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single driver speakers

Someone please help me out here...

I am struggling to understand how a single driver system can sound anywhere near as good as a multiple-driver system with crossovers...

I understand that crossovers and multiple drivers can have issues with interference, phase, etc - but those drawbacks would seem to be vastly outweighed by the increased frequency response and clarity within a frequency spectrum that a multi-driver system produces.

I see these

https://www.audiogon.com/listings/lis8ij2i-voxativ-ampeggio-due-70-off-priced-to-move-full-range

and just can not wrap my mind around how they could sound better than a multi-driver system costing 1/10 as much. (no knock intended on the seller of these speakers, I was just browsing listings and saw them so it made me wonder)

Thanks!
babyseaotter99

Showing 2 responses by cd318

cd318
2,636 posts
 
Single drivers must be the future, we just need the engineering to catch up. Overnight multiways will become obsolete.

In the meantime if you can live with their limitations then good for you. If you can't, then at least try to find a speaker where the entire midrange is covered by a single unit.

Unfortunately, in a lot of speakers the crossover point could not be placed in a worse point.
cd318
2,636 posts
 
@seanheis1 Wow! Life must be tougher for audiophiles in America. So many choices and so much happening in the world of loudspeakers.

Along with Devore and Zu there seems to a trend towards minimalist drivers and crossovers - and high efficiency paper cones too.

This could well be another golden age of loudspeaker design. 
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