CHALLENGE: Best speakers for playing 1812 Overture by Eric Kunzel with real CANON at 92+dB

nationalbar is in the groove.

If your looking to fake out an armed enemy this may be the "best" devise.

 https://futuremusic.com/2008/07/22/worlds-biggest-subwoofer-danley-sound-labs-matterhorn/

I could never be satisfied with any speakers on this piece, so I purchased a small cannon for my listening room, and set it off appropriately along with the recording. That brings me the realism I need (and, frankly, deserve).

Got a real laugh. You win!

8 Hz. That’s your frequency target for those Telarc 1812 cannon shots. Your system needs to be able to survive high power at 8 Hz.

What sort of SPL would be "realistic"?

According to the US Army, the impulse SPL of a 105 mm howitzer at the gunner’s location is 183 decibels. That’s roughly one BILLION times the sound power of the 92 dB target mentioned. Obviously this isn’t practical for a home audio sound system, but I wanted to give some perspective on the difference between 92 dB and "realistic".

The amount of air displacement it would take to deliver even 92 dB @ 8 Hz at the listening position is enormous. You’d be looking at something like 2 or 3 very capable 15" subwoofers.

Duke

The obvious choice--Tekton's 1812 of course.  

I have built many speakers, I have to say, a few could handle this, but without fail,  when I had decent to high sensitivity 15 inch,  these recordings sounded their best.  Also, there has been some talk above about drivers bottoming out on the canon shot.  You bet they will,  Look at the XMAX of a bass driver before playing a recording like this.  The high sensitivity works because you have a decent volume level without taxing your amplifier and with decent power, your amp can handle that canon without craping on itself.  

Those accordion surrounds, never gave me thumping bass, always bottomed them out, and they gave me a flicking paper sound, went with the half roll surround, never looked back.

  Had the CV 380SE black felt on speaker face, sounded great, but every bass kick drum, it would give that crack pop sound.
wanted those speakers so bad,......
oh well

This should help:  http://www.eminent-tech.com Then click on TRW-17.

Hello,
You might want to go with Tekton. I am positive the Moab or double impacts can handle this. The Revel Salon 2s could handle this but we are talking a $17,000 difference in speaker cost. You could go with what speaker you like and add a JL Audio sub. I recommend the F113 for $4,700 and if you want next level add the crossover for $3,000. It gives you the easiest option to set the crossover for your front speakers and the sub. I also heard a very cool speaker the Emerald Physics speakers with the external crossover. Two 15” drivers with a horn tweeter. Open baffle design. The whole speaker setup was around $1,000 with the digital crossover. This could definitely handle the 1812 overture. If you are in the Chicagoland area and want to check this out and maybe try before you buy. https://holmaudio.com/
Very cool place to have some fun listening to some really good sounding gear but best of all not at outrageous prices. I have listened to some systems costing a few hundred dollars that sounded really good!

A lot of music recording sounds decent even on Sonos because the dynamic range is limited. 
I assume the appeal of hifi is the ability to "reproduce" good recording that has both soundstage and dynamic.

This particular 1812 overture by Eric Kunzel SACD has the life like huge dynamic so I was sharing my experience that it takes both AMP and good dynamic speakers to be able to reproduce the life like soundstage and dynamic. 

No one speaker is best for everything but I was impressed by B&W N801 for its ability to project the most realistic sound dynamic as if you were listening to the real life orchestra and not from a speaker box.

For anyone who has the vinyl all you have to do is look at the grooves where the cannons go off, it looks like a good 60 degree angle.  That makes me stop right there.  I played it once at a low volume.

Seems to me the only accurate way re-create an explosion is to simply cause another explosion.  Not for me thank you.

Regards,
barts

I have both the cd and vinyl. the vinyl is hard on the cart and tonearm as it will jump out of the groove during the canon shots. 

If the OP wants to know what speaker can launch the strongest sound wave, the limit may be way beyond what is practical.  Couldn’t one just keep adding woofers to the array of speaker woofers along with adequate power to increase the speakers’ sound pressure?  

I could never be satisfied with any speakers on this piece, so I purchased a small cannon for my listening room, and set it off appropriately along with the recording. That brings me the realism I need (and, frankly, deserve).

Blew the foam surrounds off my old Jensen system 400’s playing the 1812 at a 4th of July cook out. Sounded pretty good, but the speakers were destroyed. That was using the Telarc cd. I also own a CBS masterworks and Mercury living presence lp of the 1812. They don't get played much if at all.

I have that CD. I've played it on my 1989 Polk RTA 8Ts with no issues at 96 dBA. But now I have a 2005 Velodyne DLS 15" subwoofer. It has no issues playing that CD at loud levels either. No popping, no distortion.  So I'm not getting the problem here.

Seems like an exercise in hearing loss.
Trying to launch a massive sound wave, which can damage “expensive” speakers and audio components, seems to be the antithesis of high-end audio fidelity.  

My CV D-9’s are wicked at the 1812!

    First audition was in 1986-1987 at video concepts , darn woofer came out and retracted a good half inch, the bass was chest thump!

 No,speaker since has ever reproduced that day. 
  Bought them the next day,drove em home on my 1984 cutlass supreme. 1 in trunk, 1 in back seat. 

I haven’t listened to the Kunzel in a dog’s age but if memory serves the Mercury Living Presence is more explosive.  BTW per the latter no one ever mentions the other gem on that CD: Beethoven’s Wellington. The gun shots coming in rolling volleys always make me smile - so outlandish even for Beethoven!

That track is called "Speaker Buster" and with good reason. 

Both really funny responses. Thanks for the laugh. 

I have that CD and played it a couple of times.  I have played it at 98 DB volume through my Triton Refs and my 300wpc Mac amp.  Clean and clear bass with no distortion.  However, I did lose 4 or 5 of my wife’s knickknacks that vibrated off the living room bookcase when the cannons went off.  I got one heck of a scolding from my wife. 

They must love having you 😂