Single driver speakers - opinions

Mrjsark. I have used small BLHs from Johnk and the later upgraded to a Madison (double mouthed BLH) from Carder sound. I’ll never ever go back to a multi-driver speaker again.

I use low(ish) powered SET/SEP amplifiers, and the benign impedance curve that a single driver presents allows my amplifiers to work at their very best. The sound is totally effortless and dynamic; I really get the feeling that the amplifiers are idling even at high volume levels.

The dynamic quality and speed of a single driver is so addictive that a multi-driver speaker simply puts me to sleep.

Sound staging is out of this world. The double mouthed horn of the Cardersound throws a huge soundstage, not unlike what I experience at the opera, yet it can be very intimate and gentle as a recital.

I see a few post that make stereotypical (excuse the pun) criticism of single driver speakers, but they are all pure ignorance. I think if anything, it’s a matter of taste. We simply don’t all appreciate or like the same things.

I think your comment, “awesome speakers when done right” is spot on.

Regards
Paul

Thanks Paul,

and You are right on the money. Speed, soundstage, effortless presentation and accurate portray of "emotions" surrounding particulare recording.

There is definitely something seductive about "Single Driver"
speakers to be sure. Are they perfect? :) Nothing is.
You guys can help me out with my next statement.......

IMO, it takes a bit of growing-up, seasoning if you will -
to appreciate the qualities of horns & single-driver speakers.
I feel the same way about SET amps or tubes in general.
Even though I am relatively young, my understanding of music and the way it should be portray by speakers and associated gear is plain & simple. There are planty of speakers and electronics that sound good or great. But I am sure that "good or great" in most cases is usualy not enough.....I hope I could speak for most of us......obviously I can not, so let me place IMO - just in case someone disagree with that statment.

To get back to your post Paul,
yes - SET amp (Joe's Consonance Cyber 211 mono-blocks) sounded way better with CarderSound then SQ integrated (tube, moded) and my own RWA Sig.30.2 t-amp , which we brought that day for audition.

I would also think that good OTL amp might be another alternative with potential to do those speakers justice.

I personaly had very high hopes for RWA amp but it simply prove to be poor match (it worked great with Rethm Saadhanas though). I also brought Isabella (RWA) preamp which did not disappoint - to bad we haven't had a chance to use its build-in DAC and swap some tubes (Amperex BBoys and Mullards that I had in my car).I am sure that with little tweaking we could have raise its performence few bars higher.

Paul,
you are one lucky man to own Madisons, have the room to do them justice and angel for a wife :)

Regards

Mariusz

You have to live with single driver for a while. Then listen to multi-way to appreciate the degradation in sound.
Also I am not getting any H-F boost. That is more a characteristic of high efficiency single driver.
A small room is helpful to boost the bass.
I would not go over 4" as they become too directional when larger than that IMHO.

Yeap, 4incher image like no other but there is a trade-off.......Bass & dynamics. Unfortunatly you have to pick your poison. Rethem Saadhana, sort of figure it out by useing 6inch custom Lowther DX55 and added two 6" peerless drivers for bass below 70Hz or 100Hz (if memory serves me right).
As I recall, the image was excelent and sweet spot wide enough for avarage listener.
The single driver originality was a bit banded in this particulare exemple but it worked like a charm.

Mariusz

Mariusz - I checked Lowther website and found that EX series speakers go as high as $2k a piece. Some of designs they show use 2 speakers per box = $8k in speakers alone (I like to have the best). One of the titles of their FAQ is "Why bass refleks is the best". Now I'm not sure I should trust them. According to Andrew Lipinski (Lipinski 707 is A class in Stereophile) bass refleks is th worst possible choice because of coloration.