Modern twist on 70's speaker design?


What happened to (affordable) speakers with 15" woofers, 8" mid-woofers, 4" mids, and 1" dome (or horn) tweeters? The kind that would rock Eddie Money and Boston? Speakers that would hit you in the chest like the bass drum of a marching band? The kind that were mocked for their size, and not necessarily their price? Is anyone producing speakers like this anymore?

Are the days of the monster speaker gone forever, or will they rise again like the direct drive turntable?
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Showing 1 response by johnnyb53

Both Absolute Sound and Soundstage did favorable reviews on the 51"
tall 115-lb. Cerwin-Vega CLS-215. It has two 15" woofers, a 6-
1/2" horn-loaded cone midrange, and a horn-loaded dome tweeter.
Claimed sensitivity is 97 dB, but Soundstage's tests measured it at a still-
high 91.5 dB. These things make bass effortlessly down into the mid-20s and
can soak up 450 watts without cracking up. Both Soundstage and TAS said
unequivocally that no other speaker begins to give you this level of scale and
dynamic range for about $1K/pair.

To answer your question, however, I think 15" and 12" woofers
made way for 8" and 6.5" woofers because the smaller diameters
make for faster and more articulate bass, and the smaller diameter allows for
a narrower front baffle for less front baffle diffraction and a smaller footprint.
Basically boxes gave way for less obtrusive columns.

Note, however, that it would take seven 8" woofers to equal the pistonic
area of the CV's two 15" woofers. Or nearly eleven 6.5" woofers.