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Bass distortion before tweeter distortion with a monitor at high volume?

I am looking at getting a set of monitors for a second system in a small room (12' x 10') , but I would also like the flexibility to play them in my main system in a room that is larger (13' x 25') with cathedral ceilings.

Let's assume that the small speaker I end up with won't be able to produce enough volume without distorting in the larger room.  Most of what I have read indicates that a subwoofer would solve the problem.  My understanding is that I would want to high-pass the bass on the speaker before it reaches the point of distortion, solving that issue.

If that is true, that leads me to believe that generally the tweeter would not be distorting unless the volume is at a higher level.  Is this normally the case?  If not, it seems there would be no point to using the sub. 

To restate the question:  With a high quality monitor, is it safe to say that the tweeter can play at higher volume without distorting compared to the woofer?  I am speaking in general terms here - I am sure there are exceptions.  Thanks.
abnerjack
abnerjack OP
208 posts
 
sboje,


"If your speaker manufacturer uses the same tweeter in a larger 3 or even 4-way design, I would expect it to breeze along just fine."

Thanks for an excellent common sense answer.  To find a real world example, I went to Kef's web site and looked at their Q series, which utilizes the Uni-Q driver in the Q100 bookshelf.  The next speaker up in the line, the Q500, uses the same tweeter along with three other drivers for the frequencies below the tweeter's capability. 

In this example, it seems I could use the bookshelf along with a quality high pass and a sub(s) to achieve the flexibility I am looking for.  Sounds like a great solution.  I know I could take this exercise only so far , but can it be that I am actually having my cake and eating it to?  Thanks again. 
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elevick
2,636 posts
 
I disagree with all.  Distortion usually comes from the amp, not the speakers.  By adding a sub, you are putting less stress on the amp which allows for more headroom in the monitors.  Bass is the most demanding and therefor uses the most power.
The tweeter will have its limits regardless of the sub since the crossover is limiting the signal to the tweeter.  You are only alleviating the stress on the woofer.  
I have seen plenty of small speakers that can "crank" if given the right amp.  Adding a sub will help regardless.
sboje
38 posts
 
I don't agree with you, elevick. 

Distortion goes up significantly beyond 90db for almost all speakers. One of the online magazines does a signal-noise sweep using both 90db and 95db volumes. So with small speakers you're approaching the cliff with only 2 watts of power (assuming 87W sensitivity). 32W and your speaker distortion will be pretty bad.
shadorne's avatar
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shadorne
7,477 posts
 
+1 sbjoe

Bass is very power hungry and may cause an amp to clip. A clipping amp will very quickly burn out the tweeter even at levels the tweeter could normally handle.

Active speakers with separate amps for each driver will handle high SPL better.

Many tweeters are power limited also. Soundstage publishes tests at 95 SPL and most speakers show compression distortion (non linearities) at even those modest levels.

If you want something small that plays loud try ATC or Dynaudio



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