Polk Audio vs. Klipsch syndrome.

[LamontSim]

Quite the contrary. Like I said, these have usable extension down to 34hz. The Dayton Audio woofer that he uses is legit. I used it as a replacement subwoofer actually, so that should show you how low it can go. Both are great choices, but the AA+ is better.

Thanks for the terrific feedback. Most appreciated.

 

[LamontSim]

Thanks for the terrific feedback. Most appreciated.

One more thing, as far as a sensitivity rating, what range is a more acceptable level to look for...85, 88 or 89 or something in the 90's? A minimum I guess is what I mean.

 

[Russdawg1]

One more thing, as far as a sensitivity rating, what range is a more acceptable level to look for...85, 88 or 89 or something in the 90's? A minimum I guess is what I mean.

Sensitivity doesn’t matter that much. As long as you are in the 80-90’s range you will be fine. It’s a measurement of how loud the speakers will get with 1 watt. Unless you have extreme 100 dB needs, the AA+ Monitors will be fine.

 

[LamontSim]

Sensitivity doesn’t matter that much. As long as you are in the 80-90’s range you will be fine. It’s a measurement of how loud the speakers will get with 1 watt. Unless you have extreme 100 dB needs, the AA+ Monitors will be fine.

Thanks again man.

 

[Kvn_Walker]

One more thing, as far as a sensitivity rating, what range is a more acceptable level to look for...85, 88 or 89 or something in the 90's? A minimum I guess is what I mean.

I’ve learned a lot this year (mostly from this site) but one thing that stands out is that sensitivity is overrated. What a pun!

I say this because many, possibly most, manufacturers exaggerate their specs, and many products never get professionally reviewed so they don’t get called out.

And power is cheap. It takes a huge expense to make a speaker play deep AND have high sensitivity, but you can get a Crown amp for $300 that will power almost any speaker you could buy to its limits. My “88dB” towers can shake the entire house, and I sit here and wonder why, for the past 3 decades, have I worried so much about “sensitivity rating” on my speakers. Getting deep bass out of a high-sensitivity speaker is a more expensive undertaking (and less future proof) than buying a powerful amplifier.

 

[LamontSim]

I’ve learned a lot this year (mostly from this site) but one thing that stands out is that sensitivity is overrated. What a pun!

I say this because many, possibly most, manufacturers exaggerate their specs, and many products never get professionally reviewed so they don’t get called out.

And power is cheap. It takes a huge expense to make a speaker play deep AND have high sensitivity, but you can get a Crown amp for $300 that will power almost any speaker you could buy to its limits. My “88dB” towers can shake the entire house, and I sit here and wonder why, for the past 3 decades, have I worried so much about “sensitivity rating” on my speakers. Getting deep bass out of a high-sensitivity speaker is a more expensive undertaking (and less future proof) than buying a powerful amplifier.

What do you think about Klipsch bookshelf vs. another brand?

 

[Matthew J Poes]

I’ve learned a lot this year (mostly from this site) but one thing that stands out is that sensitivity is overrated. What a pun!

I say this because many, possibly most, manufacturers exaggerate their specs, and many products never get professionally reviewed so they don’t get called out.

And power is cheap. It takes a huge expense to make a speaker play deep AND have high sensitivity, but you can get a Crown amp for $300 that will power almost any speaker you could buy to its limits. My “88dB” towers can shake the entire house, and I sit here and wonder why, for the past 3 decades, have I worried so much about “sensitivity rating” on my speakers. Getting deep bass out of a high-sensitivity speaker is a more expensive undertaking (and less future proof) than buying a powerful amplifier.

I don’t happen to agree with this view. It’s stated a lot, but I think it’s really under-appreciated just how much power can be needed to achieve a certain output. A lot of speakers couldn’t handle the power needed to hit very high output levels. I think it’s really more about the size of the room, a persons listening habits, etc. if someone listens to very compressed music at modest to lower volume levels then the efficiency isn’t a big deal. A decent receiver or amplifier would be adequate. If you are into listening at more realistic levels where peaks can exceed 100dB’s and your room is moderate to large, very inefficient speakers just won’t cut it. Since I listen at fairly loud levels and like full range sound, my moderate sized listening room really requires speakers of high sensitivity. It does create limitations on bass but then, that’s what subwoofers are for. I came to this conclusion out of experience. Now that I’m professionalky reviewing and have had access to an even wider array of equipment, that view has only further been reinforced.

 

[Kvn_Walker]

What do you think about Klipsch bookshelf vs. another brand?

I don't have bookshelf speakers so I can't answer that. But several people have made recommendations based on what they already own. Like I mentioned earlier you are going to have to buy some speakers and be your own judge.

 

[LamontSim]

Thanks again man.

Hey, do you agree with the following attached:
Difference Between a Speaker & a Studio Monitor
By Matt McKay

• Share
• Share on Facebook

The difference between a speaker and a studio monitor is not always visually apparent. Studio monitors are speakers, but provide a different sound and are designed for a specific use in recording studios.

Closeup image of a black speaker.
credit: czekma13/iStock/Getty Images
Sound
Manufacturers go to great lengths to design speakers that enhance audio quality with rich bass, mids and high frequencies. Makers of studio monitors go to great lengths to design monitors that do not enhance sound, and strive for flat-response of all frequencies.
Projection
Speakers are designed to project sound evenly throughout the room. Studio monitors are designed to project sound a very short distance to prevent the room from coloring or enhancing frequencies.
VIDEO OF THE DAY




Techwalla - What Are Your Family’s Tech Rules?





Benefits
Speakers benefit listeners by providing enhanced sound that is evenly dispersed. Studio monitors benefit recording engineers by providing unadulterated sound for accurate music mixing.

Purpose
The purpose of speakers is to provide listening enjoyment in music's finished state. The purpose of studio monitors is to provide a "clean drawing board" for the creation and building of music mixes, on its way to a finished state.
Amplifiers
Many studio monitors come with integrated power amplifiers designed especially for the demanding specifications and applications of monitor speakers. Un-powered monitors are paired with special "reference" power amplifiers designed for ultra-clean operation. Regular speakers are usually passive, and are driven by an external tuner/amplifier.

Other Facts
Studio monitors are often called "reference" or "near-field" monitors because of their use as a sound referencing tool in the close-listening and low-volume environment of a recording studio. Studio monitors would surely disappoint home audio listeners for their lack of powerful, rich sound. But without them, professionally produced and finished music wouldn't sound quite right.

 

[LamontSim]

Thanks again man.

Makes me wonder about some speakers and their sound quality.

 

[KEW]

I don’t happen to agree with this view. It’s stated a lot, but I think it’s really under-appreciated just how much power can be needed to achieve a certain output. A lot of speakers couldn’t handle the power needed to hit very high output levels. I think it’s really more about the size of the room, a persons listening habits, etc. if someone listens to very compressed music at modest to lower volume levels then the efficiency isn’t a big deal. A decent receiver or amplifier would be adequate. If you are into listening at more realistic levels where peaks can exceed 100dB’s and your room is moderate to large, very inefficient speakers just won’t cut it. Since I listen at fairly loud levels and like full range sound, my moderate sized listening room really requires speakers of high sensitivity. It does create limitations on bass but then, that’s what subwoofers are for. I came to this conclusion out of experience. Now that I’m professionalky reviewing and have had access to an even wider array of equipment, that view has only further been reinforced.

I appreciate your expertise, but worry that it may be interpreted incorrectly (or perhaps I am not understanding as well as I should).
In the specific context of LamontSim's situation (as presented below), do you think he would be ill-advised to buy a speaker rated at 85dB?

... I would be about 6 feet from the speaker. If you mean a volume level or setting it would be from 70dB on the lowest to 80dB on the highest.

He is wanting to buy bookshelf speaker that (he hopes) will not require a sub for listening to music.

 

[Russdawg1]

Hey, do you agree with the following attached:
Difference Between a Speaker & a Studio Monitor
By Matt McKay

• Share
• Share on Facebook

The difference between a speaker and a studio monitor is not always visually apparent. Studio monitors are speakers, but provide a different sound and are designed for a specific use in recording studios.

Closeup image of a black speaker.
credit: czekma13/iStock/Getty Images
Sound
Manufacturers go to great lengths to design speakers that enhance audio quality with rich bass, mids and high frequencies. Makers of studio monitors go to great lengths to design monitors that do not enhance sound, and strive for flat-response of all frequencies.
Projection
Speakers are designed to project sound evenly throughout the room. Studio monitors are designed to project sound a very short distance to prevent the room from coloring or enhancing frequencies.
VIDEO OF THE DAY




Techwalla - What Are Your Family’s Tech Rules?





Benefits
Speakers benefit listeners by providing enhanced sound that is evenly dispersed. Studio monitors benefit recording engineers by providing unadulterated sound for accurate music mixing.

Purpose
The purpose of speakers is to provide listening enjoyment in music's finished state. The purpose of studio monitors is to provide a "clean drawing board" for the creation and building of music mixes, on its way to a finished state.
Amplifiers
Many studio monitors come with integrated power amplifiers designed especially for the demanding specifications and applications of monitor speakers. Un-powered monitors are paired with special "reference" power amplifiers designed for ultra-clean operation. Regular speakers are usually passive, and are driven by an external tuner/amplifier.

Other Facts
Studio monitors are often called "reference" or "near-field" monitors because of their use as a sound referencing tool in the close-listening and low-volume environment of a recording studio. Studio monitors would surely disappoint home audio listeners for their lack of powerful, rich sound. But without them, professionally produced and finished music wouldn't sound quite right.

I’m not sure what the statement here is, but they said that studio monitors aren’t all that great for home theater, I would guess they are decent for music.

 

[Matthew J Poes]

I appreciate your expertise, but worry that it may be interpreted incorrectly (or perhaps I am not understanding as well as I should).
In the specific context of LamontSim's situation (as presented below), do you think he would be ill-advised to buy a speaker rated at 85dB?


He is wanting to buy bookshelf speaker that (he hopes) will not require a sub for listening to music.

I don’t really know his listening habits in terms of volume. He may be ok. I did say that if you are listening at modest to low levels and in smaller rooms, it doesn’t matter. A speaker or any sensitivity is fine.

I think that absolute statements about sensitivity have led to misunderstandings though. The same claim is made with home theaters expected to reach high levels. An 85 dB speaker with a typical 100 watt receiver will struggle to hit 100dB peaks at a normal listening position. For most people that may be fine.

It’s probably hard without some kind of measurement equipment to get a sense of what are typically listening levels. I’ve actually suggested people consider using a phone SPL app, many can act as a dosimeter and record for them.

One thing to keep in mind, we have some research that shows people perceive a distorted signal as too loud even if they would happily listen louder to an undistorted signal. I’ve mentioned before, but some recent work into commercial cinema preferences actually suggested that complaints of cinemas being too loud is actually caused by distortion. That a lot of cinemas are actually having their limits exceeded and it causes people to think the cinema is too loud. The same would be true in a home. I think that systems capable of higher dynamic reserves tend to sound more effortless because those short dynamic peaks are less likely to ever be distorted. I like systems with a lot of dynamic reserves beyond the actual upper limit of use.

 

[Matthew J Poes]

I’m not sure what the statement here is, but studio monitors aren’t all that great for home theater, I would guess they are decent for music.

That seems like kind of an absolute? What makes you think that?

 

[KEW]

Other Facts
Studio monitors are often called "reference" or "near-field" monitors because of their use as a sound referencing tool in the close-listening and low-volume environment of a recording studio. Studio monitors would surely disappoint home audio listeners for their lack of powerful, rich sound. But without them, professionally produced and finished music wouldn't sound quite right.

I call BS!

I have a pair of JBL LSR-305's that say otherwise!

I suspect this article was ultimately sponsored by a home audio speaker manufacturer who wants to prevent home consumers from buying pro-audio gear!

Also several of the best speaker manufacturers make speakers designed to have as flat of a FR as is possible.

That said, it is true that some audio speaker manufacturers do add a "sound signature", but I'm not about ready to accept that makes for a better listening experience!

 

[Russdawg1]

That seems like kind of an absolute? What makes you think that?

Sorry I didn’t write that correctly. I didn’t mean to make a blanket statement like that. I don’t have a lot of knowledge on studio monitors but reading through what he posted they said that studio monitors aren’t good for theater. Sorry for the misunderstanding.

Edit: Also read what @KEW said.

 

[KEW]

Just for the record, DTS Labs uses Focal Twin6Be pro-audio speakers all of the way around for their reference demo room (where they take people to impress them with how good their processing sounds):

 

[LamontSim]

I appreciate your expertise, but worry that it may be interpreted incorrectly (or perhaps I am not understanding as well as I should).
In the specific context of LamontSim's situation (as presented below), do you think he would be ill-advised to buy a speaker rated at 85dB?


He is wanting to buy bookshelf speaker that (he hopes) will not require a sub for listening to music.

So in your honest and technical expertise which I do respect, a speakers sensitivity rating or level is a significant factor in choosing a speaker.

 

[Russdawg1]

Just for the record, DTS Labs uses Focal Twin6Be pro-audio speakers all of the way around for their reference demo room (where they take people to impress them with how good their processing sounds):

Horizontal MTM’s?? **GASP**

Just kidding. Probably sounds fantastic.

 

[LamontSim]

So in your honest and technical expertise which I do respect, a speakers sensitivity rating or level is a significant factor in choosing a speaker.

Honest opinion is what I meant.