How important is the efficiency of a speaker to you?


I went to an audio meeting recently and heard a couple of good sounding speakers. These speakers were not inexpensive and were well built. Problem is that they also require a very large ss amp upstream to drive them. Something that can push a lot of current, which pretty much rules out most low-mid ( maybe even high) powered tube amps. When I mentioned this to the person doing the demo, i was basically belittled, as he felt that the efficiency of a speaker is pretty much irrelevant ( well he would, as he is trying to sell these speakers). The speaker line is fairly well known to drop down to a very low impedance level in the bass regions. This requires an amp that is going to be $$$, as it has to not be bothered by the lowest impedances.

Personally, if I cannot make a speaker work with most tube amps on the market, or am forced to dig deeply into the pocketbook to own a huge ss amp upstream, this is a MAJOR negative to me with regards to the speaker in question ( whichever speaker that may be). So much so, that I will not entertain this design, regardless of SQ.

Your thoughts?

128x128daveyf

@rauliruegas While the speakers in my OP were indeed not the same as the ones in my example with the Parasounds, the speakers in the OP were in the same category ( and actually the same maker) as the ones in my example. I suspect that the Parasounds ( like most amps, and as Atmasphere pointed out above) would not be working at their best with such a load.

@daveyf  : As many others including what posted that gentleman ceratinly did not read yet te JC 1+ review that between other things states:

 

The JC 1+'s shielded input- and driver-stage circuit boards use an FR408 substrate, a substance that was developed for ultra-high-speed applications in supercomputers and aerospace.

• As in the JC 1, the JC 1+ input stage uses hand-matched pairs (footnote 2) of Toshiba 2SJ74 P-channel and 2SK170 N-channel J-FETs. Parasound and, I believe, Ayre Acoustics have invested heavily to secure an ample stock of these no-longer-manufactured, low-noise J-FETs. While the JC 1 driver was a single-stage circuit, for the JC 1+, John Curl designed a two-stage, cascode driver that would have some of the favorable attributes of vacuum tubes.

• As the number of high-performance loudspeakers with impedances that drop below 2 ohms is on the increase, Curl increased the number of Sanken NPN and PNP bipolar output transistors from 18 to 24. The output-stage circuit boards are now mounted vertically rather than horizontally, which should result in more effective heat dissipation. To deal with the increased current, the copper traces on the amplifier's main circuit board and the output-stage circuit boards are twice as thick as on the JC 1.

• The peak output current is specified as 180A, supplied by Nichicon Gold Tune capacitors, two more than the JC 1. Richard Schram says that although the Gold Tune capacitors were discontinued years ago, Nichicon continues to manufacture them exclusively for Parasound. "

 

Peak current : 180A. So what are you talking about? J.Curl does not makes that kind of mistakes.

 

R.

@rauliruegas   I suggest since you are such a big fan of the Parasound JC1+'s sound that you go out and immediately buy a pair, if you haven't already...That's what I am talking about...;0)

Dear @daveyf  : I know and listened sevral times in different home top room/systems the original JC 1 and the JC 1+ too.

 

But, I don't need to buy it because my Levinson 20.6 monoblocks was and till today it's the J.Curl Statement Design. Yes better than the JC 1+ and better that many today $$$$ SS monobloks and guess what: the 20,6 are pure Class A and doubles its power down to 0.5 ohms. It's a true beauty of design and it's a learning electronics for any SS amps designers.

 

That's what I'm talking about.

R.