Speaker Efficiency

Clayton is no longer at Spatial.

I have no idea why that amp didn’t work. On paper it was a great match and the Decware drove a pair of khorns like there was no tomorrow.

@marktheshark I'm looking at the same crossroads for my office system.  I'm running a lower-powered Decware (rated at 6wpc) that sounds great with both sets of speakers I rotate through.  My bookshelf speakers are rated at 85dB, but sound fantastic and I usually listen at 65-70dB with the occasional listening in the 75-80dB (max) range when my wife isn't home.  I'm looking at experimenting with some more efficient bookshelf speakers, perhaps some Omega's, or moving to a 20-40 wpc tube amplifier.  I do have a subwoofer and this is a smaller space measuring only 12x11, plus I only sit about 8' from the speakers.  

So essentially I'm just wondering if there would be any improvement with a more powerful amplifier, or more efficient speakers, or both!  

@paradisecom  Looking at all the great information provided above, if your 6watt amp can provide 70db with 85db speakers, and your not on the higher end of the volume control, your probably not taxing the amp too badly. Continuing to play at louder and louder volumes, would create more distortion, and sound quality would diminish. Higher efficiency speakers would work better with the Decware amp, and should have less distortion on the signal, and overall could sound better.  If this is an office system, you probably don't need 40 watts.

I'm not sure whats out there for high efficiency bookshelf speakers, but if your system is in your smaller office, you may not need to be in the mid to high 90db range.

These are interesting, albeit expensive

https://devorefidelity.com/devore-fidelity-speakers/orangutan-series/micr-o-speakers/

 I have been listening to my Decware 300b tube amp for a few months now. At 8 watts, I have them paired with Klipsch Forte IV at 99db efficiency, and this set up has been sounding great. This morning I connected a pair of Sonus Faber Electa Amator speakers, 6ohms at 88db of efficiency. They sound fantastic, with more weight  and depth. I understand there is a huge price difference in the two speakers, but aside from that, if I am getting 80db of volume at my chair, 8' away, what is the draw back of using lower efficiency speakers with SET amps, so long as the volume is sufficient? 

It comes down to your choice of music as well. Here.. listen to this track by Icelandic composer, Hildur Guðnadóttir to check bass control and so on of your drivers. Turn subs off and just crank the speaker up to about ~90 db (Don't be shy, our good lady, Hildur is merely here to check for a minute if your stuff is any good or not). Compare back to back with a pair of Schiit Tyr Monoblocks and the Decware weak sauce fleawatt on the Electa Amator. When the Decware cries and runs to its daddy, i.e., fizzles out, i predict that i will see it on the Audiogon marketplace for sale real quick. 😁

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7sj_XJJ9U8

But, If you are listening to some weak sauce track with a  twangy dude wailing to a single string at 65, 70db about how a gal broke his heart into just a few million pieces..... i suppose your Decware should be just fine with the Electa Amator.

@deep_333 Funny, :)

Ok, I did just that. Hildur Guðnadóttir 12’ away, at 85db, the "fleawatt" was at about 75%, the Roon app was at 80%, if I had to guess, I was probably running at 2, 2.5 watts. My room is 14X20 with vaulted ceiling. I didn’t hear any problems with the signal, although the room was shaking, and the dog ran like hell :0. But the real question is, why? You cant honestly listen to that soundtrack at 90db and enjoy it. I do like Schiit stuff, I’ve had Yiggi and Bitfrost DACs, I dont need a 200 watt Schiit Tyr to drive a pair of Forte’s? I do have a Hegel H590 (2 x 301 W into 8 Ω, Dual Mono) for the Sonus Fabers, maybe I’ll do a comparison.