Floorstanders or monitors at $3-5k/pr - Page 2

Originally Posted by Nuance

Good point: what does he mean by "crank it?"

saeyedoc,

Will you be listening at 90+ dB and watching movies at reference levels? If so go with something high sensitivity. You'll lose musical performance going that route, but they'll play very loud without distortion.

Originally Posted by saeyedoc

I'll get out my meter this weekend, I doubt I'm hitting any where near reference level.
I have my system calibrated with ARC, will typically be at -15 or so watching blu-rays, may get to -10 listening to music, unless the source is particularly low (like AI on my cable box).
I'm old and my ears can't take it too loud (not that old at 51).
I'm not looking for reference level ear-splitting sound.
I like it more like Mrs. Nuance, nice and smooth in the upper registers.
Looking for a more refined sound as opposed to a movie theater room shaking experience.
From the description of the speakers at your WI GTC, I'd most likely prefer the Soundscape 8, but that's a little out of my current budget range.
My curiosity is whether it would be better to get something like the Phil 2 or 3, Salk STSC, etc. or go with a stand-mounted monitor with better drivers, along the lines of the Soundscape M7, Vapor Cirrus, Selah Tempestra.
I'm hearing concerns in some other forums that they may not have big enough drivers to deal with my space.
May have to ease my wife into the idea of 3 Phil 3s with nice veneers, sounds like it may be the best bang for the buck.

Originally Posted by Khaos

It should be obvious I was talking under situations where both speakers would have an adequate amount of power. Obviously if the amp isn't pumping out enough juice, then the comparison would be invalid. My argument was that "sound quality" is not affected by sensitivity. If you want to say that not having enough power = worse sound quality, then we are now blaming the amplifier, not the speaker. This also agrees with my point that high-sensitivity works in coherence with high spl. A Hi-Fidelity speaker with low sensitivity will most probably have no issue's with music at regular-higher listening volumes provided the amp provides enough clean wattage because most "peaks" where high-sensitivity shines are involved in an HT application.



I was proving that high-sensitivity != better sound quality, given the proper pre-requisites. This quote is in direct agreement with my claim. As long as the amplifier has the power, this should apply all the way up to until you breach the threshold of pain, at which point it will no longer matter how much louder the "other" speaker can get without distorting.

We are in a thread where the OP is looking for speakers in the 3k-5k range. If the OP does not have a good amplifier, he should not be investing in speakers at this price point.

I will say, you are in fact right. If the amp cannot supply the power to the less efficient, then the more efficient will sound better. Nevertheless, this is no longer a fair comparison.

OP's Amp Ratings:
220 watts RMS x 5, 20 Hz - 20 kHz,
8 Ω, all channels driven;
300 watts RMS x 5, 20 Hz - 20 kHz,
4 Ω, all channels driven

His subwoofer is handling the lower frequencies (where the excess power actually comes into play). With this in mind, it's safe to say he has more than enough power.


My argument is valid.

- Kh[a]os

Originally Posted by Nuance

Reference level is defined as listening at sustained 85dB's with peaks up to 105dB at the speakers, 115 to the subwoofers or 118 to the subs if you use a crossover (most people do). So, I ask again, where do these 25-30dB swings come in? Which movies and music CD's have that large a change in dynamic range?

Not everyone listens at reference levels by the way. If you consistently do...well, better get your hearing checked.

Originally Posted by Khaos

http://myhometheater.homestead.com/splcalculator.html

The T900's I suggested with a 88db, 4ohm sensitivity, at a listening distance of about 12ft will be able to peak at 104.5db's. For HT, if the speakers are dialog matched at 85db's, that leaves 20db's for peaks.

The Triple 12HT will have 32db for peaks.

So it simply comes down to this, if you want HT, go high-sensitivity like the JTR. If you want it geared towards music, then either will work (as music does not have 20db peaks).

I am a bit naive when it comes to using that calculator, so I if I am interpreting it wrong please point that out. Otherwise I'll never know xD.

- Kh[a]os

Originally Posted by Nuance

I used the calculator at the link provided above, AV Science, and my numbers don't jive with yours. To reach 105dB with 84dB sensitive speaker at a listening distance of 12 feet it took 264 watts, which is a LOT different than your claimed 1500. I used the option "near a wall (within 2-4 feet) because most people will have their speakers near a wall. If I change it to "away from walls" it takes 526 watts to each 105dB from 12 feet; again, much different than your numbers. We listen to speakers in pairs, so are you doing it with one speaker or two?

Originally Posted by Nuance

Nope - we listen in stereo, so you need to do it with 2 speakers in the calculator.