What's the sensitivity on speakers mean?

[mtx j30 10+ year member]

what does the sensitivity on speakers mean. one is 89 db and another is 90db. im talking about speakers, not subs

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[Jh8909 10+ year member]

excerpt from crutchfield.

Sensitivity

A sensitivity rating tells you how effectively a speaker converts power (watts) into volume (decibels). The higher the rating, the louder your speakers will play with a given amount of amplifier power. Sensitivity is often measured by driving a speaker with one watt and measuring the loudness in decibels at one meter.

The chart below illustrates that a few dB in sensitivity can make a big difference:

Speaker Sensitivity rating Power needed to produce a given volume

Speaker A 85 dB 100 watts

Speaker B 88 dB 50 watts

Speaker C 91 dB 25 watts

A speaker with a sensitivity rating that's 3 dB higher than another speaker's only needs half as much power to deliver the same amount of sound.

 

[spencer321 10+ year member]

yes and no...