A full range speaker?


Many claim to be, but how many can handle a full orchestra’s range?

That range is from 26hz to around 12khz including harmonics, but the speakers that can go that low are few and far between. That is a shame, since the grand piano, one of the center points of many orchestral and symphonic performances, needs that lower range to produce a low A fully, however little that key is used.

I used to think it was 32hz, which would handle a Hammond B-3’s full keyboard, so cover most of the musical instruments range, but since having subs have realized how much I am missing without those going down to 25hz with no db’s down.

What would you set as the lower limit of music reproduction for a speaker to be called full range?

 I’m asking you to consider that point where that measurement is -0db’s, which is always different from published spec's.
128x128william53b
even 15" pro audio woofers wont even go lower then 30hz, most people are better off without the 20-30hz due to room acoustics.

Real bass is between 40 to 160hz and one need at least a 12" woofer to actually know what real bass is
Tricky and interesting question. I'd say 25Hz at -0dB at least. And why is because when I added subs and EQ'd it carefully it plays near flat 200 down to 25Hz now (no lumps). I hear things in recordings I never heard before, and that is always great.

Because of DBA I will always say more subwoofers are better (all turned down low). But I believe that in terms of frequency reproduction and deep low bass, there are flagship products, Wilson, Magico, et al, that I would consider full range (knowing add'l subs would aid low end quality).



My DIY fully horn loaded speakers uses Bill Fitzmaurie designed HT Tuba folded corner horn subs, quarter wave horns turned to 25 Hz.  Output measured at the listening position with my trusty Radio Shack SPL meter of the DSPed system (DEQX) shows the output at 25Hz to be identical to the output of the 1kHz reference tone.  Roll off below 25Hz should theoretically be at 18dB/octave but is in fact a bit steeper than that. 
The subs are 2ft.X3ft.X3ft. or 18 cubic feet.