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 Detailed charts that list the most important speaker specifications are helpful tools for the car speaker shopper. |
Why is speaker sensitivity important?
If you're confused by all the different methods speaker manufacturers use to determine speaker sensitivity ratings, don't worry — you're not alone. The important point to understand is that there are several ways to measure this spec. So how do you (the average shopper) use sensitivity specs to decide which speaker to buy?
- Speakers with high sensitivity ratings (90 dB and up) require less power to play loudly, so they make good choices for pairing with a low-powered factory head unit. Even if you plan on using amplifiers in your sound system, a sensitive speaker will require less amplifier power to get the kind of volume and depth you want.
- If you try to drive speakers with low sensitivity ratings (87 dB and below) with a factory head unit, your music may not play as loud as you'd like without distortion.
- High-performance speakers are "overbuilt" to handle high power, so they tend to be inefficient. If you're buying outboard amplifiers for your system, don't be turned off by speakers with low efficiency ratings! See Ken Nail's discussion of "Receiver Power vs. Amp Power — A difference you can hear" for more information.
Speaker sensitivity is not a very good guide as to how a speaker will sound. Some highly sensitive speakers (horn-loaded PA speakers, for example) offer high output, but relatively poor sound quality. Studio monitors, on the other hand, are designed to play with a flat, extremely accurate sound, but typically have very low sensitivity ratings.
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