Advice and help understanding, choosing a Widebander / Single Full Range Driver speaker?


I'm considering a second set of speakers for my primary system.

I'm satisfied and very happy with my current primary speakers (Tekton Design SEs), so this isn't about a replacement speaker, but I have been looking for something that is different enough from my Tektons, in terms of speaker type and design, etc.

My current top choices being Sound Labs or Cube Audio. Horns, maybe.

Srajan Ebaen's review of the Bliss C a year ago was what first exposed me to Cube Audio and his more recent review of the Nenuphar is stellar. Both reviews are copied in my follow-up post below.

I've been 'somewhat' exposed to full range drivers (or nearly so, with augmentation) as I've owned Zu Audio and Vaughn Loudspeakers and have been exposed to Teresonic speakers and Voxativ drivers. Still, I'm a neophyte with regards to this speaker type (single full-range driver).

Would love to learn more about the pros and cons of owning a true wide-bander and issues, pitfalls, etc. I should consider before moving forward.

Leaving this very general and open. Let's keep budget out of this also (I don't want to complicate the discussion). 

More on my system and room and preferences in subsequent posts.

Thanks!

(BTW - I did search the forums and there is 1 wide bander thread and 6 full range driver threads. None apply directly, but I will review each to see what I can pull out that may be relevant).
david_ten

david_ten, if you have not owned multiple speakers at one time it will be an enlightening experience. The spectrum of performance is far wider than most know, and the mind can readily accept several different expressions.

People get all worked up over a speaker as though it is "the best", when in fact it merely captures some aspects of good sound. Hearing many different speakers and genres makes one less declarative as to the superiority of any one speaker, because the truth is driven home that no one speaker or technology can capture the ephemeral aspects of live music, and that every design has strengths and weaknesses.

It is also quite possible that with extended exposure to different genres of speakers you can change your mind and prefer a different genre. For the longest time I disdained horn speakers, but now I am rather drawn to them and wish to explore them further. Having experience with dynamic, hybrid dynamic, line source, panel, concentric, and Omni speakers, I now find the horn hybrid refreshingly different.

@douglas_schroeder

I love your point: "you will question everything you think you know"

Your post immediately above has so much wisdom in it. Thank you.
david_ten, thank you. It will be fun to see how you "adapt" to an entirely different genre of speaker and what insights you bring to discussion. :)
Hi everyone. This has been taking the time I expected it to. Reminds me of my move to ’slow food’ cooking, years ago. Fantastic results, by the way.

I made my first component choice to start off on this new pathway.

It is Scott Sheaffer’s Found Music 2A3 monoblock amplifier.

Here is some discussion of it, as well as photos:

https://www.whatsbestforum.com/threads/found-music-2a3-amplifier.4279/

Horn speakers leap out as an obvious pairing. There are other options also.

Given the amp, any changes or additional guidance regarding speaker choice? Thank you.
Charney will be at the 2018 Capital Audio Fest...stop by for a listen if your there