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robert bartsch · 05-15-2008, 02:43 PM

Long ago, I had a pair of Altec voice of the theater speakers with 15 inch drivers and cast horns. Their sensativity rating was 98DB with 1 watt at 3 feet. A smallish amp of 80 watts or so was sufficent to raise the roof.

Anyway, I have since bought a set of Klipcsh home speakers which I enjoy. They take up less space and still produce clean sound with the modern multi-channel receivers of today. These are rated at 92DB.

Although I never compared the two speakers side-by-side, my recollection is that it the Altecs produce a much higher sound level than the Klipsch's - given the same input power.

So my question is this; there must be a very noticable difference in speaker effeciency rating 92 Vs. 98; right? Why don't they build home speakers with higher sensitivity ratings?

On a hunch, I recently looked at some JBL professional series drivers and many are rated at over 110 DB. Wow, these must crank at low to moderate power levels.

05-15-2008, 02:43 PM	#1 of 31
robert bartsch *robert bartsch* Member Join Date: May 2008 Local Time: 07:37 AM Local Date: 10-12-2008 Posts: 75	Speaker sensitivity question Long ago, I had a pair of Altec voice of the theater speakers with 15 inch drivers and cast horns. Their sensativity rating was 98DB with 1 watt at 3 feet. A smallish amp of 80 watts or so was sufficent to raise the roof. Anyway, I have since bought a set of Klipcsh home speakers which I enjoy. They take up less space and still produce clean sound with the modern multi-channel receivers of today. These are rated at 92DB. Although I never compared the two speakers side-by-side, my recollection is that it the Altecs produce a much higher sound level than the Klipsch's - given the same input power. So my question is this; there must be a very noticable difference in speaker effeciency rating 92 Vs. 98; right? Why don't they build home speakers with higher sensitivity ratings? On a hunch, I recently looked at some JBL professional series drivers and many are rated at over 110 DB. Wow, these must crank at low to moderate power levels.