Speaker sensitivity rating question

Dave Zirbel · From: Sebastopol, CA USA

Thanks for looking!

Is there a noticeable difference in volume/headroom when comparing a speaker that is rated at 97.4 db to another rated at 98db? Itâ€™s .6 db difference....

Thanks
Dz
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Dave Zirbel-
Sierra S-10 (Built by Ross Shafer),ZB, Fender 400 guitars, various tube and SS amps

Georg Sørtun · From: Mandal, Agder, Norway

Sensitivity is rated with a 1 Watt sinus-shaped signal shifting over the entire frequency range, measured at about 1 meter / 3 feet distance with a calibrated full-freq mic.
.6 db difference in loudness/sensitivity for 1 Watt is hardly noticeable, but it depends on at what frequency one is more sensitive than the other. Sensitivity numbers don't make much sense without the relevant sensitivity/frequency charts for a speaker.

Max volume and/or headroom can not be derived from such sensitivity numbers, and is usually presented as max-Watt for music for a speaker. Sinus-shaped signals are never used for measuring max-Watt, as most speakers will burn up and/or be blown out if fed sinus for any length of time - usually within seconds - if fed sinus at anywhere near the max-Watt for music.

Donny Hinson · From: Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.

Dave, I mostly compare speakers by ear - out of the enclosure, and not with test equipment. And based on my "ear testing" of many speakers, I've found differences of anything less than 2db to be pretty much unnoticeable. When the differences get up in the 3db to 4db range, they become what I'd call "noticeable", and differences of 6db or more are very noticeable, sort of like "night and day". But as Georg said, different speakers usually have different response curves, and that may make them sound different (in loudness, as well as tone) at certain frequencies, even if their overall sensitivity ratings are pretty much the same.

Dave Zirbel · From: Sebastopol, CA USA

Thanks guys!
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Dave Zirbel-
Sierra S-10 (Built by Ross Shafer),ZB, Fender 400 guitars, various tube and SS amps

Thomas Stone · From: San Francisco

3 dB is generally accepted as the smallest difference that is easily perceptible by most listeners. 1 dB is considered barely perciptible, but it depends on what is being listened to (speech, music, test tones, etc.).

You can test whether you can hear a 1 dB change here:

https://www.audiocheck.net/blindtests_level.php?lvl=1

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