Tone vs. Efficiency

[chptunes]

I've used the red Alnicos, the 40/40 Ceramic, and the 8" Alnico San Rafael...

The Original H1 is my speaker.

I have an itch to try a 10" SR Ceramic in a sealed cabinet.. I would expect it to be noticably less loud since it's rated at 94db. This volume drop would be great for me.. as long as the tone is RIGHT!

There's an endless supply of great gear that will make you louder.. but, great gear that will drop the decibels is a treasure.

I have a wife and four kids that don't always want to hear noise comin' from the basement.

Any thoughts on tone versus efficiency?

[scottatsvva]

Sorry, posted this in another thread, then noticed this one, which is actually a better fit for my following comments.

I do have one comment to add to the efficiency equation. And that is, in the guitar frequency range, the human ear "hears" the higher frequencies slightly better than we do the lower frequencies. Ever been listening to a band play and notice that the guy with the brighter amp/speaker combination cuts through the band mix better? It's because we simply hear those frequencies better.

We have done quite a few speaker sound tests here using a calibrated sound level meter. And, I can't tell you how many players have been surprised when the "less loud sounding" warmer (e.g. darker) speaker actually measures higher in measured dB's than the "louder sounding" bright speaker that we are comparing it with!

Sometimes this phenomenon can be subtle and sometimes not so subtle. Therefore, it is always best to let you own ears be your guide and listen to the speakers first if you have the opportunity to do so.

If not, then at least keep in mind that while the efficiency number can help you make a better informed choice, it isn't the only criteria to be considered.

Another issue to keep in mind is that not all the manufacturers accomplish Thiele-Small testing using the exact same test setups, test configurations or even the same data capture programs. So, comparing numbers from one manufacturer to another might be (and most likely will be) an "apples to oranges" comparison.

T/S testing and the resulting numbers can be a great way to educate yourself to make a better speaker decision. But again, if you can hear the speakers yourself, that would be ideal. If not, just keep it in mind that the results from one manufacturer may have been derived from a slightly or possibly even not so slightly different test setup and configuration than the other manufacturer.

Scott
SVVA

[chptunes]

Thanks for that insight Scott.

Nice to hear from an expert.

[markT]

Yes...Thanks Scott!