Dr .Gauder say (Why do we build multi-way loudspeakers?
The human hearing ranges from 16 Hz to around 16,000 Hz (at a young age), i.e. over 10 octaves - an enormous range when you consider that the eye can only see one octave. Accordingly, it is difficult for a single loudspeaker to reproduce this wide range of frequencies.
In the bass range we need large, heavy cones with small magnets, in the mid-range we need light, much smaller cones with a strong drive and in the treble range we need very small, extremely light cones with the strongest possible drive. All of this follows from the laws of mechanics, strength of materials and, last but not least, acoustics.
As you can see, it is impossible to reconcile all these requirements. It is essential to make compromises here. A first compromise is to divide the 10 octaves between two loudspeaker drive-units. Such designs are correspondingly diverse, as the proportions of the individual chassis can vary greatly. In the classic three-way speaker, three specialists share the 10 octaves, which can bring a significant improvement. The same applies to four-way loudspeakers. Five-way loudspeakers are extremely rare and then hardly offer any more advantages.)
Single way or multiway
The founder and builder of the highly respected high-end speaker company Gauder Akustik, Dr. Gauder, says that using a full-range driver is very bad. He uses 3- to 4-way speakers with extremely complex 10th-order crossovers consisting of 58–60 components.
In contrast, some other well-known and equally respected speaker companies — such as Voxativ, Zu, Cube Audio, and Totem — use crossoverless designs.
Who is right, and who is wrong?
Showing 5 responses by bache
@Phusis Respect you opinion , but looks like you disagree with Dr. Gauder or did not read above post, you can see more at https://gauderakustik.com/ |
@ronboco agree 100% |
I’m a speaker builder with extensive experience working with Tang Band 8" drivers. One of my designs is the Tribeca-001. I'm not familiar with your specific listening standards, but to avoid harshness in the high frequencies, I found it necessary to remove the whizzer cone. The whizzer tends to exaggerate the treble, especially when paired with certain tweeters. In this setup, I integrated a Fostex tweeter for better high-frequency performance. Using an RTA program with measurement microphone, I confirmed that the whizzer cone was introducing too much energy in the upper range, which negatively affected the tonal balance. Removing it resulted in a much smoother response. |
My first version of the Tribeca used the Tang Band W8-1808 driver. However, I had issues achieving a flat frequency response after cutting the whizzer cone, and visually it didn’t look great either. Later, I switched to the W8-2145, which gave me a much better sound overall. I also added a dust cap to cover the imperfections and improve appearance. You can check my website to see how it looks now. |