Speaker sensitivity is an measurement of the amount of sound that a speaker will produce for each watt of amplifier power that is sent to that speaker. Speaker sensitivity is important to understand because speaker sensitivity will ultimately determine the amplifier that you will need, the volume of that speaker, and how much power that you will need to fill the room with sound from those speaker. You must understand this measurement for speakers because it will ultimately determine the relationship between the amplifier power and the volume that those speakers create.
The provided chart demonstrate the relationship between the different range of speaker sensitivity and the amount of amplifier power that is required for those speakers. It also demonstrates the relationship between speaker sensitivity and the different type of speakers that is available for purchase in stores. By understanding the speaker sensitivity chart, you can easily determine the amount of amplifier power that you will need for your specific speakers.
How speaker sensitivity affects volume and power
For example, if you know the speaker sensitivity of your speakers, the chart will allow you to calculate whether a 50-watt amplifier will provide enough power for those speakers. Many speakers has a speaker sensitivity that falls within the middle range, which makes them compatible with ordinary audio receiver. These speakers are capable of providing enough volume for ordinary individuals to listen to, and their speaker sensitivity does not require that they receive much amplifier power to perform at their best.
Other speakers will have lower speaker sensitivity, meaning they require more amplifier power to create the same amount of volume as those with higher speaker sensitivity. Other speakers will have higher speaker sensitivity, meaning they are capable of producing high amount of volume even with modest amplifiers. These different ranges are represented in the chart to demonstrate the speaker sensitivity of different categories of speakers.
The mathematics behind speaker sensitivity is simple: every time you double the amount of amplifier power that you provide to the speakers, the speakers will create three decibel of sound. If you increase the amount of amplifier power ten times, the speakers will create ten decibels of sound. This is important to understand in that a change in the speaker sensitivity of the speakers will change the amount of amplifier power that you have to purchase to support those speakers.
For example, if a pair of speakers requires 200 watt of amplifier power to reach their peak volume levels, they may only require 50 watt of amplifier power if their speaker sensitivity is higher. Finally, the distance that you sit from the speakers will ultimately play a large role in the amount of amplifier power that you require to fill the room with their sound. The chart demonstrates that if you are sitting one metre from the speakers, the power required to reach your desired volume with those speakers will be the amount demonstrated.
In a real living room, however, the volume of sound will dissipate in different parts of the room as a result of the reflection of that sound wave. Thus, if you are sitting farther from the speakers, you will ultimately require more amplifier power to fill the space with that speaker’s sound. You should consider this measurement because if you buy an amplifier with enough power to reach the measurement point for the speakers, it may not have enough power to fill the room if you are sitting on a sofa several metres from the speakers.
Another factor that can play a role in the performance of speakers with amplifiers is the impedance of the speakers. Many speakers have an impedance of eight ohms, but many speakers will have an impedance that dips to less than eight ohms. Impedance values less than eight ohms will require the amplifier to provide more current to those speakers.
An amplifier that is only rated for eight ohms may overheat if the speakers require more current than it can provide at those lower impedances. Independent measurement of speaker impedance can help to determine the speaker sensitivity of the speakers, as speaker sensitivity measurements are most useful for those who understand how the speakers will perform at different frequencies. Although higher speaker sensitivity is generally considered to be a benefit for speakers, higher speaker sensitivity does not mean that the speakers will produce better sound.
Speakers with lower speaker sensitivity are often created with the intention of having a flat frequency response to the speakers. Other speakers, such as horn speakers, are created to produce high level of sound with high speaker sensitivity. Thus, while speaker sensitivity is a beneficial measurement for understanding how to properly match the components of a speaker and an amplifier system, it is not a measurement of the sound quality that the speakers will produce.
Many speaker manufacturer use different method of measuring the speaker sensitivity of their speakers. Some will calculate the sensitivity of the speaker by averaging the measurements of speaker sensitivity within the flattest portion of the speaker response curve. Other manufacturers use a different voltage reference that affect the amount of power that is sent to low impedance loads of speakers.
The speaker sensitivity chart utilizes a standard of one watt of power and one metre of distance to its speakers. This is the most accurate measurement of the sensitivity of the speakers, and you should always check the speaker datasheet to ensure that the manufacturer used the same standard for measuring speaker sensitivity as the chart did. The size of your listening room and the habit that you have for listening to music will ultimately play a role in the amount of amplifier power that is required for your speakers.
If you do not play loud volumes of music, you will not require much amplifier power from your speakers. If you desire to play loud volumes of music, however, you will require more amplifier power to fill the room with sound from those speakers to your ears. A recommendation of six decibels of headroom above the average volume that you listen to will prevent the amplifier from entering its distortion zone.
In addition to the speakers themselves, the entire audio system will have to be considered when matching the components of those systems. For surround sound systems, it is best to purchase speakers with similar measurements of sensitivity for the front and center speaker. If the sensitivity levels of the front speakers and the center speaker are not similar, the receiver may have to employ level trims to balance the sound that the speakers will create.
If the center speaker has a different sensitivity to the other speakers, it may work harder to fill the same area of the listening room as the other speakers. Bi-amping can be used to provide more dynamic sound to speakers that have separate speaker terminals for high and low frequencies. Each amplifier will only have to provide power to a portion of the frequency range that the speakers will play, allowing for more efficient use of the power of that amplifier.
While the improvement of bi-amping may not be immediately apparent to many people, bi-amping can allow for speakers to have more ease in reaching high volumes of sound, and it can allow them to exhibit less compression. The best way to determine the components that will work together for your speakers is to consider the speaker sensitivity of your speakers. By determining the speaker sensitivity, you can gain an understanding of the amount of amplifier power that will be required for your speakers with your specific range of music and in your specific room.
Once you have determined the correct match between your speakers and amplifiers, the balance of your system will not be interrupted by underpowered components.