Speakers better without subwoofers? Crossover and synchronization issues? What do you do
I bought main speakers 25 years ago, spkrs seemed to have much larger bass drivers back then, and nowadays subwoofers are a staple in audio systems, while bass drivers have tended to get smaller in diameter on main speakers, why is this?
Wouldnt it be better to have a larger bass driver in a main speaker rather than having timing issues with a pair of subwoofers? Also seems crossover designs might allow for a better sounding experience if they are part of a main speaker. I do have a Single subwoofer that I use to vibrate the room which works pretty well watching movies, simulating tank movement is really cool although don't use it in two channel listening at this point since it's older.
the Sonos Faber il cremonese have 2 extra bass drivers Incorporated into their mains where the crossover is set at below 80. I like this idea rather than introducing a separate subwoofer, placement issues aside, if that's a concern. Maybe it has a lot of value because it takes pressure off other bass drivers, with a crossover set at above 80.
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@emergingsoul I do believe that is a Franco Serblin stunt. What they are doing is relieving the front woofers from having to make long excursions which lowers their distortion dramatically. This is what subwoofers do when used with a two way crossover and not just the low pass filter installed in most subwoofers. These added woofers are almost subwoofers. That speaker is capable of prodigious volume and they would normally require at least two 15" subwoofers to keep up in terms of getting down to 20 Hz with the required boost. You could probably EQ the Fabers to make that kind of boost, but you would not be able to play the system very loud. So, the internalized low frequency woofer is more a solution to lowering distortion than it is for extended and powerful low frequency reproduction. I have a friend who has Franco Serblin K'temas that do the same thing and they are wonderful sounding loudspeakers. Franco eventually left Sonus Faber to start his own company. He passed away not long ago. Do the K'temas require subwoofers? This depends on your view of the universe. My friend says no. I say yes, but I would cross much lower than I usually do. Large spaces breath at low frequencies. Even with your eyes closed you can tell you are in a large space. You can feel it. Many recordings of live performances have enough of that information present to fool you into thinking you are in a large space, if your system can reproduce it. My system is down 6 dB at 16 Hz, The subsonic filter is at 10 Hz 14th order. From a simplicity perspective my friend's solution is superior. It is much easier to screw up a system with subwoofers than it is to make one better and most subwoofers are not what I would call high fidelity. Have a look at this https://imgur.com/gallery/building-resonance-free-subwoofers-dOTF3cS |
The friend drives his K'temas with a Bricasti Design M25 and I have not heard a dynamic speaker sound better. In this regard I would not change a thing. Up against speakers like Magicos and Wilsons they are dirt cheap and an amazing value. I also think they are cool looking. I also would not add a subwoofer unless you were going to do it right, which means a digital processor and two of the best DACs
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