What is a fullrange loudspeaker (an explanation)?

[Bob Brines]

Single-driver full-range speaker is an oxymoron. Period. A single-driver speaker may cover sufficient range to be satisfying, but that is another issue. If you only listen to girl-and-a guitar or string quartets and you hearing is dead above 10k, then a single-driver speaker IS full-range. Anything else, not so much. This is why you see more and more designs here that use a relatively small mid-tweet and a woofer to do the bottom couple of hundred Hz.

Bob

[IG81]

The meat of the matter is a thick slice of semantics sandwiched between two slices of grey area. The term fullrange is in itself misleading IMO and may end-up defeating the elevated expectations of people trying it out (in a serious manner - everyone has heard a compact shelf system) for the first time.

In my book, a driver that I call fullrange can play at least 2 decades without any major flaw and do so at levels satisfying for the intended use. Most modern drivers, as well as many vintage ones, so dubbed can do even better, clever enclosure design not withstanding. Heck, I own mid-bass drivers that come close to this. If really limited to two useful decades, something like 50Hz-5khz or 200Hz-20kHz, I can see the need for a helper woofer or tweeter, but generally end-up prefering a driver on its own.

IG

[Squeak]

I find it disheartening and perplexing that so many of the old hands in here, not only in this thread but in others too, are casting doubts as to whether single driver speakers really are good enough on their own.
I find it especially mystifying that mr. Brines who has a business selling single driver speakers, seems not really to have faith in his own product, or at least relegates them for use with only "girl-and-a guitar or string quartets".

I think it has very much to do with expectations.
Single driver speakers can be perfectly fine for most peoples everyday needs, and indeed give more bang for the buck and building time than just about anything else.
IF you don't expect huge dynamic range and being able to play at realistic concert levels.

The human senses has a wondrous way of scaling and adapting.
In the same way that a smaller screen can be very good for material originally intended for much larger screens, smaller speakers can do a good job a reproducing even quite complex music at lower volumes.
For realistic volume levels other strategies are needed, but it is far from always possible/appropriate/necessary to play material at the original or approaching level.

Please do clarify.

[Bob Brines]

Here's the deal. I can make a single-driver speaker that goes 35-15kHz. Works fine at 70-75dB@8'. If you try 100dB, distortion will eat your lunch. Single-driver speakers are about finesse. Too many expect serious SPL. Then you need a woofer to do the lower 200-300Hz.

Bob

[Squeak]

Ok, but that just didn't seemed to be what you were saying in post 11.

GM's post also seems uncharacteristically unconsidered, even keeping in mind his affinity for alternative multidriver solutions. :-)

[Bob Brines]

Perhaps you are looking for one speaker that does everything well?

Bob

[GM]

Originally Posted by Squeak

GM's post also seems uncharacteristically unconsidered, even keeping in mind his affinity for alternative multidriver solutions. :-)

Huh?!

GM

[Squeak]

Is that a trick question? :-)
In the same way that a lot of other tools/transducers/vehicles/woman etc. come in lots of varieties, non of them satisfying all needs at all times, but rather complementing each other, differently designed speakers of course do different things well, while doing others less well.

That said, most people only have room for one set in their living room.
I find that SD FR speakers satisfy most of my needs with a wide selection of music.

[picowallspeaker]

I like WOOFER with a helper FR

[Hentai]

Originally Posted by Bob Brines

Here's the deal. I can make a single-driver speaker that goes 35-15kHz. Works fine at 70-75dB@8'. If you try 100dB, distortion will eat your lunch. Single-driver speakers are about finesse. Too many expect serious SPL. Then you need a woofer to do the lower 200-300Hz.

Bob

Well, i must say with my fieldcoil unit (Ryu) in a horn alignment i pretty close reaching that range and 100db at 2.83V input. It's possible but you need to sacrifice space, horn will be pretty big.