Single driver speakers. Are they worth considering ?


I don't mean electrostatic. How close to a full range speaker can you come with single driver ?
inna
@mapman ...+100 ;)

But it's hard to be heretics....*G*  They keep coming at you with the torches and pitchforks... "WassamatterU?!*
 *LOL*
...but, the original Ohms were single drivers, as are the HHR 'flagship' units....

The current Ohm offerings are 2 driver units, with a 'Walshed mid & bass driver with dome tweeters.  Heresy vs. 'bottom line' costs?  Perhaps...

My diy 'clones' have gone to a Walsh tweeter as well.  And I eschew using a cabinet for the low bass for a subwoofer....which is omni by physics anyway.  Heresy sublimation?  Well, yes.  But the final effect 'may' be closer to the original intent....imho.

We can discuss....and I can always opt for 2 subs....;)

Multiple materials applied to a single driver strikes me as having inherent weaknesses, even with modern materials and adhesives.  That, and the decision where to place the 'physical crossover' from one material to another seems problematic and a potential issue to be avoided...

But, I'm just an outlier with an attitude...*s*

That...and a 'footprint' in a given space is dinky....against a 'monkey coffin'.  9" dia. x 42" tall, vs. what? 😒🤷‍♂️

Beat that.


Cube Audio complete Nenuphar speakers were out of my price range so I purchased F10 Neo drivers via Refined Audio and had  Salk Sound build the cabinets - to Cube Audio specifications. I am very happy with  the result. The first thing that hits you is the bass: it is BIG, the biggest I’ve had. The sound is very detailed and dynamic, even at low to medium listening volumes. I don’t find it fatiguing at all. When they first arrived I spent the whole night listening to various favorite albums and enjoying the newfound clarity. This set replaced Tekton Design Double Impacts which are great but came out more muted in comparison (or, using the audiophile cliche, you could say “veiled”). They never reached the lowest bass which goes down to hell with Cubes. I spent a week or two switching between DIs and Cubes. To be completely honest, I think DIs have a bit more presence in mid bass but it seemed more muddy - definitely not as punchy and satisfying as Cubes.
I am driving them with PrimaLuna Evo 300, rarely going past 1/4 of the volume. I also tried First Watt SIT-3 and found it very comparable but a tad too polite and not as engaging and alive as PrimaLuna.
@tkukeilk Congrats!  What a great outcome. 

How much did Salk charge for the cabinet construction?  I've been thinking about building my own as well, but was just planning on buying a 12" sealed box from Dayton Audio.  And any way for us to see a picture?