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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
bob540
405 posts
 
2 and 1/2 way speakers?  What is the 1/2?
georgehifi's avatar
georgehifi
10,312 posts
 
2 and 1/2 way speakers?  What is the 1/2?

When they say 1/2 it usually means say you have a tweeter and then two identical 6" drivers that both go from low bass 40hz to say 500hz upper bass/lower-mids, then one of those bass drivers rolls off at that 500hz where the other one keep going to service mid range and upper midrange to 2.7khz then the tweeter comes in.

Cheers George  
gaal
64 posts
 
Miller Carbon...I enjoy your logical comments. Always let your ears determine your preferences. I went from listening to electrostatic speakers for 20 years to Tekton Double Impacts. The switch in speakers was driven by what I heard and not Eric's patent. I am not an electrical engineer but I know the sound that brings me JOY!
bullitt5094's avatar
bullitt5094
266 posts
 
Tekton seems to be everyone’s favorite punching bag on this subject. I started in that camp too. Bigtime, in fact. But unlike most attackers, I actually purchased a pair of Double Impacts for a trial to prove the point. But, with great distress, they made my much treasured B&W 804Ns sound very bad in comparison. I was shocked a pair of 3K speakers could be so much better. Eventually I upgraded to Ulfberhts. And when you watch the GR Research propaganda video, know that none of Eric’s speakers have multiple drivers in the frequency range that would cause a combing problem. The remainder of the units are midrange drivers. Just wanted to add these facts from someone that has actually been in the same room with Tekton products. I don’t claim to be an audio engineer or reviewer. Nor have I heard every speaker on earth. But these are the facts of my experience with Tekton.
boomerbillone
328 posts
 
More drivers gives you a larger surface from which the sounds seems to be coming. The big flat panel speakers, like Maggies or Martin Logan electrostats, give you a "big picture. A small bookshelf speaker (LS3/5a ?), radiates sound from a small area (in sq. inches) and simply cannot supply a large "sound front." Also, with lots of drivers sharing the work, each will distort less. Use really good crossover capacitors (Mundorfs) and your speakers will sing at their best. It is easy to build really good speakers if you are not afraid of sawdust and glue. Try open baffle designs. Contact me if you like. I've been building speakers for 60+ years.
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