[JLM]

Conversely, how loud can it get (at standard 1 meter distance)?  All the ratings I've seen simply say, "Can be driven with as little as 2 watts."  What does that really mean?  If you have a stated efficiency rating, isn't it up to the individual customer to decide how loud they listen, in how big of room, and figure it out for themselves (if they know how much power the driver can handle)?  If all they can handle is 2 watts, their output would be limited to 97 dB at one meter (very wimpy).


I have a 50 wpc amp in mind for use under two scenarios:

- Background/casual listening in a very big space (roughly 10,000 cubic feet) and need to know if this will "reasonably fill it"

- More serious listening (say 110 db peaks in a 2,000 cubic feet room) but not expecting thunderous bass or any huge explosions of sound.


I want to "play safe" yet also want in the smaller room to reach symphonic levels with some cushion to spare and at the same time know that they can "reasonably fill" the larger space.  Thanks Louis.

[opnly bafld]

Probably 99% of the people looking at 4.5" fullrange drivers are more interested in "will my low watt amp drive them to average listening levels?", than "will they fill an auditorium with ear bleeding sound levels?".

[DaveC113]

IMO, my EL34 SET in triode mode works great, it makes about 5.5W before the onset of clipping. I recently tried the TBI amp going 'round on tour and it did drive the speakers to louder levels before breakup, so I'd guess the drivers can handle 10+ watts or so. I'm going to put the UL switch back in my amp eventually so I can get about 10W out of it. I measured the older hemp drivers and they could hit peaks in the mid 100 dB range using a cheap rat shack meter, I'd guess actual peak levels are higher than the meter was reading as it's probably not fast enough to catch peak transients. I think 110 dB peaks might be asking too much from a couple of 4.5" drivers, but you'll probably get within a few dB of that. If those listening levels are ok with you, I think you'll find the sound quality of the RS5 drivers are really good regardless of price, and at the prices Louis is selling them for they are a bargain.

[JLM]

I'm getting to be an old fart and certain a "mellow listener", but I still believe firmly in having plenty of headroom - especially for solid state amps.

As I mentioned, I'm not expecting (or really wanting) super high spls from these 5 inch full range drivers certainly not in a huge space.


Thanks Dave, but 10 watts/104 dB/w/m capacity is pretty pitiful beyond a desktop application.


Stating the efficiency should allow any audiophile with a basic knowledge of acoustic physics should be able to determine roughly how loud the given speakers should go, if only we knew how much power they're rated to handle (continuous/peak).  That's all I'm asking for.

It'd also be useful to get a reading of how much adding a subwoofer would help push the capacity further along.

[DaveC113]

JLM, I was measuring at the listening position, a little over 2m from the speakers. At that distance they are loud enough unless you really need to listen to rock music at full concert levels. About 98% of the time I am satisfied with the volume my Super 3 XRS can produce. I'd also say that to keep anywhere near the sound quality of an RS5 speaker and also be able to play significantly louder is going to cost significantly more money, like 5x the price or more, and even then many speakers will still fall short in ultimate sq vs the Omegas. I'm also running them full range and am about to change the output caps in my preamp to roll of the bass at 40Hz which should allow them to get quite a bit louder. They definitely breakup in the bass region first.

[JLM]

Thanks again Dave for sharing your experiences. 

I agree with the points you've made, but would very much appreciate some hard number ratings from Louis.

I tried for years to love SET's, but my belief in needing plenty of headroom and of the advantages in the amp having a commanding grip on the speaker finally drove me away.  But I do own and love my big single driver speakers (using the "mighty" Fostex F200A AlNiCo 8 inch drivers, 27 -20,000 Hz, 90 dB/w/m, 8 ohms, rated 27 watts continuous/80 watts peak).  I drive them with 100 watt mono blocks in my main rig.

But I'm looking for desktop speakers to be used as outlined above.