Single driver loudspeakers


I know some friends who have built single driver horn loudspeakers with 6-7 inch 'full range' drive element and seem very happy with the sound.  However I wonder about those selling 94 db sensitive 12 and 15 inch full range drive elements and recommending 2-3 cubic ft bass reflex cabinets and 7 watt SET amplifiers.  Is it possible for a 15" 'full range" driver driven by 7 watt SET  to provide state of the art sound without audible distortion, deficient frequency extremes and 1950 style sound?  This is an inquiry not a critique.  Thank you for helping me to understand full range drive units.

normie57
i don't think so. :)  However, you can build your own single driver speakers fairly inexpensively and try them out. For some they are magical and refuse to ever go back to multi-way. 

Here are some basic, but good quality kits.  If I wasn't up to my earballs in speakers here already I'd be tempted to build one:

https://www.madisoundspeakerstore.com/full-range-speaker-kits/
I've heard some fairly satisfying single driver speakers, but never one that met the criteria that you have laid out.
I should mention that there’s full range, and there’s full range. :) Some of the "full range" drivers actually use a mechanical crossover and tweeter, so you’d be really surprised how much has been done to stretch the technology.

When I design speakers though I try to get as much of the benefits of a single driver as I can. It’s easy to make a multi-way speaker and not at all easy to integrate the drivers so that they are not only measurably but audibly seamless. If you can tell where the speaker is, I call it a fail. This is not a problem single-driver (full range) speakers have to deal with. They do have to deal with the bass though. The usual compromise is to use a smallish driver, and rear horn or transmission line enclosure.

Still, I'm speaking outside my expertise. If you are really interested, come over to the full-range section in DIYAudio and you'll find many who will wave the flag. :)

Best,

Erik