First impressions at California audio Show

[theaudiohobby]

Not according to their website. There's alot of different versions of the AN-E and I'm not sure which was on display but it was certainly VERY loud for a 20watt amp so I am inclined to believe their numbers.

Independent measurements indicate that the actual sensitivity is closer to 92dB which is a more believable figure for a speaker of this size and design. And given the appropriate material a 20W amp can drive 92dB/1m speaker to very relatively high SPLs.

[Brian K]

Independent measurements indicate that the actual sensitivity is closer to 92dB which is a more believable figure for a speaker of this size and design. And given the appropriate material a 20W amp can drive 92dB/1m speaker to very relatively high SPLs.

Have you ever even heard the speakers we're talking about? I honestly don't know what you're basing your assertations on. I'm assuming you weren't even there and you haven't cited any sources. I sat in the room with this system for at least an hour on two seperate occassions at the show. I was in the room with someone who had an SPL meter that measured 95db at least 12 feet from the speakers during a bass track. I spoke with at least 7-8 people in in that room who agreed the sound levels were "unbelievable".

I'm not an Audio Note fanboy and I don't care about 'winning' but based on my listening experiences of the system setup by Audio Note themselves, I'm inclined to believe their (Audio Notes) sensitivity numbers.

EDIT:

My response was probably overly harsh. I'm not trying to start a flame war and I understand why people are skeptical of numbers that seem so unbelievable. The number one rule in audio is "Don't believe it unless you've heard it with your own ears". I also believe very little of what I read from manufacturers and reviewers. So far that skepticism has served me very well. I went into the room extremely skeptical and walked out convinced that the system was the real deal.

[RGA]

Have you ever even heard the speakers we're talking about? I honestly don't know what you're basing your assertations on. I'm assuming you weren't even there and you haven't cited any sources. I sat in the room with this system for at least an hour on two seperate occassions at the show. I was in the room with someone who had an SPL meter that measured 95db at least 12 feet from the speakers during a bass track. I spoke with at least 7-8 people in in that room who agreed the sound levels were "unbelievable".

I'm not an Audio Note fanboy and I don't care about 'winning' but based on my listening experiences of the system setup by Audio Note themselves, I'm inclined to believe their (Audio Notes) sensitivity numbers.

If you need sources - Hi-Fi Choice is saying it meets the bass spec and the sensitivity spec (bettering it as AN posted 94db at that time and Hi-Fi Choice for 94.5db).

Then you have

Martin Colloms (the measurements guy for Stereophile, Hi Fi News, Hi-Fi Critic, and is an expert witness and electroacoustics engineer from Oxford - and chaired the Audio Engineering Society, author of several volumes of loudspeaker design books and the founder of Monitor Audio loudspeakers. (What do you have to do in order to be accepted as a guy who can hold up an SPL meter and measure a frequency tone. If Martin Colloms can't do it nobody out there can. Do we have to show his resume http://www.colloms.com/

Quote from his AN E review: "I checked out the speaker in the lab and confirmed the high 94dB sensitivity, with 3.6 ohm minimum impedance, a wide 28Hz to 20kHz (+/-3dB) response when adjusted for near wall placement, and a 29Hz tuned port with an in-room -6dB point of 18Hz at reasonable drive levels. Hi-Fi News June 2002

Corner gain adds 3db to sensitivity - AN gives you the corner spec. 95db corner. 98db on the HE models. Measured not in a corners you get 91-92db and 94-95db respectively. Seems reasonable to me .