitsfan98]

I'm not sure what your budget is but I could recommend the JBL Synthesis 4367. I have not heard a better sounding speaker yet at any price point. The horn is very smooth above its crossover point of 700hz, there is very little horn coloration. No issues with the crossover point that I can tell either. It is certainly sensitive enough to have the sonic qualities I think you value. Imagine a horn with no offensive coloration. It's almost too good to be true but it is!

It's my personal belief that dynamics are very important, if not everything when it comes to a speaker. If it can do dynamics well, everything should just fall in place.

The JBL 4367 are dynamic monsters. They bring out the full dynamic range of a good recording with their ability to resolve true peaks and swings in the music. Classical is excellent and true to life sounding. And not only that, they can jam out to bass heavy electronic music. I'm a bit of a bass head actually and hearing bass on these 15 inch woofers is wonderful. I've had success blasting bright sounding rock, Rush's Moving Pictures, to supremely quiet and dynamic classical recordings like some Mahler, to the hard electric beats from The Chemical Brothers Dig your own grave. These speakers do it all. Oh and it goes without saying that they measure amazingly well. There's quite a bit of info on them already on the forums posted by more knowledgeable people.

Hope I've helped in some way. Audition them if you can!

 

[Music1969]

It's my personal belief that dynamics are very important, if not everything when it comes to a speaker. If it can do dynamics well, everything should just fall in place.

Thanks I shall demo. I agree dynamics is very important.

I started a thread a while ago about measuring speaker dynamics and it sparked some really great discussion:

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...speakers-in-particular-speaker-dynamics.7742/

 

[Willem]

These days sensitivity is not that important anymore given the low price of amplifier watts

 

[Ilkless]

Danley Synergies. I've seen a few SH50 home setups across AudioHeritage, AudioCircle and DIYAudio. You'll probably need a sub or maybe you could EQ the low-end depending on your max SPL needs.

 

[Wombat]

It seems Klipsch might be it. From a brief look around I just did, everybody else seems to offering towers in the 86 - 88 dB range. As for how Klipsch's measure, I can't say really, as I've never looked into them beyond a cursory glance. Enough people seem to like them, though, while others complains that they're "bright" and "shouty". Go figure...

I suspect that many who find speakers bright and shouty are not accustomed to live acoustic performances. Many musical instruments are just that. Horns are good at replicating such instruments.

The argument is similar to those with a bland palate complaining that parmesan cheese was put on their spaghetti Bolognese instead of processed cheddar.

 

[Frank Dernie]

Not to mention that the lowered demands on driver excursion etc, all things being equal should result in lower distortion.

Very true but how often do we see distortion measurements in reviews? HiFi News is the only one I know of and it shows the Klipsch mentioned before to have low distortion compared to many others they measured, however the horn itself is prone to acoustic and mechanical resonance which adds colouration even though the driver itself may not. I love my horns but the waterfall is typically "disappointing" to say the least!
https://www.tuneaudio.com/wp-conten...-in-French-Stereo-PRESTIGE-IMAGE-Magazine.pdf
in French but the graphs are easy to understand and not much point in reading the text IMHO anyway.

 

[Sal1950]

I love my horns but the waterfall is typically "disappointing" to say the least!

Oh well, Remember the story about what happened to the last guy that was perfect.

 

[Wombat]

Very true but how often do we see distortion measurements in reviews? HiFi News is the only one I know of and it shows the Klipsch mentioned before to have low distortion compared to many others they measured, however the horn itself is prone to acoustic and mechanical resonance which adds colouration even though the driver itself may not. I love my horns but the waterfall is typically "disappointing" to say the least!
https://www.tuneaudio.com/wp-conten...-in-French-Stereo-PRESTIGE-IMAGE-Magazine.pdf
in French but the graphs are easy to understand and not much point in reading the text IMHO anyway.

There have been big design improvements in horns. The modern ones have been re-named waveguides.

The temptation to use horns beyond their optimal bandwidth to avoid a larger size had a lot to do with criticism.

 

[kevinh]

While the JBL M2's aren't over 95db efficient from what I have read they certainly meet the dynamics requirement.