Why is it that speakers with 90-98 db efficiency but steep phase angles and impedances in the 3 ohm range for bass can sound superb with well designed 30 watt amps? I also prefer more efficient speakers but have recognized that low efficiency speakers (mid-80 db) with benign phase angles and nominal 8 ohm impedances are just as good and easy to drive. Only a few high end box/dynamic speakers are both efficient and have 8 ohm nominal impedances. The room acoustics are so important to the reproduction of sound and musical pleasure that this discussion of bass and treble seems banal. There are many ways to make a good match between speakers and amps that no one method is "best."
The two most common mistakes are bass and treble
OK, so I know many of you will have a knee jerk reaction to that with something like "well you've just covered most of the spectrum!" but I mean to say more than what I can fit in a headline.
When first purchasing speakers the biggest regrets, or sometimes bad choices without regret, is looking for a speaker that is too detailed. In the store over 10 minutes it mesmerizes you with the resolution of frequencies you thought you would never hear again. You take the speakers home and after a month you realize they are ear drills. High pitched, shrill sounding harpies you can't believe you listened to long enough to make a choice.
The other mistake, which audiophiles life with far too long is buying too big a speaker for the room. The specmanship of getting 8 more Hertz in the -3dB cutoff is a huge factor in speaker purchases.
What do you think the biggest mistakes are when buying speakers?
When first purchasing speakers the biggest regrets, or sometimes bad choices without regret, is looking for a speaker that is too detailed. In the store over 10 minutes it mesmerizes you with the resolution of frequencies you thought you would never hear again. You take the speakers home and after a month you realize they are ear drills. High pitched, shrill sounding harpies you can't believe you listened to long enough to make a choice.
The other mistake, which audiophiles life with far too long is buying too big a speaker for the room. The specmanship of getting 8 more Hertz in the -3dB cutoff is a huge factor in speaker purchases.
What do you think the biggest mistakes are when buying speakers?