Full range driver

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frugal-phile™
Joined 2001
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1) There is no best
2) see #1 above

+2

We have still not fully cracked the physiks of getting 1 driver to cover 9-10 octaves perfectly.

But today, with modern modeling techniques, new materials, great respect for the classics whie looking to the future, we probably have the broadest, richest choice of full ranges ever, eclipsing the earlier peak in the late 50s, early 60s. (this does not just apply to FR drivers).

Both ends of the price, quality, and application spaces are being stretched.

But we are dealing with highly flawed devices, even the best of them. The choice of compromises a designer makes — the art part — mean that even the best designs can sound fundementaly different and yet be equally valid. What fits your room, taste, needs, budget, ancillary kit (particularily the amp, which always needs consideration as amp/speaker(interconnect) form a system) broadly determines what is “best for you”.

dave
 
I‘m happy with Goodmans drivers from the 60s
There are triaxioms, which are modified as fullrange with the tweeters as auxiliary speakers in my music room and oval Goodmans in my stereo furniture in the living room. I prefer definitely fr speakers without whizzer cones and hyperbolic woofer cones
 
In some way, shape or form, apparently so, but the original designer seems to have departed some years ago, and the continuing total absense of anything even remotely resembling useful information (unless statements like '...these drivers have a sonic character that is simply scrumptious and pleasing to no end' are to be counted as useful) doesn't exactly help.

I gather there have been different cones, elliptical whizzers, reversions & associated changes / developments; quite where they are now is hard to say from their sites; I suspect Clark Blumenstein probably has the most up-to-date knowledge of anyone in the West.
 
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Joined 2008
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The best I have heard until now are Lowther DX2 Hedlund horns with a low power triode SE amplifier. In my room, the near field shoutiness translates into almost flat response at the listening spot. Perfect for non complicated acoustic music. But I must admit they greatly benefit from the help of a subwoofer in the low end.

So in my opinion, full range is quite possible from 100 Hz up with high quality. I also liked a combination of a modified Fostex 208 (not sure which exact type it was) with a 15" helper woofer. Also a Sonido SFR200A backloaded horn or transmission line box was unbelievable on percussions. All of these were true for relatively smaller and well damped and partially treated rooms.

Therefore I may conclude I really like 8" fullrangers. Currently experimenting with a Fane 12-250TC in a large sealed box. So fat promisimg, but they need serious burn in as they are brand new.
 
And: The most do not understand to modify, coat, damp, install drivers.

But this are the conditions for clean performance! Do NEVER use a crossover;-)

As an example: At moment I do use the 17W75 for fullrange. A dream;-)

+1

That said, while not full range, its published specs/response appears to make an excellent ~250-2500 Hz telephone BW driver, which of course is the most important to get right, so agree ideally no XOs dividing it up even though it's been the standard to divide it in our ~flat hearing BW between ~500-1.2 kHz since at least the early 1930s TTBOMK and probably earlier.

The lower XO point is outside our acute hearing BW enough to add a woofer, but it gets tricky up high since we need out to at least an 8 kHz XO and preferably > ~11.3 kHz for a super tweeter. :(

Nominally flat for up to [5.5] octaves is tough enough for a horn or point source driver and have to trade a fair amount of efficiency for BW to get it, but having good off axis response also is a real engineering headache, having to rely on some form of co-ax, so for now we'll have to agree to disagree about NEVER using XOs to create a full range speaker system.

To date, W.E.'s original 8" [3] way single diaphragm 755 [two mechanical XOs] is the best I've auditioned, aware of and sell for rare antique prices when one in good condition comes along, but haven't had the pleasure of any of the customs available around the world, so maybe there's as good or better.

All that said, with today's cheap, 'clean' DSP one can mod a so-so response to billiard table flat if desired, though again, always trading efficiency for flat BW, so for those of us with modest budgets, we only need one with decent construction/specs that's once flattened still has enough power handling to suit the needs of the app.

GM
 
You must listen to a number of drivers to find the one and configuration that is best for you. For me I like very much the Voxativ line of drivers. At present I use the Voxativ AC-2.6 and the older AER DX-4 as a backup. I find the Voxativ better in front loaded applications and the AER in rear loading to help the lower frequencies.

Enjoy the discovery!
 
Guess there's not enough market for it; ~20 yrs ago Nick McKinney [Lambda/AE] found the original dies, but the owner wouldn't do it for <10 k pieces [don't recall him telling us the quote price] and seems like awhile back I saw a W.E. ad for 300B tubes that also showed a new diaphragm for sale, but it won't be cheap and much worse, it won't be an original hemp material, I assume like the 'E', which is great sounding only if you've never heard an original.

GM
 
1) There is no best
2) see #1 above

+1001

If the question had been "What's the best driver for me, my room, my taste and my situation?" Then there would be some meaningful answers.

Right now, it's interesting to read, but in no way answers anything the OP had hoped.

OP, can you name one kind of music that is the best, that everyone likes and everyone agrees on?
One movie? One TV show? One car? One colour?

See?
 
Founder of XSA-Labs
Joined 2012
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Citizen Kane, Star Trek, Lancia Stratos HF, Green. :)

But if I had to pick one driver to live with for the rest of my life. Now just one and has to cover bass to highs (50Hz to 16kHz) well and have some ability to have impact, I would pick W5-2143.

If I could use a woofer for a FAST, it is the 10F/8424 tied with SB65WBAC25-4.
 
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