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!
 

hilde45

Showing 1 response by mapman

Not sure if this has been covered here but its important to realize efficient does not mean easy load. Not easy load means not just any amp will do to get the best performance possible.

 

Nothing wrong with any of the speakers mentioned as long as proper amp matching is done.

 

I have gone through similar gyrations considering "more efficient" speakers. But more efficient just means louder not better. For better, you want speakers that are easy to drive with any amp, and that would be Fritz speakers. There may be others but those are ones I know, have heard and can vouch for the fact that they will perform well and go reasonably loud even with most any amp. I heard them with a flea powered tube amp at Capital Audiofest a few years back and was won over.

Having said that, teh best high efficiency speaker sound I recall ever hearing was with a pair of large custom goto horns at the very first ever Capital Audiofest years back. Others I have not heard that I would love to be able to audition but have very low WAF are Jadis Eurythmie and Avantgarde. I’m sure there are others. I tend to always like Klipsch Heritage speakers when I hear those and would consider those to be very good relative values worth consideration. Volti as well. Have heard and liked Spatial as well but not sure if those qualify as truly high efficiency.