@willgolf - There's a lot of unknowns in swapping out drivers in a loudspeaker. First thing I'd consider is the fact a decent designer is going to choose drivers that compliment each other in a multi driver loudspeaker.
Crossover points, anti-phase, and the resulting frequency response are chosen and then developed after listening based upon the characteristics of the drivers chosen in the concept stage of the speaker design.
Can a driver swap out result in a better sounding loudspeaker, yes, and depending on how well integrated that driver is in the overall design, no, not at all.
There's a few unknowns that affect the final result, cabinet design (volume for one), port design (if it uses porting), impedance and also the response and efficiency of the driver. It can be like playing with a Rubiks cube, you may get one thing better and three things not.
I do know of a speaker designer who can swap out drivers, selecting replacement drivers suitable for the volume of the cabinet, for example, then completely redesign the crossover to suit. This takes a lot of time to do correctly, and you are essentially creating a entirely new loudspeaker, with different crossover points, and change the balance of energies to try and bring the response curve into something coherent.
Researching a replacement driver with very similar measurements and characteristics, could help you find one not requiring changes to the crossover to get a better sound, I'm just saying that simply buying a better driver doesn't mean an increase in performance.
There is a synergy on how multiple driver speakers interact, and the crossover and cabinet are hugely determining factors.
Having measurements of the driver you're wanting to replace, certainly moves you closer to finding a replacement, it's a starting point.
Crossover points, anti-phase, and the resulting frequency response are chosen and then developed after listening based upon the characteristics of the drivers chosen in the concept stage of the speaker design.
Can a driver swap out result in a better sounding loudspeaker, yes, and depending on how well integrated that driver is in the overall design, no, not at all.
There's a few unknowns that affect the final result, cabinet design (volume for one), port design (if it uses porting), impedance and also the response and efficiency of the driver. It can be like playing with a Rubiks cube, you may get one thing better and three things not.
I do know of a speaker designer who can swap out drivers, selecting replacement drivers suitable for the volume of the cabinet, for example, then completely redesign the crossover to suit. This takes a lot of time to do correctly, and you are essentially creating a entirely new loudspeaker, with different crossover points, and change the balance of energies to try and bring the response curve into something coherent.
Researching a replacement driver with very similar measurements and characteristics, could help you find one not requiring changes to the crossover to get a better sound, I'm just saying that simply buying a better driver doesn't mean an increase in performance.
There is a synergy on how multiple driver speakers interact, and the crossover and cabinet are hugely determining factors.
Having measurements of the driver you're wanting to replace, certainly moves you closer to finding a replacement, it's a starting point.