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Loudspeaker sensitivity and dynamics: are the two inexorably linked?

Have been listening to quite a few speakers lately, and increasingly I've noticed that more sensitive speakers tend to have better microdyanmics - the sense that the sound is more "alive" or more like the real thing.

The speakers involved include my own Magico A5's, Joseph Audio Pulsar 2's, and  Wilson Watt/Puppy 7's, as well as others including the Magico M3, Wilson Alexia V, various Sonus Faber's, Magnepan's,  Borressen's, and Rockport models (Cygnus and Avior II).

A recent visit to High Water Sound in NYC topped the cake though: proprietor and vinyl guru Jeff Catalano showed off a pair of Cessaro horns (Opus One) that literally blew our minds (with a few listening buddies).  The Cessaro's sensitivity is rated at 97 db, highest among the aforementioned models.  That system was very close to live performance - and leads to the topic.

I'm not referring to maximum loudness or volume, rather that the music sounds less reproduced and more that the instrumentation and vocals are more real sounding through higher sensitivity speakers.

Is this a real phenomenon?  Or is it more the particular gear I've experienced?

Thoughts?

bobbydd

Showing 1 response by whart

whart's avatar
whart
3,128 posts
 

Big conventional (dynamic cones in a box) type speakers can be "dynamic" in the   difference between loud and soft, with enough good amplification behind them. 

I use a hybrid- horns from Avantgarde but supported by additional larger subs in addition to the integrated woofers that come w/ the speaker. 

The key for me in this system is the amp- it enables me to use the Lamm ML2 which has a character that emulates real music. 

Using high sensitivity speakers requires a lot of attention to noise- grounding anomalies, other stuff that you would not necessarily hear through a less efficient system. 

It's a choice, like any other, in hi-fi. The big Cessaro, with bass modules, retailed for over 1 million last time I checked. 

I've heard Jeff's set ups-- he is the real deal, knows records. 

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