The midrange is the most important driver.

@whart

Sorry, but that's why I mentioned the "driver" in the title. :)

Johnk, some inexpensive drivers can go low. It's not as big a factor in pricing (more or less).

So let me turn this around. I think it's possible to make a good speaker with a great midrange and OK tweeter and woofer. I don't think it's possible to make an OK speaker with a mediocre mid. :)

Again, synergy matters, but I think that the idea we have (as a group) that the tweet technology determines pricing is flawed.

Best,

E

Unquestionably.

It is not all that matters though, of course.

Splitting the bandwidth into thirds, tweeters and bottom end MUST be represented, equally, if possible.

Pointing to anything past the mid range as being the next most important or as necessary, says as much about personal preffs as anything else.

All three sections of the bandwidth , if split only into thirds are required to deliver the information needed to recreate a musical event.

As much as I feel bass is the next priority following mid range info, it is the tweeter which IMHO has to be exceptionally well heeled for me to get into any speaker.

Until further notice, the Dynn audio Isotar, Esotar’, is the sweetest (read as best). Tweeter, I’ve owned, as it was formulated in a Silverline speaker. Although there are many amazing tweeter types, implementation and arrangement are just as vital. This tweeter resides in a number of speakers. Either its cheap or pretty good.

For the wildest tweeter technocracy check out the one in the Lanch 7s. whoa. An electrical field? Astonishing. WOW.

Esotar isn't cheap though, those drivers are expensive to buy through online sellers. And compared to a good ribbon tweeter lacks air and extension.

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.