jdm56 Posted April 11, 2002 Share Posted April 11, 2002 So what's up with the 3db lower output rating of the klipschorn? The older ones are rated for 124db, while the new ones are rated 121db although they still have the same sensitivity and power handling figures. What gives? Either Klipsch's calculator is made by bose, or, or...what? 1W = 104db---------------------------------------------2W = 107db--------------------------------------------- 4W = 110db--------------------------------------------- 8W = 113db--------------------------------------------- 16W = 116db-------------------------------------------- 32W = 119db-------------------------------------------- 64W = 122db-------------------------------------------- 100W - 123.6875db-------------------------------------- ------------------ JDM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnA Posted April 11, 2002 Share Posted April 11, 2002 The new squawker and tweeter are both less efficient and have a little less max. output. The difference in efficiency is about 1.5 dB, I'm told. They may not have the power handling capability the old ones had. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TBrennan Posted April 11, 2002 Share Posted April 11, 2002 James---Maybe they're figuring in compression, you can't just go doubling power and figuring you're gonna get 3db every time. For instance with the 2226 woofer JBL figures 4.5 db compression at full rated power. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdm56 Posted April 12, 2002 Author Share Posted April 12, 2002 John, Perhaps the new drivers are less efficient, but at least with the k-horn, the specs for system eff. and power handling are unchanged, yet the maximum output has been dropped 3db. It doesn't add up. Tom, Interesting, but I've never heard of driver compression being within the spec'd performance envelope. (Does that make sense?) Unless the specs. were wrong to begin with, that is. IOW, if a given driver is rated to handle 100W continuously over a specified frequency range, then there should be no compression within that amplitude and freq. range, otherwise it is not meeting it's own specs. ------------------ JDM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trooper Posted April 12, 2002 Share Posted April 12, 2002 The power rating of a driver is not typically the point at which it starts to compress. All drivers compress sooner or later. For many drivers out there the the power rating number is what they can survive. They may have long since stopped increasing their output an the rate you would think. Actually, if the KHorn is within 2.6dB of the ideal you calculated at 100W I would say that's pretty good. What do you think Tom? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TBrennan Posted April 12, 2002 Share Posted April 12, 2002 James McCall---Well lots of driver and speaker makers fudge the numbers or simply ignore some aspects of performence that they think are undesirable. JBL Pro is one of the few makers that dares to discuss compression and distortion. For the 2226 they list the compression and distortion at various power levels. As Trooper said sometimes a speaker is getting more power but turning it all into heat and not getting any louder at all. Sometimes speakers even have litle lightbulbs inside to dissipate power, I have some prosound passive crossovers like that, you can see the bulbs start to glow once a certain amount of power is sent. Trooper----Yeah, I'd say 2.6db of compression at full output is very good. Ever look at the maximum output curves Don Keele (one of the Horn Gods, developed the CD horns at EV and JBL) did when testing speakers for Audio magazine? The amount of compression seen on direct-radiators was shocking, sometimes 15-20db. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdm56 Posted April 13, 2002 Author Share Posted April 13, 2002 Tom/Trooper, That's the only thing that seems to make sense to me; that the original spec (124db) was optimistic or just wrong. That, or the new midrange driver has a more limited linear amplitude response...I know; I'm obsessing over 3db. ------------------ JDM This message has been edited by James D McCall on 04-13-2002 at 03:14 AM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djk Posted April 13, 2002 Share Posted April 13, 2002 Probably a typo, the 4 is just above the 1 on the keypad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cc1091 Posted April 13, 2002 Share Posted April 13, 2002 How many decibels does it take to make your ears bleed? I don't think 3Db is going to make a lot of difference at 120+ dbs. At least when you do obsess, it is about Klipsch speakers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdm56 Posted April 14, 2002 Author Share Posted April 14, 2002 As a matter of fact, I have used my handy-dandy Radio Shack spl meter to check sound levels during typical listening sessions, and even when I am pretty much shakin' the walls, I seldom peak at over 95db at the sweet spot. Which might equate with 98-100db at one meter. (I sit about four meters from the speakers, though I don't recall how much spl falls with distance.) So, yeah, it doesn't really matter to me whether it will do 121db or 124db -- Just curious about the change in spec. ------------------ JDM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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