Can you tell how good speakers are from specs?

[steve71]

This is one of the reasons the Sensitivity specification is so important. Its not uncommon for high end speakers to have a Sensitivity in the mid 80's, while a decent set of lower end speakers like the polk monitors sits around 90 or 91db. A 6db change in sensitivity means those high end speakers need 4 times the power just to play at the same volume. So now on top of the cost of the high end speakers you need an external amp in addition to your reciever.

So true, and it's easy to overlook. Not to mention an lot o $$ audiophile speakers present a low impedance load which will shut down a mid level receiver if played loud enough.

I'm a big believer in high sensitivity speakers. My mains are around 112db/w/m in the midrange which is a bit silly, but anything over about 95db/w/m is a good starting point, but these type of speakers can get $$ and they are large.

 

[PicodeGallo]

You absolutely cannot tell how well speakers sounds by specs. I completely ignore specs.

Power range means nothing. Overpowering your speakers is not a problem until you attempt to reproduce 25Hz signals on a 5" midbass driver at high SPL.

The ability of a speaker's power handling is dependent upon drivers being used. For example, while home audio speakers claim a nominal impedance of 8 ohms, this does not include particular dips that occur in a specific frequency range. Maybe a 30Hz note will drop to a 2 ohm load requiring an amplifier that can provide for that--the ability to provide significant power reserves.

Frequency range means nothing without charts, and even then, it can be misleading to those without a trained ear that can recognize specific frequency ranges.

Speakers have long been classified as either 'bright' or 'soft'. This is a personal preference, such as Krell vs. McIntosh. Specs can look very similar, but listening tests prove the disparity. It's all about personal preference and the type of audio being played.

Home theater oriented systems tend to be more lenient in terms of how sound is perceived. I judge systems based on music. However, I would likely have separate systems for each type if money were no object. Currently, it's easier to go after music systems than home theater systems.

 

[Theocnoob]

But even a frequency graph cannot tell it all, some people love klipsch due to the horns they use for tweeters, i prefer the infinity silk dome tweeters

Klipschorn for the win.

 

[HybridOverclock]

If you want good sound quality, get some awesome headphones like ATH-M50/M50s, ATH-A700, ATH-AD700, DT770, DT880, DT990, etc.

 

[bigben6]

Klipschorn for the win.

This is the kind of guy that clubs baby seals... ignore him

 

[steve71]

Klipschorn for the win.

Baby seal pelts aside, this man knows what's up.

 

[Sir Barton]

Baby seal pelts aside, this man knows what's up.

Yes indeed. Definitely not a speaker for a soiled state amp either . a low wattage single-ended tube amp brings out the best in those speakers.

 

[Sir Barton]

How much does the AWG matter when buying speaker wire? I assume I need to buy some RCA plugs to solder the speaker wire to, or is there a better way to do this?

Speaker wire can be a very touchy subject. To some, its religion. Some people will tell you to get the largest AWG youre comfortable with and spend 20% of your budget on cables, but in reality it doesnt matter unless youre going with very long runs (50ft+). Me personally, I use 18AWG solid core thermostat wire with my single-driver speakers. I got a 250ft roll of it at Home Depot for a whopping $9. You wont use RCA plugs for speaker wire, youd use those for analog or coaxial interconnects. Many people use banana plugs or spades to terminate speaker wire, but its generally best to use tinned bare wire. Bananas and spades are more convenient, but you get a more secure connection going the bare wire route. Also, dont play into the mega dollar speaker cables and RCA cables. While there is a difference in sound between a $10 cable and a $500 cable, a $500 will not sound $490 better than the $10 cable. The differences are generally subtle at best.

 

[HybridOverclock]

Get AudioEngine's 2 or 5's.

 

[steve71]

Yes indeed. Definitely not a speaker for a soiled state amp either . a low wattage single-ended tube amp brings out the best in those speakers.

Yes, those soiled state amps stink .

SET amps are something I've wanted to try in my system for a long time. But since I'm tri-amp, it would be an expensive venture.

Speaker wire can be a very touchy subject. To some, its religion. Some people will tell you to get the largest AWG youre comfortable with and spend 20% of your budget on cables, but in reality it doesnt matter unless youre going with very long runs (50ft+). Me personally, I use 18AWG solid core thermostat wire with my single-driver speakers. I got a 250ft roll of it at Home Depot for a whopping $9. You wont use RCA plugs for speaker wire, youd use those for analog or coaxial interconnects. Many people use banana plugs or spades to terminate speaker wire, but its generally best to use tinned bare wire. Bananas and spades are more convenient, but you get a more secure connection going the bare wire route. Also, dont play into the mega dollar speaker cables and RCA cables. While there is a difference in sound between a $10 cable and a $500 cable, a $500 will not sound $490 better than the $10 cable. The differences are generally subtle at best.

Well said. Expensive speakers cables are not worth the money IMHO. You're 100000 times better off putting that money into better speakers - at any price point.

 

[DaveHCYJ]

Well said. Expensive speakers cables are not worth the money IMHO. You're 100000 times better off putting that money into better speakers - at any price point.

I wouldn't necessarily say at any price point. I mean you can't use phone wire, but as long as you are meeting the minimum gauge recommendation for the cable length (not everyone does) then yeah I agree.

 

[steve71]

I wouldn't necessarily say at any price point. I mean you can't use phone wire, but as long as you are meeting the minimum gauge recommendation for the cable length (not everyone does) then yeah I agree.

Sorry if my point wasn't clear... I meant if you're spending $1K on speakers or even $50K, put the money into the speakers, not the wire.

Obviously you still need to pay attention to gauge if you have long runs etc and don't buy total junk, but there is no need for $500+ wires. Spend the money where it matters - speakers and room treatments.

 

[ratbuddy]

When I picked up my Paradigm Monitor 9's I asked for wire and they threw in about 20 feet of Audioquest 16/4 no charge

 

[bigben6]

"I use all Bose speakers with a (insert discount house brand amp here) and monstercable wiring, its amazing"

I heard that soooo many times when i used to sell home electronics, why spend on an amp?!?! And bose has good commercials!