Woofer-Assisted Wide Band


In the old days of dynamic speaker drivers everything was done with a single driver. Now multi-way speakers with multiple drivers covering different ranges are the most common.  With this of course come some issues, and all sorts of ways to fix them.

But even today in the 21st century there are some interesting varietals of single-driver speakers attempting to claim a spot on the high-end though. Some use little paper "whizzer" cones and transmission lines. Some use mechanical crossovers (no caps).  Others like Kef and Thiel attempt to solve some of the issues by using a coaxial arrangement.

One of the cool ideas I have seen lately is "woofer assisted wide-band." The idea is that the main speaker is a single driver that covers from around 400 Hz on up. This keeps the crossover well out of the midrange and treble. An additional woofer is used to cover the lower octaves.

What about you? Are you a firm believer that multi-way speakers are the wrong way to go?


erik_squires
@erik_squires  i use assistant woofer and also assistant  supertweeter in all my models  bacheaudio to help wide band driver, Adding  subwoofer is not help to cover 150 -350  hz. All wide diver and  some  woofers also got poor ability to reproduce this freg,  I dont  understand  why so many audiophile like full range drivers , No punch, Thin sound
mijostyn4,935 posts08-20-2021 12:47pmMiddle C is 256 Hz. 400 Hz is smack in the middle of the midrange.
What you describe is a two way speaker. The only viable full range speaker that just needs a subwoofer is an ESL.

Mozartfan, I am left speachless.

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We could discuss this subject for,,well til the end of time.\
I am aware the commiment audiophiles possess (are possessed) by the woofer/midrange/tweeter,,or really if you look at Troels designs, most are midwoofers + tweeter. 

This concept will not work for my classical music. 
I need rich, complex, details, with a  sensitivity greater than 91db
IMHO woofers should be dedicated to voice the 30hz-say,,,200 hz range, well lets go 300hz. 
Thats it. 
I am not looking for a  ~~midrange~ + woofer combination.
The db sens is too low to do justice to the 300hz-say, 2khz range. 
at 87db-say 90db, Its not ~~quality mids. The driver is attempting to perform 2 tasks, same cycle, bass+ midrange.

Seas and Scann speaks have made some incredible attempts at bridging these 2 feats all into 1 driver.
But when you place a  high quality wide band up next to a midwoofer,,,you will understand, as i understand the issues involved.

Then we have the ~~Midrange~~ tweeter, = midtweet.
Again, nice try, but no cigar.
The tiny 3/4 inch dome tweet is making attempts to voice both mids and highs,,but in the end,,No Cigar.


What everyone should do, is what I did,. 
Start buying wide  bands, take out your tweet, and listen to how the new rick detailed mids come through.

I am not looking for a  wide band to carry anything other thahn say 100hz- 10khz. 
I can find woofers and tweets to  voice the lows/highs.
The W18's will stay to give a  padding to kettle drums,  bouble bass, low cello notes. I have them xossing at 1200ish..??
At 87db, and  near field listening, you really dont get much bang.


Anyway.
I could never go back to midwofers/tweeter things.
That is history.



bache374 posts08-20-2021 3:39pm@erik_squires  i use assistant woofer and also assistant supertweeter in all my models bacheaudio to help wide band driver, Adding subwoofer is not help to cover 150 -350 hz. All wide diver and some woofers also got poor ability to reproduce this freg, I dont understand why so many audiophile like full range drivers , No punch, Thin sound


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I have not heard the AER's which from what I;'ve read , are the finest wide bands in production...But wayyyyy out my budget, So I'll never owna  pair.
The Voxativ AC1A's. were a  **dud**. 
No bass, none, nada comming from the super thin papyrus paper cone. 
I wont even go into the midrange and highs comming from that driver.
This design employs a  series of neodymium magnets , like 8, placed along the motor.
Perhaps the origi9nal magnet design is superior,. I have no idea.
I am not interested.
Again at $2300+++ a  pair, I am not  interested.

I've found the DavidLouis  wide band  at very reasonable price and am quite happy what i am hearing
I have another pair arriving next week.
WE will see how that one performa snext to the 6.5 DL wide band.
I am planing to run both, stacked. 
My speaker system will be 
a  pair of 6.5's + 8's + The Thors.
I really believe this will give me a  classical orchestra experience that I've always been looking for.
Its all about experiementation. 
But to answer your Q, sure  the older designs, from Lowther, Fostex, had isssues.
With these DavidLouis, I think some of these issues are dealt with.
The lil 6.5 davidLouis (yellow cone) has OK bass, good clean mids, highs that do not roll off too early= a  success.
As I say I have the bass and highs already covered.

I can see what Wilson was up to in their designs, packing the cabinet with all sorts of drivers. 
Trying to make the thing sound huge dynamic, full bodied, = Best Bang.
Throwing a  bunch of drivers in a  cabinet is risky, somehwere there is going to be distortion, coloration which may result in  listeners fatigue.

I think Erik's OP  offers the best option for acheiving full range/wide band fq's. 
The speaker's main driver is the wide band.
With a  woofer padding the lows, and a  tweet padding the highs.
The main dominate voice is from the wide band at a  true 91+ db sensitivity. 

I am having spectacular results.
AS it is, makes this speaker a  winner.
But  there was   another DL wide band that caught my attention,  and we will see how this driver holds up against the 6.5's. 






Having owned and heard 2 of the worlds finest ever made tweeters
Seas Millennium
Seas Crescendo
and the worlds finest ever made midwoofer
Seas EXCEL W18E001
Based on this experience, I look at tweeters, midwoofers as ~~nothing more~~~ than helpers, supporters, offering augmentation for the wonder-full, incredible, fantastic, stunning ~~wide bands. 
That is to say, non-wide band drivers, really dont interest me in the least.
Thats is to say, I'd never buy a  Wilson, nor a  Vandersteen.
To me ears they all sound the same, fatiguing, when pushed to their limits. 
Listen to female vocals at 
5:45
Your speakers cant do that. Neither Wilsons nor Vandersteens can reproduce vocals as my speaker can

and this is YT compressed,  via your $20 computer speakers!!!!
Sounds exactly like the Seas Millennium's,  and Philips 1980's clear dome tweet, but ona  factor of 10 X's superior. 

Why?
Much higher sensitivity.

5:45

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57JLhOnjqck