‘Straining ‘ ‘relaxed’ have no meaning,
If a loudspeaker is making demands on an amplifier that the amplifier is ill suited to deliver, then you can get things like clipping and distortion, compressed dynamics, loss of bass control, etc.
This can be described as the sound of an amplifier “ straining” under the demand placed on it.
Likewise, a loudspeaker pushed beyond its capabilities can produce distortion, compression where the speaker just hits its limit and flattens out in terms of volume and dynamics, driver chuffing, or rattling, reduced bass control, etc.
This also can be understood in terms of the loudspeaker “ straining” to cleanly reproduce sound, versus another loudspeaker that handles the same signals without any of those problems.
And this is why somebody could describe a loudspeaker that can reproduce sound at the required levels cleanly, and without strain as as being more “ relaxed” under such circumstances.
Not to mention the subjective impression or feeling can be that the listener can remain more relaxed when cracking up the volume.
Any audiophile with much experience should recognize when he/she has encountered a loudspeaker that can play very loudly and very cleanly, and it feels like you can turn it up louder without discomfort or a feeling you are straining the loudspeaker.
loudspeakers are designed to fulfil specific demands, if you need to play at 124dB continuously then make sure you choose a suitable loudspeaker.
Keith
And if you don’t… your loudspeaker may
“ strain” to reproduce such levels cleanly.
You don’t have to use such language yourself, but to sort of pretend to be puzzled by informal language seems very bizarre to me.
I mean when you pick up a novel and read a description of, say, “
The old pine trees strained against the relentless howl of the wind”… are you just left baffled as to what the author is trying to get across?