Sensitivity Issues

Eleonida: Good questions, but no hard fast answers. I have tried out some speaker/amp combos that looked good on paper as far as the manufacturers specs for the equipment went, but that were a total bust. I am running 90db, 4ohm speakers with a 7watt per channel tube amp and the low ohmage does not seem to add the dreaded flab to the bass response, it sound great. I tried running a pair of Linn Tukans with a 50 watt/channel (70+ in reality and 140+ into 4 ohms per the review specs) SS amp and it would not control the low end of the 4 ohm Tukan's. The same amp ran a pair of Reynaud Twins (also 4 ohms) fine. Either the specs are wrong or there is more to it than the numbers. If you can, go for 90db (which is fine) or more (it's a nice range for many amps and rooms), but try to home demo the speakers before you purchase them. If this is not possible then hookup with fellow listeners that have your amp and see what has worked for them. Perhaps list your complete system (with the room size and your current speakers) in this or a new thread and list what you would like to improve. I can't imagine that mismatches like this are commom place, but they do happen and I would hate to see you stuck with one, especially with your wife watching/hearing. I purchased my amp (not my speakers) without an audition, but did so after checking it out with other owner's that I located on the web and everyone else that ever wrote a review or commented on auditioning it.

I have a Pass Aleph-3 and use Paradigm Studio-80's They are 92dB 8ohm.My room 20X 15X 8 I play lots of rock and I get more volume than I need.I does play loud.I know loud is a opinion, but in my opinion, most would say it plays loud if they heard my system.I wouldnt go below 90 dB's with the Pass.I can hear the difference between 1 dB up or down in a speaker.

The Aleph 3 loves the ProAC Tab 50 sigs. Very musical.

I'm on the hunt for a speaker upgrade. My current amp is, well, modest (30 wpc Pass Labs). I've been advised to confine myself to sensitive speakers (more sensitivity in the house has cheered my wife). What range am I looking for, and how big a difference is there in a couple of db's, say 89 and 91? Also, if I drop down in resistance (8 to 6, or even 4 ohms), does this compensate, or do sensitivity figures already take resistance into account?eleonida04-07-2001 10:26am~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Whoever gave you the advice to seek out High Sensitive speakers , knows  his stuff. 
I have yet to read the ONLY 3 posts to your Q. 
Which firgures  around here. 
Most folks here do not have a clue what sensitivity means, Ohms, well I am not sure what that means , but can say wide band/high sens speakers are always higher ohms.

Yes each db gain or loss makes  some difference. 
The cutoff twix low efficient and high efficient IMHO is 91db. 
90db represents the high mark in xover designs, and wide band /FR lowest db mark is 91db.
That is to say, all FR/WB start at 91db and rup up past 100db. 
The higher the db level = the superior the wide band. = The higher up the db you go, the more expensive is the driver/speaker. 
High sensitivity comes at a  price.

So  now let me see the 3 lonely responses to your OP

gregm3,252 posts04-07-2001 6:19pmEleonida, excellent afvice, IMHO!. A few rules of the thumb waiting for cognoscenti. The Ohm load doubles (or halfs, as it were) per 3 db rating. I would pounce on 91 vs 88 dbs (the difference could mean a bigger amp, try getting THAT past yr wife -- or mine, for that matter). Resistance plays with the sound spectrum and average 8-4 ohms is, usually, happily dealt with by most amps. It doesn't compensate in the way I think you think it does (i.e. make things easier, low load but low resistance, so my amp loses on one and gains on the other). Beware of low resistance, it requires mamouth efforts to control... in other words, it'll suck the juice (the life) out of yr amp.
Concluding, if U like yr music at reasonable levels and, worse still, listen to classical, go for sensitive -- 89 upward -- speakers, and check out their lowest resistance rating. Most modern speakers play around a minimum of 4; yr Pass can easily match that.


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Excellent post, Now i clearly understand the ohm thing. 
Yes FR/WB/High sens speakers are amp friendly = higher ohms vs the xover design.

89db+.. I'd suggest 91db is the cut off point. 
All FR/WB/ high sens speakers, all specs start 91db ++
89db is still xover low efficient type. 


**and wosre still if you listen to classical music*** Yes classical music, demands/equires higher sens speakers. 
xover  designs fail at classical due to lower sensitivity. 
Very glad you posted the classical music as a drain on efficiency of a  amplifier.