Preference for large drivers?

I'm not sure that I buy the argument for larger drivers being presented here. Large drivers can produce high volume levels at low distortion, but they are expensive and require large and more complex enclosures. I don't disagree with that, but the same argument can be used against larger drivers. If high volume and low distortion are the goals then why settle for a 15" driver, or even a pair of 15 inchers? Why not go with a dozen 8" drivers? The 8" array would have slightly less than twice the surface area of a dual 15" design and should be able to go louder with less distortion. Of course, twelve drivers would be more expensive than two and the enclosure would be large and have a low WAF. My point is that it's not the size of the driver, but the overall design they are used in which determines overall sound quality. I guess there is no substitute for total driver surface area.

Limited excursion maters much in audio reproduction small drivers are pushed harder than large they have to work harder to produce same SPL or frequincy range. Large excursions also mask detail that limited xmass drivers reproduce. You see more small for one reason cost. Much cheaper to manufacter design,sell,ship stock small thin speaker systems keep in mind it costs much to ship from china;) and most speaker designs are designed as much for shipping as sound quality, how many fill fit per palet. Plus many manufacters have most in this hobbie thinking small speakers perform better or as well as large. Bose has done much to give this false info much press if you shop for speakers again you will be told 5.1 + cubes is what you need. And now many folks believe its true and that large loudspeakers are dated designs. Sad no wonder so many in this hobbie are gear hounds constantly changing, upgrading. One reason is they keep the small loudspeakers. I will stick with very large loudspeakers with large powerful transducers. For they are the only loudspeaker designs capable of reproducing realistic SPL,image soundstage size and dynamic range.Plus the detail they reproduce and little to no listening fatigue. I can play mine all day long ears never protest unless I push SPL into the crazy range and still loudspeakers hardly working always at ease never hard or forced sounding no mater what SPL I listen too..Sure small has a place many cant afford or dont want a large speaker this I understand but to say small is better is way off the mark. For a monitor I would listen not go by driver size so much unless SPL is very important. A monitor in nearfield is a diferant beast than a floorstander in a main system.

Onhwy61,

While an array of smaller drivers can equal the total surface area of a one or two much larger ones and exceed them in efficiency, doesn't the line array introduce it's own problems of sound source localization?

In a tall line array, the distance between the center of the lowest drive and highest is quite far. Wouldn't the ear be able to detect the different points of origination?

Darkmoebius...The line array is the only valid reason to use small drivers. As far as spatial effect is concerned, a line array produces a sound wavefront like a point source far away. The distance to the simulated point source can be varied by curving the line array.

I agree with Onhwy61 about total surface area. In fact, my current speakers have four 8" woofers per side and extend beyond 20 Hz with abundant SPL.

As always, it's more complicated than just size. The drivers have to be designed for bass. If you were to make an array of several midrange drivers they would still be limited, although the SPL within their range would be stunning. The impedance of a typical midrange cone rises at it's lowest limits and an array of them can reach up to 50 ohms @ 50 Hz, depending on how they're wired, etc....
It's possible to have an array of eight 7" drivers that extend no deeper than a single 7", although it'll probably play a lot louder with much less distortion and handle a lot more power.

Darkmoebius: No. It's difficult to explain but well executed line arrays do not have the point source effect due to dispersion patterns, even at nearfield. The concept of pinpoint imaging from a line source is counter-intuitive but entirely possible, actually probable.