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A full range speaker?

Many claim to be, but how many can handle a full orchestra’s range?

That range is from 26hz to around 12khz including harmonics, but the speakers that can go that low are few and far between. That is a shame, since the grand piano, one of the center points of many orchestral and symphonic performances, needs that lower range to produce a low A fully, however little that key is used.

I used to think it was 32hz, which would handle a Hammond B-3’s full keyboard, so cover most of the musical instruments range, but since having subs have realized how much I am missing without those going down to 25hz with no db’s down.

What would you set as the lower limit of music reproduction for a speaker to be called full range?

 I’m asking you to consider that point where that measurement is -0db’s, which is always different from published spec's.
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Showing 4 responses by tomic601

tomic601's avatar
tomic601
12,865 posts
 
witness the acoustic event, capture event, including the ability to play back event in real time in the original reverberant space ( but with a heavy bias to nearfield monitoring, use a Stax grade or better headphone to also monitor, capture using a single stereo pair, failing that buy or build a small mixer ( this can make microphones seem cheap ), acquire a small collection of great microphones, piano lends itself well to a combi stereo…$2-3 k ( see your above posting about energy conversation device aka transducer ), buy or build great microphone preamps, cables…to Mogami or not ?, Then the fun begins…Digital , Tape…or both..
tomic601's avatar
tomic601
12,865 posts
 
to the OP i can get you the wav files, super happy guy in Michigan with 5a just used them. The Vandy test tone disc includes scaling acoustic bass w finger, string and body noise ( recorded at Ocean Way ) Vandersteen drivers / cast baskets and motors in many cases ( almost  all ) are made by scanspeak, for decades. the 12” push pull honeycomb aluminum sub is unique to the 5 and 7. Carbon diaphragms are all made in house in good ole California.

Finally, time and phase don’t have to be screwed up…..

speakers currently in residence, studio, or mobile recording rack ( this last bit a hint about the journey you are rightminded about embarking on ) : Vandersteen, Thiel, Quad, Apogee, Klipsch, Totem, Bryston, Stax, and a beater but heavily modified pair of Dynaco A-25.
tomic601's avatar
tomic601
12,865 posts
 
Also, the cited in room response is measured in my listening chair w RTA and calibrated microphone using Vandertones ( free download from Vandersteen website )

This is not new tech, 5 or 6 models over the years feature the 11 band EQ.
tomic601's avatar
tomic601
12,865 posts
 
Actually, no. As always try to pick an expert with broad based experience setting up systems in real rooms with live unamplified music as the reference.

while many excellent speaker designers utilize an Anechoic chamber in testing, development and very importantly QC ( and component matching ( see utube video on production of Vandersteen Treo for example ) they also listen in duh… real rooms. Any of the powered bass models from Vandersteen for example include 11 bands of EQ … below 120 hz. Those 11 bands are based not on octaves but on typical room modes in a wide survey of  listening rooms…( ya somebody was thinking.. ) place speakers for best imaging, dial bass in. 
So at 20 HZ I am up a db and at 24 HZ down 1.

to the Op no bloated piano but w full weight and authority… I spend time in a nice reverberant space with several grands and a pipe organ with world class player ( like people who sit in at cathedrals in Euro during summer vacation time ) My reference is not dominated by a Fender jazz multitrack.

great question but don’t ignore the bass harmonics either… lots of energy up to and above 400 HZ 

have fun, enjoy your journey.
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