Where does the money in expensive speakers get spent?

[merlin]

They were just my JBL's Dec. I know they have a supertweeter above 10khz but I can't hear that high anyway so effectively a two way to an old duffer like me - crossover is at 800hz.

They were barely ticking over in all honesty - you certainly couldn't see the cone surrounds moving where we were sat - even playing Missy Elliot. The greatest impression is that the fun just gets bigger and the SPL meter reading goes up. The sound remains the same That doesn't happen IME with lower specced loudspeakers - primarily because of rising distortion components courtesy of the drive units used.

 

[Tw99]

I'm sure this will just prompt Merlin to post that ATC graph he's so fond of, but I certainly find that my ATCs also give the impression of "just going louder " without distortion, which must be down to the engineering of the in-house drivers.

 

[merlin]

Of course I could post that graph but that wouldn't change the fact that something gives you that impression.

ATC's are three ways though and yours are effectively 4 ways with the sub so they aren't really the subject of the debate I would have thought.

 

[Sibbers]

I share your sentiments actually. I don't have experience of many expensive two ways but my own, however 90db peaks are well within the range I listen to my quite small contour s1.4s and they barely appear to move yet most people think I must have a sub, somewhere.

I'm very interested to know what would happen if I went to the next logical step though. I anticipate more resolution/detail but I don't know what parts you would upgrade except the design (not more expensive parts used as such)

 

[davidsrsb]

I suspect most of us would be better off with 28mm tweeters and using a larger mid-woofer.
Losing above 15kHz is not that important for the over 40s

 

[TheDecameron]

In the eighties, four extra pine batons and glue making up the highly technical 'circumferential brace' could add a ton of money to the price tag. This was NASA stuff in the flat earth period.

 

[Tw99]

Of course I could post that graph but that wouldn't change the fact that something gives you that impression.

ATC's are three ways though and yours are effectively 4 ways with the sub so they aren't really the subject of the debate I would have thought.

I was posting wrt the original title, which was where does the money get spent, and observing that with ATC it seems to be the drivers.

Anyway, all I can really say is that they go much louder without obvious distortion than my previous Dynaudios.