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So many drivers.....better sound or just more sound?

I am sitting in Seattle cut off from my job by the virus: the world all around me is going nutsy....so naturally my mind drifted to the question....."why so many drivers in some speakers?"  This has bugged me since i first heard the Pipedreams (twenty or so 4 inch drivers all the same in a row.... such a different design principle.  I would think you would want the best driver you could afford for a given application....cover the frequency range as accurately as you can afford and then worry about volume level, air moved etc.  For instance, i heard some McIntosh speakers at a friend's house a few months back.  they had 12 mids and 4 high drivers if i remember.  I guess maybe a bigger sound stage ?  That wan't obvious to me in my listening to them.   Am i missing something obvious?   Legacy speakers use like 11 drivers in a set of speakers.....how can they do that?  I would love to know the cost per driver of various speakers.    Not a deep subject but,  i am addled by rain, boredom and the fear that my 401 k is gone..........
Thanks
sm2727

Showing 1 response by bigkidz

bigkidz
3,415 posts
 
Sorry I cannot answer your question.  Mentioned above is different design applications.  To me quality of the drivers is important and the material they are made from.  I prefer Alnico magnet designed drivers.  I have also experimented with ceramic drivers with great results.  I have set-up pipe dream systems also with great results.  I also recently met the owner of Genesis speakers and I was impressed with all of the research and thought out design of the speakers but that being said, in the system I heard them, I would not have even considered them. To say that I was not impressed was an understatement but again I attribute that to the system not the speakers.  I have gone to many audio shops and heard very poor sounding system and some excellent sounding systems so so much goes into the design to accomplish what the designer prefers.

I have worked with designers on many speakers and each have benefits and each have issues.  It is what you prefer that matters anyway.

Happy Listening.
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