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The midrange is the most important driver.

OK, I don't need you to believe the topic name. Just wanted to start a friendly discussion.

Among full-range, multi-way speakers there are usually at least 3 drivers:

  • Tweeter
  • Mid-range
  • Woofer
The most exorbitant prices are usually in the tweeter, followed by the woofer, then the mid. More or less. When I read discussions that are about tech-brands, it's almost always about the tweeter. Off the shelf prices in high-end speakers can vary from $40/ea. to $500/ea. with top of the line Be and AMT. Hard diamond tweeters are even more expensive. And yeah, I've paid a lot for tweets in my mains. Still, I think maybe all of us have been convinced that the tweeter is where we should spend our largest dollars.

Maybe it is the quality of the mid that determines everything else. It is where the vocals are, and how well it integrates and extends up and down the range determines everything else. From what tweeters you may use, to the dynamic range.

What do you think?

Best,


E
erik_squires

Showing 2 responses by ryder

ryder
1,742 posts
 
It’s not only the tweeter, midrange or bass drivers but the cabinet and crossover that make up the speaker. There is no doubt that the type and material of the drivers are important but from what I understand the crossover design and type or shape of the enclosure whether it’s a rigid or lossy design etc. are more significant considerations in speaker design. Most speaker designers would be able to advise on this aspect.

In the end, I believe the consensus would be everything is equally important ie. the sum of the parts and the way everything is assembled, combined and put up together. Nevertheless, if talking about aspects of sound quality whether the treble, midrange or bass is more important, my pick would be the midrange. Having said that, a balanced presentation will take precedence over anything else in real life.
ryder
1,742 posts
 
johnk1,314 posts11-25-2017 9:54pmIn many 2 ways tweeters have to cover much range thus can get costly and you may see tweeters costing more than woofers in such a set up. But in general you design a loudspeaker as a whole. Focusing on 1 aspect of a loudspeakers design as the most important shows a general misunderstanding of overall loudspeaker design. Otherwise if one wanted to give 1 part the most credit it would be fasteners and glues since without the whole thing falls apart.

Nice one John. I agree. A loudspeaker is designed as a whole and you can’t just pick out one element as being the most important criteria in sound reproduction. It is fine to favor the midrange more than the bass or treble ie. accepting a lower bass output or smoother and less extended treble, but to suggest the midrange driver as the most important aspect may not be exactly appropriate as there are other things involved. As you aptly put it, without glues or fasteners (assuming the speaker cabinet is not a one-piece but assembled together), the speaker would be incomplete. A speaker designer will be able to tell you how important the other bits are, especially the crossover where most of the sound is tweaked over there. A more intricate aspect of speaker design is to achieve a seamless integration between drivers to ensure a smoother delivery of the music.

To the OP - don’t get me wrong. I am not saying the midrange driver is unimportant. It’s just that it forms part of the equation although the type and material of the driver are important considerations in the design of a speaker.
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