Single driver speakers - opinions


1.Design - what is IYO the best design and why?
2.Sound - How would you describe the sound in comparison to other speaker designs?
3.Amplification - what works and what doesn't?
4.Is the WAF stopping your from moving in that direction?
What do you like or dislike about SD spks?
DIY v.s Commercial designs - Pros and Cons.

Feel free to express yourself and your thoughts about the Single Driver design speakers in this thread.

Ideas, your projects, pics, experiances are all fun and welcome.

From my experiance with at least two SD commercial design that actually worked like a charm, I have to say that I am seriously concidering it as my next DIY project.

Awesome speakers when done right.

Cheers
Mariusz
mrjstark
Oh yes,
thanks to all.
Duke & JohnK
you are quite knowlodgble and all I can do is look up to you and pick your brain.......in sneaky, dark, foxy ways.hahaha.
Cheers

M.S
The Carder Sound design has caught my eye as reasonably practical (though still very big/tall) and potentially highly effective in delivering the most satisfying sound from a single conventional full range driver at reasonable cost. I would consider these if/when I have room for another pair of larger full range speaks.

In terms of the best single driver design to work from that I've heard of (meaning fewest limitations overall) I'd say the Walsh driver design concept found in many Ohms and the larger (and expensive)German Physiks speakers (DDD) is the best.
Here's a resource discussing DIY Walsh designs:

http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/showthread/t-14337.html

I've read some things on the web published by ebay member Mamboni as well that seems to provide practical guidelines for constructing a DIY Walsh speaker.
I have owned many speakers of all ilks and am now really enjoying a pair of Lamhorn's (AER MK-1's with likely upgrade to AER MD3b's) with OTL amps (Tenor)....a very simple and direct system that I can listen to for hours. As others have mentioned, and as is the case with all designs, there are compromises and limitations but in my system and in my room and based on my tastes these speakers/drivers represent an excellent set of compromises where the considerable strengths (tonality, immediacy, resolution, staging and imaging) significantly outweigh the disadvantages which are largely represented by the lack of the lower two octaves.
Stereophile reviewed Fujitsu-Ten Eclipse TD712z single speaker design with 40Hz-20kHz @ -10dB and 70W max power. Sound was - quote:

"As I played a variety of CDs and LPs, the system with the Eclipses had a clarity, transparency, resolution, timbral accuracy, and specificity of imaging that were simply breathtaking."