Aside from a bit of waste in under utilizing a more powerful speaker, I'd say volume is volume. 85db from a small speaker is 85db from a big speaker.
Caveats:
- Some large speakers work better at lower volumes than others while others seem to sound better at higher volumes.
- Larger speakers often tend to produce lower frequencies better. Size matters for LFE. LFE travels through walls and ceilings much easier than higher frequencies so it might create an illusion to your neighbor that the same db level is louder than if you used smaller speakers. However, since you included a sub in the equation, that will make more difference on the low end than the speakers and it's the sub that will give you the angry neighbors regardless of main speaker size.
Last edited by Murph; 08/26/09 04:45 PM.
