Size of Midrange Drivers

Phy hp, from France makes a very good 30 cm speaker. Makes magical midrange

Yes, indeed it does.

Bombaywalla --

They take an interesting approach, Brodmann Acoustics, and seem fairly priced. Never heard them.

One of the more memorable sonic demoes I've had came from the Peak Consult Kepheus at their home facility in Denmark. The twin Audio Technology 5" midrange units presented some of the most natural (and dynamic) mids I've encountered - certainly coming from cones - just as they are beautiful and coherent sounding overall. Although steeply(!) priced it's beyond me why these handcrafted speakers aren't referred to more often, if at all in the "audiophile arena;" it can't be the high price, for that alone seems to have its drawing power all by itself. One suspects that what sounds natural simply isn't interesting enough..

But in the end, to my ears, nothing trumps the ease, tone, clarity and relaxed power from a well-implemented waveguide/horn, preferably conical variants, and larger cones. This sums it up nicely:

I am amazed today that 99% of all "audiophile" speakers are the basic "monkey coffin" cones and domes in a box that have defined the industry for the last forty years. This is fine for general consumer stuff, but, no matter what the price, you can only get so much out of a 5" cone midrange and a 1" dome tweeter, and it isn't enough, in my opinion, for even modest ambitions. It's just the physical nature of the elements involved.

http://www.newworldeconomics.com/archives/2013/111713.html

"It's just the physical nature of the elements involved" - indeed...

Phusis, we agree to disagree (which is just fine with me). :-)
I'm happy that you subscribe to some Nathan Lewis' opinion on this matter but it's just his opinion & I have no idea what his exposure & knowledge of audio is?

I was just re reading this interesting thread and would like to point out that when someone specifies a driver size, say 6.5 inches, that is not the size of the cone which is producing the wavelength. Drivers are specified by the basket size. Since all drivers are built a little differently, you have to find the true diameter of the radiating area and then simply use the speed of sound which is 13,514.17 inches per second at sea level.

So you'll find that, say, a driver is listed at being 6.5 inches, the radiating area will be around 137cm2 and the actual diameter of the cone is 5.19 inches. At sea level it starts beaming at 13,514.17/5.19=2600 Hz which is smack dab at the place where most dome tweeters have to be crossed over.

So that's why there are so many "6.5 inch" woofers out there. They just make it to the glory point with a 1 inch dome tweeter.

Which is not to say that there are some very pleasing speakers that have been made using larger midranges.

I listened to a 3 way horn hybrid speaker with a 15 inch woofer crossed over at 800 hz for 15 years until the woofer rotted away and I had to sell the thing for parts.  Lots of ways to skin a cat.