[Elecraft] Loudspeakers for the K3

[Jim Brown]

On 4/17/2012 12:00 AM, OE5CSP-Chris wrote:
> Is there a recommendation from Elecraft or any wise audiophile?

As an audio pro, I have a few observations. The speaker amp in the K3 is 
a fairly small one, so outboard speakers should be either fairly 
efficient or should be amplified.  Most home stereo speakers have fairly 
LOW efficiency, but most speakers for use in public address systems, and 
most speakers designed for communications use have fairly HIGH efficiency.

For most serious operation I use headphones, but for casual operation I 
use outboard speakers.  On the radio I use the most, they are a pair of 
very efficient, very good pro speakers that have long been 
discontinued.  On the other radio I have a couple of miniature cube 
speakers designed for communications use.  They all work fine.

Voltage sensitivity is expressed as dBSPL for one watt at one meter, or 
for 2.828 volts.  The most efficient small speakers you're likely to 
find will have this spec in the high 80s. SPL is Sound Pressure Level 
with respect a standard acoustic reference level.   In the near field, 
sound decays at 6dB per doubling of distance, so at 1/4 meter, it will 
be 12dB louder than that number with a one watt sine wave, about 10 dB 
less with speech.

73, Jim Brown K9YC.