I'm an old-time HiFi enthusiast, long on the electrical theory, but short on speaker tech. Over the years it seems that woofers have gotten smaller and smaller. Are they really kicking out the bass like the old 12 and 15 inch units? Does a foam surround make an 8 inch woofer equivalent to a 12 inch woofer? Bookshelves are shrinking to shoebox. How small can you make a full range speaker?
Bobby Dipole
Bobby Dipole
Just my opinion, there is no substitute to radiating area when it comes to bass frequencies. As with all speakers that use 8 inch or smaller drivers to attempt to reproduce a wide bandwidth of frequencies, to include all bass.
They sound small to my ears, unrealistically so.
"Where's the BEEF???"
They sound small to my ears, unrealistically so.
"Where's the BEEF???"
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Smaller means less cost in everything. From transportation and storage to domestic space & WAF. Its a practical thing and a trend. In acoustics, size matters. Smaller drivers are much smarter these days squeezing out more performance than traditionally able, but there is nothing like area for creating long waves in high SPL without stress.
Woofers are the same size. What speaker integrators choose to do with them is a different issue (but not what you asked about).
this thread would partly answer your question.
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/subwoofers/179960-use-linkwitz-transform-reduce-size-enclosure.html
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/subwoofers/179960-use-linkwitz-transform-reduce-size-enclosure.html
Woofers aren't getting smaller, wives and girlfriends are getting more and more antsy about big boxes making their rooms look less pretty
They are tracking the evolution of the human brain. Our Brains Are Shrinking. Are We Getting Dumber? : NPR
Dan
Dan
Some later suspension and motor technology does actually allow for increased output from smaller sized drivers compared to 20 or 30 years ago.
Very small high excursion drivers are still less efficient. Aside from efficiency, the arrangement of choice for most acceptable distortion at a particular output level depends on whether you prefer the sound of huge flapping rubber surrounds or big flexing cones.
Very small high excursion drivers are still less efficient. Aside from efficiency, the arrangement of choice for most acceptable distortion at a particular output level depends on whether you prefer the sound of huge flapping rubber surrounds or big flexing cones.
Stronger magnet, more beefy coil, more travel, less cone area, happier wife. It's all in the evolution.
Big woofers "Still" sound better Cal, but in a small room you need to make sacrifices to keep the significant other happy, rooms are shrinking too as we get mote people sharing the space available
Speaking of evolution...
Why don't men finally wise up and stop marrying women like that? Leave 'em to be spinsters. Then maybe more women will start wising up.
se
A fools errand. It could takes centuries. I can't what that long.
FWIW, all my wives have tolerated big speakers and geeky hi-fi gear in the living room. I claim it's part of my charm.
Oh... on topic. More x-max allows small woofers to displace as much air as the big ones. I've seen insane x-max in small drivers. But they don't sound the same, somehow.
FWIW, all my wives have tolerated big speakers and geeky hi-fi gear in the living room. I claim it's part of my charm.
Oh... on topic. More x-max allows small woofers to displace as much air as the big ones. I've seen insane x-max in small drivers. But they don't sound the same, somehow.
>>> all my wives have tolerated big speakers...
I am still on my first one and she's tolerant of big speakers as long as they are in the basement. But i am thinking of upgrading... both the wife and speakers. My woofers have been getting bigger... as are my mids and tweeters. Love those big drivers radiating in front of me! I guess you could say i appreciate 'big ones.'
The small, high excursion drivers i have are not efficient. One sub, the 8" TB, is about 82db per watt and barely grunts. A more powerful sub amp is needed for any real output at all.
I am still on my first one and she's tolerant of big speakers as long as they are in the basement. But i am thinking of upgrading... both the wife and speakers. My woofers have been getting bigger... as are my mids and tweeters. Love those big drivers radiating in front of me! I guess you could say i appreciate 'big ones.'
The small, high excursion drivers i have are not efficient. One sub, the 8" TB, is about 82db per watt and barely grunts. A more powerful sub amp is needed for any real output at all.
Depending on the time frame you're talking about... the Thiel Small stuff came out in the early '70's, right? And then that had to percolate through the industry? I have thought that advancing box modeling has helped bass response, though I wasn't listening to much stereo that far back...
And in the 70s all most of us were interested in was how loud it could go! True but funny LOLOLOLOL😀😀😀
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