Digging deeper into speaker specs

[Made in 1968]

8. can also mean too much of the money is NOT put not into the sound. This can work one way. someone more interested in how they look than sound which sadly is far too many people.. Me being one, but i dont buy modern stuff so can be let off on the Nostalgia trip. But im referring to Hi-Fi enthusiasts

If i were buying an expensive speaker, i would consider a brand that uses a reputable outsourced tweeter, not a ten bob chinese based jobbie. I personally stick to High efficiency, 2 Way if i can..

[Opti-cal]

Couldn't agree more with Adrian above. Well said.

For what its worth I've had speakers which claim 35Hz low end which get no where near and in contrast, speakers stated at 55Hz which went so much lower.

As stated its all about the right speakers in the right room with the right amp. Afraid there is no substitute for trial and error. Once you've been through it a few times and have some experience you can certainly make a more educated guess, but what works and why is sometimes just an enigma . . . .

I've spent the last few days (literally 4-6 hours every night) trying out some new speakers with 3 or 4 different amps. Dragging each 30KG unit around in a loft as they react differently to the amplifiers.

The effort is worth it though.

[Octopoida42]

Awesome stuff, thanks for all the input from everyone.

I tend to be a fairly analytical person and do tons of research on stuff before taking something home (or doing lots of internet ordering/returns) so I was hoping to be able to narrow the field a bit as my "local" shop is upwards of an hour and a half drive each way in traffic. Right now it sounds like I am going to have to stick to price bracket and sensitivity (using a tube amp) and what is available near me. On the upside, the guy I am working with at my shop seems to be actually helpful rather than just trying to sell me stuff.

Thanks again folks. TAOS is a great place to be!

[YNWaN]

As someone mentioned earlier, the magazine ‘Stereophile’ do detailed and worthwhile measurements. In contrast, few manufacturers provide any speciations of real value.

[anthonyTD]

Spec sheets, especialy Graphs showing impedance change with Frequency are probably the most useful info you can gain from the manufacturer, however, the info, and the affect the changes may have on an individual's system will depend greatly on what type of amplification is used with said speakers!
A...

[fatmarley]

May be worth looking at some of the more obscure manufacturers too. Kralk Audio make some interesting stuff.

[AJSki2fly]

Awesome stuff, thanks for all the input from everyone.

I tend to be a fairly analytical person and do tons of research on stuff before taking something home (or doing lots of internet ordering/returns) so I was hoping to be able to narrow the field a bit as my "local" shop is upwards of an hour and a half drive each way in traffic. Right now it sounds like I am going to have to stick to price bracket and sensitivity (using a tube amp) and what is available near me. On the upside, the guy I am working with at my shop seems to be actually helpful rather than just trying to sell me stuff.

Thanks again folks. TAOS is a great place to be!

What valve amp are you using?

What max size of speaker cabinet are you limited to?

What is the room size in feet?

Are there any speaker placement limitations?

Some of us on here can probably give you some good pointers, there are several well respected USA speaker manufacturers that build efficient units that work well with Valve amps.

[Lawrence001]

4. The heavier the cabinet or the more rigid it is can result in less colouration to the sound and more accurate and musical it will tend to be.

I think I agree with everything you said except your point that lack of colouration/rigid cabinet => musicality.

[hornucopia]

No 4 not absolute? My Ocellias are not the only ones where the cabinet 'lets go' of the energy-as you know, Adrian!

[walpurgis]

Yamaha employed the lightweight build, low energy storage principle in their Soava speakers. Very successfully by all accounts, though I haven't heard them myself.