listener26 Posted January 23, 2002 Share Posted January 23, 2002 Hello, I am new to this board and never owned Klipsch speakers. I have adutioned the RF-3 and RF-5. I am interested in a possible purchase. I would be interested in bi-amping. I am courious as to what the efficiency rating of the mid/low section is from the high end(as I will be trying to amp match for specific duties). Another question is, are these speakers (RF-30 really 98% efficient? I have read otherwise and am wondering what any owner or Klipsch will say about this discrepancy. Thank-you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Lindsey Posted January 23, 2002 Share Posted January 23, 2002 I have no idea what 98% efficient means but these speakers are rated at 98db spl (sound pressure level) with 1 watt of power from 1 meter away. For more information on this speaker, click here ... Mike ------------------ My Music Systems Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest BobG Posted January 23, 2002 Share Posted January 23, 2002 The term 'efficiency' is frequently misused (myself included). The precise term is sensitivity - how much spl is generated with respect to a reference input level (typically 2.83 volts). "Efficiency" would be expressed as a percentage indicating how much of the input energy is converted to sound. It becomes more complex than this with the directional characteristics coming into play, but that's too complicated for this brief reply. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
listener26 Posted January 23, 2002 Author Share Posted January 23, 2002 Hello again folks, my error on the efficiency/sensitivity term. Sensitivity is the measurement I was looking for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seb Posted January 25, 2002 Share Posted January 25, 2002 from what I understand, the terms "efficiency" and "sensitivity" are often used interchangeably, even though they really shouldn't... one good question would be whether the two are directly related or not... my gut feeling tells me there should at least be a positive correlation. in any case, refer to Mike's response; 98 decibels at one meter if you feed them 1 watt. I guess that is the average sensitivity, so your question still stands as to whether the sensitivities are the same for lows/mids/highs... my guess is yes, or else it would logically create a very unbalanced sound (i.e. highs always much louder than lows)... the fact that these speakers are so sensitive makes me wonder about bi-amping... would it have any sonic benefits apart the obvious one of eliminating interference between bass and highs? in other words, would it really be worth the expense and complication, especially with a speaker like the RF-3, which is not really top-of-the-line? This message has been edited by Seb on 01-25-2002 at 05:52 PM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
listener26 Posted January 26, 2002 Author Share Posted January 26, 2002 From what I understand(I don't build speakers), when manufactures build speakers they will match speakers of different sensitivity ratings, the cross-over will in itself use up a given amount of the amps output( this will vary with each cross-over and each speaker)the mid/low driver may have a sensitivity of x amount and the tweeter x amount. These variables are usually not the same (matched) but different. A average of the two is calculated somehow and the crossover is then calculated in also and the final resistance is measured and a givin # is the result the outcome. What I am trying to find out is the seperate values of the individual drivers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
decibel man Posted February 2, 2002 Share Posted February 2, 2002 I would be willing to wager some cash that Klipsch won't disclose the sensitivity of each driver. It is kind of like asking them for the crossover details on a current product. They feel that information is proprietary information. I can see where they are coming from. You may still want to call Trey at the toll free number (I believe it is 888-KLIPSCH). Good luck. JT ------------------ Enjoy and Happy Listening! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roy Posted February 10, 2002 Share Posted February 10, 2002 i read a long time ago that even the most efficient speakers are around 5 to 10% at best..that means that up to 10% of the power going to the drivers is actually converted into acoustical output and the rest is convetrted into heat so it seems that in general speakers are not a very efficient device but thankgod that even 10% efficiency is or can be very loud indeed...a speaker thats 98 db per 1 watt input at 1 meter is damn sensitive!! you can trade off amp power for speaker sensitivity but i would rather have both high clean power and a very sensitive speaker to give me plenty of headroom..lol ------------------ MY GEAR: YAMAHA RXV795a RCVR PARASOUND HCA-1500 driving the front speakers KLIPSCH RF-3 KLIPSCH SC-1 CENTER CH SPEAKER BOSTON ACOUSTIC REAR CHANNEL SPEAKERS MIRAGE SS-1500 DIGITAL SUBWOOFER SONY DVP-NS500 COMBO SACD/DVD PLAYER PANASONIC VHS HIFI VCR SONY MXD-D3 MINIDISC/CD RECORDER PLAYER RCN DIGITAL CABLE TV Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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