How much better do better speakers actually sound? Where's the breaking point of value/performance?

[baronvonellis]

Dynamic range is how loud a speaker can get before it compresses and distorts the sound.

How is that measured? What spec should you look for? At what distortion level % is it?
Wouldn't that also depend on the amplifier and the size and shape of the room. I usually always listen around 60-75 db.

 

[shadyJ]

Question...have you heard the Legacy line? If so, your thoughts. I've wanted to hear the floorstander (model escapes me) but have not run across any dealers in my neck of the woods.

I have heard a few Legacy speakers at trade shows, like the Aeris, Valor, and Focus. They sounded good to me in the limited time I spent with them. I think Legacy is a good brand, if you have the money. I think their wavelet processor may be doing some real good too. The science is pretty cutting edge in that thing.

 

[shadyJ]

How is that measured? What spec should you look for? At what distortion level % is it?
Wouldn't that also depend on the amplifier and the size and shape of the room. I usually always listen around 60-75 db.

Dynamic range is more like a vague performance class than something with specific numbers attached. For example you could say that a Klipschorn has greater dynamic range than a small bookshelf speaker. In loudspeakers, distortion measurements aren't all that useful and so isn't done that much, since the issue is rather complex over such a wide frequency band. However, subwoofers are a lot simpler, and distortion is a very useful measurement there. But even with subs, distortion has to be looked at in context before jumping to conclusions about a sub's dynamic range.

 

[2channel lover]

I have heard a few Legacy speakers at trade shows, like the Aeris, Valor, and Focus. They sounded good to me in the limited time I spent with them. I think Legacy is a good brand, if you have the money. I think their wavelet processor may be doing some real good too. The science is pretty cutting edge in that thing.

Thanks...I'm not in the market for speakers but I've heard a lot about them and when I was demoing everything I could find, I could never find a dealer within a 100 miles of here so curious more than anything.