What component is responsible for dynamics ?

"Duke and John;
You two build with two different driver designs , is there an opinion on the type of drivers that work best for dynamics ? I don't want to start a battle here, just personal opinions."

Ha! If JohnK and I get into a battle, it'll probably be on the same side.

One thing to look at is, whether the speaker can reach the SPL you want at a relatively low fraction of its rated power. In general, most speakers have about 1 dB of thermal compression at 10% of their rated power. (Keep in mind that some recordings may have a peak-to-average ratio of 20 dB or more, implying that an 85 dB average level may have occasional instantaneous peaks of 105 dB or more.)

But headroom alone doesn't tell the whole story - in my experience at least, a higher efficiency speaker will have better dynamic contrast than a low efficiency speaker even if, on paper, they have the same max SPL capability. For example, a 97 dB speaker that can handle 20 watts will usually have better dynamic contrast than an 87 dB speaker that can handle 200 watts.

So I would give weight to both factors - how efficient the speaker is, and how much headroom it has. I think there's at least one more factor, having to do with the suspension system of the speaker, but I don't feel qualified to comment beyond that.

Duke

Duke,
I agree with your answer based on my own numerous experiences.
Higher efficiency speakers do provide more dynamic contrast regardless of volume level, I really notice it at moderate and lower volumes.
This advantage always seems to make the music realistic and lifelike.It just seems to improve music`s spontaneity.
Best Regards,

Increasing music dynamic is like increasing the acceleration of a car. There are two ways to achieve the objective. Lessen the weight of the car (high efficient speakers) or increase the horsepower (amplification chain). An example of a very dynamic car would be a F1 car. A Nascar is less dynamic than a F1 but both have similar top end speed (max spl), but very different performance.

If your looking for dynamics a compression driven horn loudspeaker will do it the more horn loaded the better. But for many they are to large or costly.PA,vintage or used can save you with cost. The macro dynamic has more to do system synergy. And over all quality of the whole.

"what one component will offer the most beneficial change ?" I'd say the speaker.

From my empirical knowledge:

Doing the math, I used to think that a 10 watt amp mated with 100 db speakers would produce the same dynamics as a 100 watt amp with 90 db speaker. I mean, it's math. 2 + 3 is the same as 9 - 4. Didn't work out that way to my ears.

I had 1000 watt monoblocks driving my Maggie 3.6's (85 db). In the same room during the same time period, I had 10 SET watts driving some custom studio monitors (low 90's). No contest. The 10 wpc/90+ db was more dynamic than the 1000 wpc/85 db.

I suppose it depends on your "strict" definition of dynamics. The 1000/85 could play louder, that's what 1000 watts can do. Dynamics to me mean how fast a speaker can go from, say, 60 to 85 db. To me, a higher eff speaker does it better than a lower one.