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Demise of bass quality in Main speakers

When I was shopping for new speakers in addition it became quite clear that modern day main speakers are being made with smaller bass drivers. And to get larger bass drivers you have to go up to alot more expensive models and still they or on the small side.

The Industry came up with a solution for bass challenged main speakers - buy two subwoofers to solve the problems of the modern age main speaker. And subwoofers now being sold in pairs have 8 inch or 10 inch driver sizes, which are still not big enough unless you spend a lot more money.

I bought a subwoofer with a 12 inch driver 20 years ago, thankfully. When I looked at the newer subwoofers the speaker manufacturer told me that he gets many comments stating that the fullness and rumble ability of modern day subwoofers have been substantially diminished, and he agreed. Isn’t this what subwoofers are all about. Why would I need a subwoofer for better define the lower base area. Fortunately I bought very nice main speakers which had a range spec down to 20 Hz and the bass driver size is 8 inches but I had to pay more to get this larger size.

Why do people put up with this? Put larger bass drivers in Main speakers and then you won’t have as many people complaining about Poor bass quality. Doesn’t this make sense?

emergingsoul

Showing 1 response by ghdprentice

ghdprentice
6,471 posts
 

@carlsbad2 

@akg_ca 

+1

Comparing good quality speakers from twenty or more years ago with 12” woofers and today’s typically with one or two 8” and thinking they are inadequate is too simple a comparison.

 

Woofer diameters have dropped as throw, speed, and accuracy has increased dramatically. Bass today is so much more detailed and articulated it is astonishing. The role of good quality speakers is to accurately reproduce sound. Old 12” woofers were boomy. My speakers have two 8” woofers and go down to 24hz. I have no desire to add subwoofers to my system, as a mater of fact I removed two 12” subs from my system when I got these speakers and my system sounds way better than it has ever before. Much more coherent across the audio spectrum and definitely with as good a bass as with the old speakers and subs.

 

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