Replacing speakers in Lat-1's

Generally if the original speaker is a well designed model for its price point, it is not a good idea to just replace drivers. The cabinet should have been designed to match the characteristics of the woofer for low frequency extension, compliance, efficiency and so on. Similary the crossover needs to match the characteristics of both the woofer and tweeter (and midrange if one).

Putting another driver in place ignores all of these factors. Even if it is "higher quality" driver, the chance that it will match the needed characteristics is simply a shot in the dark.

If you want to learn about speaker design, determine the original design specs and then pick a replacement driver based on that info, your odds of good results will improve. But the relationship between components in a speaker is complex and it is easy to overlook things. You may think you've covered all the bases and still find your change is not an improvement.

The key is to treat the speaker as an integrated whole where the parts match each other.

Just thought I would ask since the Lat-1's have one of the best crossovers money can buy in them. Thought if i get same impedance etc. I could get a better speaker to put in the Lat-1's.

There is a heck of a lot more to matching specifications than driver impedance! If you take just the impedance, you'll find this varies with frequency. First, there is the DC electrical resistance. Then you have the AC impedance which will vary with frequency. The curve for 8 ohm driver "A" may be completely different than the plot for 8 ohm driver "B".

If these don't match exactly, your "best crossover money can buy" might as well be a generic unit from Parts Express.

From there you have "free air resonance", the "Q" (both electrical and mechanical), dispersion patterns, excursion potentials, equivalent air compliance and on and on.

I guess my question for you would be: what's wrong with the current drivers?

For my system, the LAST thing I'd want would be drivers that were not specifically selected for my speakers.

What is your system by the way????

Nothing fancy, but I like it. I've got a pair of Spendor SP1/2Es driven by an Image 65i tube amp. Source is a Squeezebox through a Lavry DA-10 DAC.

Spendor makes their own mid/bass units in house and use a fairly high crossover point to the tweeter. There would be no practical substitute for the mid-woofer and they are already using Scanspeak for the tweeters. Use any other drivers in that speaker and you've completely defeated the purpose of buying a Spendor. You're in the same boat with any high quality design.