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Original Message

Not Really Correct IMHO..........

Posted by thetubeguy1954 on January 15, 2012 at 16:20:23:

Jeff,

You are mistaken. The less efficient drivers are going to precisely be the issue! I just looked at the Mark Audio drivers and most are very inefficient or more correctly insensitive at 85.5dB to 86.5dB! Robert does not in fact, have lots of power on tap with his amp when using such insensitive speakers! I use a 40W/ch Mastersound amp which isn't much different power-wise than Robert's 55W/ch amp at all.

Now Jeff before I was using my present 98dB Fostex whizzerless, FE208ES-R drivers in double-back-loaded horns. I was using a pair of easy to drive, 88dB, 6 ohm, Aliante Pininfarina One, 2-way, Italian speakers with 6dB/oct. first order crossovers. As wonderful as these Italian beauties sounded when I turned them up they lacked the most wonderful trait that's only attained when using much more sensitive drivers, in proper enclosures and that is the ability for the music to retain the same full harmonic, timbrel and tonal balance and it's dynamic swings when played at low volumes it had when the speakers were played at louder volume levels! The Aliantes, like every other speaker I've heard under at least 92dB, sounded dull & lifeless, in comparison to how they sounded at louder volumes!

Now if you believe this lack of full harmonic, timbrel and tonal balance as well as the dynamic swings when music played at low volumes via insensitive speakers can be cured by having more amp power, you're completely wrong. For I have a more powerful amp in my second system which consists of an Audio Research SP-9, a 150W/ch, solid-state, Harman Kardon Citation 16a and a pair of 88dB, Monsoon FPF-1000 speakers. Once I start turning the volume down on this system the same occurs that occured with my old Mastersound/Aliante combo, i.e. once the AR & HK/Monsoon's music gets below a certain volume it sounds dull & lifeless, in comparison to how it sounded at louder volumes! Consider this below:

88dB 150W This equals the Harman Kardon with Monsoon speakers
91dB 75W
94dB 37.5W
97dB 18.75W

Above everytime I raised the speakers sensitivity by 3dB I decreased the amps power by 3dB. My 40W/ch Mastersound with the Fostex speakers falls between 94dB and 97dB speakers so while it's not an exact match it's fairly close. So I know it's not how powerful the amp is. These results are achieved only when using sensitive speakers and it's speaker's high sensitivity that allows the music to retain all it's sonic beauty at low volume levels. However not being completely satisfied I did a couple more tests. The first test I did was to first hook up the Mastersound to the Monsoon speakers and the result was as the music was lowered in volume it lacked the same full harmonic, timbrel and tonal balance and it's dynamic swings when played at low volumes it had when the speakers were played at louder volume levels! However when I finally hooked up the Fostex fullrange drivers in the back loaded horns to the Audio Research SP-9, with the 150W/ch, solid-state, Harman Kardon Citation 16a and began to lower the volume, the music retained the same full harmonic, timbrel and tonal balance and the same dynamic swings when played at low volumes as it did when the speakers were played at louder volume levels, albeit now the music was at a lower volume! So Jeff I know the issue is all about the driver's sensitivity, not about the amp's power.

Thetubeguy1954 (Tom Scata )

Full-range/Wide-range Drivers --- Front & Back-Loaded Horns
Central Florida Audio Society -- SETriodes Group -- Space Coast Audio Society
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"The man that hath no music in himself, nor is not moved with the concord of sweet sounds, is fit for treasons, deceptions, and spoils;
The motions of his spirit are dull as night and his affections dark as Hell. Let no such man be trusted."

- William Shakespeare from The Merchant of Venice; Act V,i