Should You Buy Sensitive Speakers? Uh ... Whut?
Channel: Lancaster Hi-Fi
Date: 02/04/2024

What prospective speaker buyers should know: sensitivity and efficiency; manufacturer specifications vs. standardized, objective measurements; sound pressure level; dB, watts, and volts; in-room vs. anechoic; Hoffman's Iron Law; some noteworthy sensitive speakers.

00:00 Introduction
00:26 Efficiency and sensitivity explained
03:41 Impedance and ohms rating
04:13 Example manufacturer specs
06:48 Comparing speakers: ADS, Tannoy, and AR
07:44 What's a dB? Sound pressure level in decibels
09:22 Comparing ADS L730, Tannoy Monitor Gold, and Acoustic Research AR4x
10:52 Watts or volts? 1 W vs. 2.83 V (rms)
12:29 Pros, cons, and pitfalls of shopping for sensitive speakers
13:45 Hoffman's Iron Law
15:15 Hi-fi evolution of speaker sensitivity and amplifier power from tubes to solid state
19:13 How to compare speaker sensitivity across makes and models
21:44 Bass: What you want and how to get it
23:37 Examples of high-sensitivity speakers
28:45 How makers fudge the numbers with psychoacoustics
34:42 The bottom line for bass, box size, and efficiency
35:18 Another comparison: Hartley Zodiac 1B and Wharfedale W70D
37:11 Do I want high-sensitivity speakers?
39:49 No free lunch!
41:15 Take-home points