Size of Midrange Drivers

And Magneplanar X.7 series--1,7, 3.7(i), and 20.7--have sort of blown past the stereotypycal limitations of Maggie speakers. My 1.7s are dynamic, coherent, and can play loud and clean on 100 wpc (200 into thei 4 ohms) in a vaulted ceiling open architecture living room. The X.7 series are the first Maggies not to have been designed by founder Jim WIney. They were designed by his son, who apparently successfully addressed the chronic complaints about the previous iterations.

Love the Maggies! Just wish they were more efficient.

TAD concentrics use a 6.5" midrange.

08-25-14: Psag
TAD concentrics use a 6.5" midrange.

Point?
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Johnnyb53 --

...

Finally, the name of the game isn't just radiating area; it's air displacement. A 4.5" driver has a radiating surface of 15 sq. inches. My Mag 1.7s have a radiating surface of 456 sq. inches. Yet, a premium 4.5" midrange might have a maximum excursion of .2", which amounts to around 3 cu. in. of displacement. My big panel, if its excursion is .01" (I'm guessing here, but it's probably in the ballpark), displaces about 5 cu. in. of air even though it's spread over a wider area. So two of those 4.5" midranges would displace about the same amount of air at full excursion.

This is an interesting aspect. My impressions is that it's not without audible importance how a given amount of air is moved; either "gently" via a larger area, or "forcibly" through a smaller ditto. My preference - if it is indeed explained fundamentally through this aspect - is for the former, and this goes for the whole frequency spectrum.

Moreover, the number of point sources (convering the same frequency span) is also a factor. With regards to bass (and the rest of the sprectrum), generally, I'd rather have one unit covering what two or more units equaling the same radiation are can muster.