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woofer combo & alignments: on large vs few small

What is the trade off in having one large woofer vs several small woofers? The obvious is the smaller front baffle. How about diaphragm excursions, impedance characteristics, bass depth and sensitivity.

Some world class manufactors have moved from front firing woofers to side firing woofers. This seems to fit a wide room better but to me, this would can create cancellation and lack of coherence. What would be the advantages of this alignment?

Thanks
glai

Showing 2 responses by tpsonic

tpsonic
1,092 posts
 
When woofers are at play,the smaller goes to and fro while the larger over-shoots the mark.In packs,there is safety in numbers;>
tpsonic
1,092 posts
 
The Multiple/small configuration can be as applicable as a single large.One large:pros 20Hz bass,cons- have to do with settling time and speed as frequency increases.Small/multiple:impedance usually isn't an issue,multiples can have similiar radiating area,lower distortion (each driver has less excursion),faster recovery time,smaller box (relatively speaking),better in-room distribution of bass.Con:usually don't go sub 20Hz the way a 15-18-24" can.
Never been a big fan of side-firing.Integration/phasing is more complex and sometimes leads to unusual bass nodes-depending on room characteristics.Just another $.02.-MO.
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