how to interpret speaker specs?

[lestat0521]

I am having a hard time figuring out what good speaker specs are as far as frequency range, impedance, output sensitivity ext.... here is an example of some speakers i was looking at, tell me what you guys think. Thanks.

Type - two way acoustic suspension
woofer - 3" high compliance pulp cone and rubber surround
tweeter - 1/2" balanced dome
freq range - 90hz-50khz (-10dbi)
impedance - 6 ohms
nominal input 30w
max input 100w
sensitivity 82dB/w.m
crossover freq - 2.5 khz

 

[mazersteven]

From those specs it would seem that you don't need a very powerful amp. But you need a very stable, quality amp. Something like the BRYSTON POWERPAC 60 MODULAR AMPLIFIER

6ohms
nominal input 30w
max input 100w
sensitivity 82dB/w.m

http://www.bryston.ca/pp60_m.html

What kind of tiny speakers are these? Yamaha? That amp might be over kill.

 

[Soundman]

I am having a hard time figuring out what good speaker specs are as far as frequency range, impedance, output sensitivity ext.... here is an example of some speakers i was looking at, tell me what you guys think. Thanks.

Type - two way acoustic suspension
woofer - 3" high compliance pulp cone and rubber surround
tweeter - 1/2" balanced dome
freq range - 90hz-50khz (-10dbi)
impedance - 6 ohms
nominal input 30w
max input 100w
sensitivity 82dB/w.m
crossover freq - 2.5 khz

Well, I have no idea what speaker you are referring too, but this speaker does not appear to go very low so you will definitely need to use a sub, IMO. Also, it appears that these speakers may require a little more power. The sensitivity is not very high. Is this a bookshelf speaker? What you really need to do is audition the speaker. You really can't just go by the manufacturer's spec sheet. Some company's specs are way off from what they say. It's something to take a look at, but I wouldn't make it a deciding factor. If you like the way the speaker sounds, that's what matters.

 

[Soundman]

From those specs it would seem that you don't need a very powerful amp. But you need a very stable, quality amp. Something like the BRYSTON POWERPAC 60 MODULAR AMPLIFIER

6ohms
nominal input 30w
max input 100w
sensitivity 82dB/w.m

http://www.bryston.ca/pp60_m.html

What kind of tiny speakers are these? Yamaha? That amp might be over kill.

What do you mean, Mazer? Doesn't the sensitivity seem pretty low?

 

[TLS Guy]

I am having a hard time figuring out what good speaker specs are as far as frequency range, impedance, output sensitivity ext.... here is an example of some speakers i was looking at, tell me what you guys think. Thanks.

Type - two way acoustic suspension
woofer - 3" high compliance pulp cone and rubber surround
tweeter - 1/2" balanced dome
freq range - 90hz-50khz (-10dbi)
impedance - 6 ohms
nominal input 30w
max input 100w
sensitivity 82dB/w.m
crossover freq - 2.5 khz

That's likely a poor speaker. The drivers are very small. It is insensitive and only takes 100 watts, it will not play very loud. From the specs this speaker could be 10 db down at 90 Hz and probably is.

Unfortunately very few manufacturers give decent specs for their speakers. The most helpful is the waterfall plot, but most manufacturers would rather not display it in public!

It is still impossible to tell what a speaker will sound like from the specs. If it has a poor midband response, it will sound bad. If it has a good one it will not necessarily sound good, however if it does, it is worth consideration and a listen.

 

[mazersteven]

What do you mean, Mazer? Doesn't the sensitivity seem pretty low?

Yes the sensitivity is low. But if I had to guess these are HTIB or surround sound package speakers. Not worthy of a quality amp like the Bryston at $850 bucks.

 

[Soundman]

Yes the sensitivity is low. But if I had to guess these are HTIB or surround sound package speakers. Not worthy of a quality amp like the Bryston at $850 bucks.

Good point, Maze. I did look at it a little more. That max power seems pretty low, so I imagine these speakers are pretty small. Not to mention, a 3" woofer! I'm no expert, but I do know it has a lot to do with total surface area and I seriously doubt a 3" woofer is going to get the job done in the mid-bass region, even if a sub is used.

 

[lestat0521]

Thanks for the info guys, these are yamaha speakers, they came with a decent amp and seem to put a out a ton of clear, rich sound in my little condo. Would these be considered small speakers? What size do you start calling a speaker large?

edit: they also had a speaker setup thing that had me choose room size and so forth. Would you still recommend i purchase a meter and manually adjust my dbi levels?

 

[TLS Guy]

Thanks for the info guys, these are yamaha speakers, they came with a decent amp and seem to put a out a ton of clear, rich sound in my little condo. Would these be considered small speakers? What size do you start calling a speaker large?

edit: they also had a speaker setup thing that had me choose room size and so forth. Would you still recommend i purchase a meter and manually adjust my dbi levels?

When its three db point is 60 Hz or lower.

Here is a typical 3 inch woofer response. You will see it starts to shelve at 180 Hz.

http://www.tb-speaker.com/detail/1208_03/w3-926sd.htm

You can see that the free air resonance of the speaker is 110 HZ. that determines the LF cut off, and is pretty typical for a three inch woofer.

 

[mazersteven]

these are yamaha speakers

What a great guess I made.

 

[lestat0521]

so are these speakers junk or are they decent for the $400 price tag with bundled receiver and dvd player?

 

[TLS Guy]

so are these speakers junk or are they decent for the $400 price tag with bundled receiver and dvd player?

Decent with reference to what? You seem to like them in your condo, and that's what counts. I personally would not give them house room, but to each his own.

 

[Soundman]

What a great guess I made.

yeah, you're really on top of things, Maze.