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 January 17, 2005 I've done a lot of shopping on the Internet and note that there are many high-power amplifiers for sale at reasonable or budget-conscious prices. Q: Why do audiophiles pay attention to speaker sensitivity when watts are cheap to buy? David Schultz A: What you note about amplifiers and the low price of watts is certainly true, but speaker sensitivity is still an important specification, for at least two reasons. First, many audiophiles like the sound of low-power, single-ended-triode tube amps, and therefore need very sensitive speakers to attain any reasonable volume levels. In addition, I've found that the sound of sensitive speakers is often more intrinsically dynamic than that of speakers with below-average sensitivity (lower than, say, 87dB/W/m). The ability to play at very low and very high levels -- and spots in between -- seems enhanced in speakers with higher-than-average sensitivity. Even if watts are cheap, speaker sensitivity is still something about which you should be, well, sensitive. ...Marc Mickelson
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