What makes a speaker louder? The Watts? Or the mm Input? Or???

[Adela]

Watts is most definitely NOT a good indicator of the loudness of a speaker.  If you were comparing amplifiers to use with a specific speaker, then watts would be a decent indicator of loudness but with amplified speaker systems, you cannot state that this 10 watt speaker system will be louder than this other 5 watt speaker system.  That's due to the efficiency of the system itself.  It's quite possible for a low wattage system with an efficient amplifier and efficient speakers to produce more volume (with less distortion and higher quality sound reproduction) than another system with more wattage but a poorly designed, inefficient amplifier and very inefficient speakers.

Listening with your own ears is the best way to select a speaker system.

Hello strollin and thank you, but no store will open the (nowadays) hermetically sealed items like a tank! to hear the sound unfortunately.  I'll just buy the same I had even if I have to struggle a little to hear certain parts.  I explained in detail in my post to Salmon Trout.  Thanks again.    Adela

[Geek-9pm]

Sad to say, but the makers of loudspeakers are not giving us the SPL of the items for sale. SPL is the Sound Pressure Level and and should represents a real measure of how much sound can come from a loudspeaker without heavy distortion or damage to the unit.
Example:
https://www.jensentone.com/frequency_response_comparison


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[Adela]

Sad to say, but the makers of loudspeakers are not giving us the SPL of the items for sale. SPL is the Sound Pressure Level and and should represents a real measure of how much sound can come from a loudspeaker without heavy distortion or damage to the unit.
Example:
https://www.jensentone.com/frequency_response_comparison 

Hi Geek, and yes this is most unfair of the manufacturers and I'm shocked that the sound experts haven't pressured them to do it.  But you know what, frustrated that I couldn't know which to buy....I searched for trying to fix my old one and I fixed it!  lol!  However, I'm keeping the link you gave me for when I'll really need a new speaker, even though I don't know how to use this chart, but hopefully if/when I need it I'll have to search to decipher it.  Thanks so very much!       Adela

[patio]

There has to be a retailer where you can hear them before you buy...i have 4 of them in my general area...

[strollin]

Sad to say, but the makers of loudspeakers are not giving us the SPL of the items for sale. SPL is the Sound Pressure Level and and should represents a real measure of how much sound can come from a loudspeaker without heavy distortion or damage to the unit.
Example:
https://www.jensentone.com/frequency_response_comparison

Even specs like this don't tell the whole picture.  These measurements are taken with the speaker in an anechoic chamber (basically an acoustically dead chamber).  It doesn't represent how the speaker will perform or sound in YOUR room.  The dynamics of the room play an enormous part in determining how a speaker will sound.

The retailers are not making it easy on us.  To truly judge any speaker requires YOU to listen to how it sounds in YOUR environment.  Just looking at the numbers won't do it.  Frankly, computer speakers are strictly a commodity to me.  I buy them based on price with little regard for their fidelity.  Fortunately, I'm not a gamer so cheap $20 speakers are all I need.

If I wanted decent sound from my computer, I would get a good set of headphones.

[Adela]

There has to be a retailer where you can hear them before you buy...i have 4 of them in my general area...

Where's your general area?  I'm in NYC...

[patio]

Pluto...