Could you tell us what frequencies you measured the 108 db peaks at, and what the distortion was at the 108 db peaks? When you say the amps sounded a bit strident, are you sure it was not distortion on the part of the driver? It's unreasonable to expect a 4 inch driver to do 108 db bass peaks (say in the 50 HZ region) without significant distortion, in general. So i don't think anyone would fault Ed's design (which I am sure sounds wonderful, and we would all LOVe to hear) if it "only did 102 db peaks in the 50 Hz region". Doing 102 db peaks with a 300B amp (about 8 watts max) leads me to believe the efficiency of the hornshoppe speaker is around 94-95 db. It is reasonable to expect the driver to do undistorted peaks of frequencies above 100 hz upto maybe 105-110 db, depending on the wattage of the driver.

Overall, I don't think Bob Brines & Ed are disagreeing a whole lot. I have actually heard Bob Brines's speakers (almost all his models) and they are very nice. I think they will do 105 db peaks as well, above 100 hz. below that, no, and in fact most single driver systems won't, at least not without increasing distortion.
Again, I reiterate, a single drive comparo between bob brines's speakers (based largely on Martin's designs) and Ed Schilling speakers will be awesome. Based on reviews I have read of Horn Shoppe speakers, they probably sound very good too. It will be a real treat to hear a comparison, and to see the differences between them. Again, ED, PLEASE do ship a pair of speakers for the next GPAF, even if you cannot make it.

-akhilesh