I thought the exact same thing after I converted to single/wideband driver designs I think the main reason is the ragged frequency response and the marketing issues this introduces. Buyers and manufacturers want to be able to justify their products/purchases with impressive specs. I’m past that, sound first, measurements second.
Why Aren't More Speaker Designers Building Augmented Widebanders?
Over the years I've owned a number of different speakers - KLH, Cerwin
Vega, Polk, Opera Audio, Ars Aures, and Merlin VSM. One thing they all
had in common was a crossover point in the 2000 hz (+ or -) range. I've
read reviews of speakers where the reviewer claimed to be able to hear
the crossover point, manifested as some sort of discontinuity. I've
never heard that. My Merlin VSM's for example sounded completely
seamless. Yet my new Bache Audio Metro 001 speakers, with a single
wideband driver covering the range of 400 hz to 10,000 hz, augmented by a
woofer and a super tweeter, sounds different from all of these other
speakers. The midrange of the Bache 001's is cleaner, more coherent,
more natural than I have heard before. Music flows from the speakers in a
more relaxed manner, and subjectively dynamic range is greater, with no
etch or brightness, and no loss of resolution compared with the
Merlins. I have to conclude that Bache's design has an inherent
advantage over more traditional designs with a crossover point or points
in the midrange frequencies. I wonder why more speaker designers
haven't tried this approach?
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ive often wondered the same question. in my car i have 3 way acitves that feature a 3" wideband driver made by hybrid audio technologies that is cspable of 200 to 18000 hz. it does not sound its best running like that but it sounds amazing using it from 400hz to 5000hz which gives you the keat of the music in a single coherent point source. it also allows the tweeter and woofer to run miles away from their break up frequencies and puts the crossover points where phase issues are easy to manage. the system sounds clean, loud and spectacular and i would love to have a home audio speaker with similar approach. economics may play a factor because wide band drivers are typically lower sensitivity and multiple drivers may be needed in passive setups to prevent padding down the woofer and tweeter so heavily. still quite feasible and desirable though, imho. |
Not many folks realize this, but you can stick a $50 wide band driver on a 48x60 inch piece of plywood (with just a hole cut for the driver) and get mind blowing good sound from a current source amp...and if you use the right driver you can get bass below 50hz that gives a smoother room response than a sealed sub. |
https://hometheaterreview.com/bache-audio-metro-001-floorstanding-speaker-reviewed/ The review is of the standard pair. Mine have upgraded cabinets (3/4" bamboo instead of mdf, and premium crossover parts including Audyn True Copper Max capacitors). |
- 51 posts total