Speaker sensitivity ratings?

[chacal]

Okay, I'm used to seeing speaker sensitivy ratings being quoted

in the form of db/watt/1m, meaning:

- how many dB of sound pressure a speaker will create at a distance of 1 meter when the input is 1 watt.

Now, when I start looking for car audio speakers, I see things like:

Sensitivity:

2,5 W (90 dB/1m)

This is from the german company, MB Quart, supposedly well-known

well-respected, very high quality (and price!) products.

Am I reading this wrong? Are they saying that their speakers are 90dB

at 1 meter at 2.5W Input???????

Which means they are (WHAT) dB/1m at ONE watt input?

Am I reading this wrong or is this the newest (?) form of deceptive marketing

extrodinaire?

[colterphoto1]

looks like you are reading it correctly- could you point to a page with those specs in their literature.

it takes double the wattage to gain 3 db more so 2.5 watts yielding 90 db would equate to somewhat less that 87 db with 1.25 watts and slightly less at one watt.

That sensitivity should also be across a rated bandwidth (20-20,000 Hz), as some give power ratings at 1 Khz, also deceptive

[mas]

I would not necessarily call it 'deceptive', although it is most definately inadequate.... Certainly making it more difficult to compare products effectively. They are able to post 'valid specs' without the context listed - thus allowing 'you' to interpret them as you see fit. Thus you see what you choose to see. One might see this as the equivalent of the TV ads that make no official claims but fill their infomercial with the testimonies of average people with no formal qualifications to render personal feelings and endorsements based upon their feelings. Thus these claims have no legal standing and they are essentially meaningless.

I would suggest that the failure to state the distortion levels at these reported ratings render then near meaningless. Historically, car audio products were rated at 10% distortion!!!! Likewise, speaker sensitivity is highly influenced by the speaker 'loading' as well. So you might want to stop and think about just what information has really been disclosed.

One only needs to recall the old IHF vs. RMS ratings where a unit could be rated at, say 50W RMS and at 1000W IHF for the same unit! Of course many never bothered to list which it was.

The bottom line is that you lack sufficient information to make an informed decision about the unit itself, let alone to compare two different units made by differing manufacturers.

[chacal]

Hi guys, thanks for the responses. You can read their specs at:

http://www.mbquart.com/en/produkte/car/reference/produkt.php?nr=rce_269

or go to any of their other individual pages and see the same thing.

I note that Focal, another hi-line car audio speaker mfg., lists their specs

at 2.83V/1m ----- and if I recall correctly, 2.83V is the same as 1W.

So if anyone has any recommendations, I'm all ears! I'm looking for

some 6x9 and 4" or 5" 2-way car audo speakers with 91-up SPL

ratings. Anyone have any experience with some good ones. I

would prefer that they be "separates" so that the tweeters can be

placed in another location away from the woofer..........thanks!

[Wrench722]

Car Audio Speakers, Amplifiers, and Subwoofers - Diamond Audio Technology - Diamond Audio Technology