Speaker efficiency # ?

mikejennings

Active Member

• Apr 20, 2014

• #1

Does anyone have the efficiency rating for the following speakers? Question is more of a curiosity inquiry than any thing else. I am happy with each set in their relative systems, but would like the numbers to help me understand the forum discussions that relate to efficiency.

SpeakerLab 6 : 8ohm used on my tube system driven by Jolida 302B

ADS L630 : 8ohm used with my computer system driven by Marantz SR4023

ADS 400 : 4ohm used in the wood shop driven by Marantz 6004

Thanks

Mike

 

twiiii

Lunatic Member

• Apr 20, 2014

• #2

ADS L630. 92 db 1 watt 1 meter in a 2000 Cu ft room of average absorption. I don't like the specs a room can have a great influence on sound. They don't say the speaker is in the middle, one end close to a corner and where the mic was placed. Near field far field etc etc. I think they are fudging. Probably closer to 88 db. ADS were always low output in my experience.

 

Bratwurst7s

In The Frying Pan

Subscriber

• Apr 20, 2014

• #3

Hi Mike,

The S6WA is rated at 91db in the 1980 catalog. I haven't been able to find any info on the earlier (pre Wave Aperture) models.

James

 

mikejennings

Active Member

• Apr 20, 2014

• #4

Thanks guys

 

Blue Shadow

Waiting for Vintage Gear from this century

• Apr 20, 2014

• #5

the 400 is 93dB, same conditions as listed for the L630.

All fairly high efficiency compared to typical sealed box speakers and very close, really.

The amp you use and the impedance Ω of the speakers don't have an effect on the efficiency. The impedance will change the output of the amp in most cases.

 

mikejennings

Active Member

• Apr 20, 2014

• #6

Thanks for the replies.
Blue, I understand that the ohms and amp don't effect the efficiency rating, just providing "full discloser".

Mike

 

Fisherdude

Regular Dude

Subscriber

• Apr 20, 2014

• #7

Gentlemen, what you are all discussing is "sensitivity", NOT "efficiency".

 

mhardy6647

Lunatic Member

• Apr 20, 2014

• #8

Right-o; efficiency is expressed in "units" (actually dimensionless) of percent.

 

Y

yostie70

Active Member

• Apr 20, 2014

• #9

Check this link out for the ADS speakers.
http://sportsbil.com/ads/

 

mikejennings

Active Member

• Apr 20, 2014

• #10

Thanks for the head's-up re: Sensitivity v Efficiency!
Great link yotsie, unfortunately no reference to either of the models I own.

M

 

Blue Shadow

Waiting for Vintage Gear from this century

• Apr 20, 2014

• #11

Fisherdude said:

Gentlemen, what you are all discussing is "sensitivity", NOT "efficiency".

Click to expand...

But it is commonly called efficiency by the speaker manufacturers and we knew what the question was. So either term for casual discussion but don't turn in a technical paper with the terms wrong.

 

whoaru99

Epic Member

• Apr 20, 2014

• #12

Shouldn't we endeavor to be more correct when the situation presents?

 

Fisherdude

Regular Dude

Subscriber

• Apr 21, 2014

• #13

Wrong is wrong.

The efficiency of loudspeakers, that is the efficiency of a loudspeaker in converting electrical energy into acoustical energy, is approximately 2%. Approximately 98% of the electrical energy is lost in thermal losses in the voice coils and mechanical losses in the spiders and surrounds.

Those are the facts.

And that has nothing to do with how loud a loudspeaker will play with one watt of power input at a distance of one meter.

Nothing.

 

Blue Shadow

Waiting for Vintage Gear from this century

• Apr 21, 2014

• #14

Stand your ground.


I'll still look at efficiency from an AKer asking as what the sensitivity of a speaker is and be able to find that in the Efficiency spec provided by the manufacturer.

And I will not turn in a technical paper with these terms misused but may well misuse them on AK as many do. Keep correcting us until we learn.

 

B

bowtie427ss

Lunatic Member

• Apr 21, 2014

• #15

Efficiency represents the ratio of electrical input power to acoustic output power.

Sensitivity represents the acoustic output at a fixed distance and fixed input power level.

While they are not the same, they are related, and one figure can generally be calculated form the other.

http://www.sengpielaudio.com/calculator-efficiency.htm

 

woodj

Super Member

• Apr 21, 2014

• #16

It does not matter whether the terms are misused interchangeably or not, or who wants to use them that way. They are not the same thing, and different terminologies are are defined in different ways to reduce confusion.

 

mhardy6647

Lunatic Member

• Apr 21, 2014

• #17

... the wild card between the two parameters (sensitivity vs. efficiency), I'd opine, being the impact of the speaker enclosure/baffle and its operating environment on the sensitivity (while having essentially* no effect on efficiency of the driver).

* I say "essentially" because the acoustic environment in which the driver operates could impact back EMF generation by the speaker driver's motor -- which could quantitatively change the efficiency a wee bit).

 

whoaru99

Epic Member

• Apr 22, 2014

• #18

Blue Shadow said:

... be able to find that in the Efficiency spec provided by the manufacturer.

Click to expand...

I know what you're saying but in the true sense, efficiency is seldom (directly) published by speaker mfgs. Nobody likes to print that their speakers are 0.5% efficient. :nono:

89dB/W/m reads much better in print than 0.5%.

 

Last edited: Apr 22, 2014