Technical Question - Sensitivity Ratings

[caddyjoe77 10+ year member]

Hi all,

I was looking at the sensitivity ratings on some speakers, and from what I understand the higher the rating is better. Which leads me to my next question, is this value derived from a standard measurement that is an industry standard, or does each company have their own methods of determining this value?

thanks for the help.

Joe

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[okiedokie 10+ year member]

What speakers are you asking about?

 

[surreal 10+ year member]

Generally, a standard. 1w input 1m away. Though, 1w is normally defined by 2.83v which depending on impedance can be more than 1w, so watch out.

Not always the best thing to base your decision off of.

 

[VWBobby 10+ year member]

Its not necessarily better to have a higher sensitivity.

What it does mean is: 1) A more sensitive speaker requires less power to operate it optimally. 2) A more sensitive speaker will have more clarity or reproduce sound more cleanly at lower-moderate power levels compared to one that is not as sensitive.

 

[Kangaroux 5,000+ posts]

When it comes down to speakers, IMO, your better to base your purchases off others experiences. A lot of companies alter T/S specs to make their products seem better

 

[Gary S 10+ year member]

There is no government body that regulates that spec, so they are all over the place.... many are anechoic measurements, but some are in-car which will be much higher than anechoic.

But that's beside the point... efficiency is not important in a car anymore.... why? - Because it's a very small "room" and easy to get high SPL, high power amps are widely available, affordable, and the stock electrical systems can handle a thousand watts or more.

People get hung up on specs that don't mean much in the real world.