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Efficient speakers -- What was your journey from A to B to ?

This thread is for people who have tried a successive number of efficient speakers and are willing to relate what they learned on the way.

Here's where I am: Recent experiences with speakers and amps has lead me toward lower watt (not ultra low) amps and more sensitive speakers.

I currently am looking for a second pair of speakers to alternate with my Ascends which would play more nicely with my Quicksilver Mono 60s and my Pass XA 25. (If I found the right speakers, I could be willing to look into SET amps, etc. but that is not my quest, now.)

I am open to design -- horns, open baffle, single driver, etc. My budget is flexible but I won't spend tens of thousands. So, some options are likely not possible.

Here are the speakers I am keeping an eye out for, used, but please add to my list! 

Audio Note
Coherent Audio 
Coincident — planar magnetic tweeters
Daedalus
Fyne
Klipsch
legacy
Living Voice 
Omega
Pure Audio Project
spatial
Tannoy
Volti

Again, I'm especially interested in hearing from folks who have tried more than one of these speakers and can explain what lead them from one brand or model to the next -- and why.

Thanks!
 

128x128hilde45

Showing 2 responses by benanders

benanders's avatar
benanders
217 posts
 

Consider speaker design category (e.g. in your mention - K-horns) not just brand. Format of the driver arrangements can be a good predictor of efficiency, and past that it will matter if you like the way a given speaker model sounds.

I don’t think any of the speakers in your list are line arrays, which can also be very efficient. Can be affordable to DIY (though “costly” in terms of learning curves/time); very expensive to buy ready-made.

benanders's avatar
benanders
217 posts
 

@hilde45 I agree with @blisshifi that the DIY route could be very beneficial if speaker sensitivity is important and you’ve the relevant carpentry and software skills and/or time x willingness to learn more.

Once I defined my own parameters for “best playback setup,” high sensitivity worked out to be a happy, inadvertent addition (not an initial goal). I sure like having it now.

The following diyAudio thread has been going nearly a decade; I first began keeping up with it late 2014 or early 2015. Don’t try to read through in one afternoon (or month):
 

The Making of the Two Towers

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