19 dB, or a hundred times the power

I rarely read specifications to you; we listen to music, not to numbers. This one I will read, because it explains what I heard: 105 against 86.

The Klipsch La Scala is rated at 105 dB sensitivity, the Wilson Yvette at 86. The difference is 19 dB, which means the La Scala reaches the same sound pressure with roughly a hundredth of the amplifier power. A 10 W tube amplifier can take it to concert levels, and it can reach 121 dB. Don't try this at home.

The Yvette asks for something else entirely: real current into a 4-ohm load, dipping to 3 ohms at around 90 Hz. Then look at the bottom, 51 Hz for the La Scala and 20 Hz for the Yvette. That is not a detail, it is fundamental, down at the lowest edge of human hearing, assuming your ears still work fine.

And that is exactly what the audition sounded like. The La Scala jumped at me with horn immediacy and played loud, yet stayed thin at the bottom. The Yvette wanted serious McIntosh power behind it, and in return its lowest octave arrived as pressure in my chest.

A specification earns its place when it explains your ears. When it starts replacing them, throw it away.