Single driver point source speakers vs. the world?


Okay, I've been a 'stat guy the majority of my audio life.

Recently I acquired a humble speaker that has me rethinking my entire approach to audio, i.e., big power amp requirements driving mass amounts of current to 'stats.

The speaker I'm referring to is the Cain & Cain Abby. 8 watts of 300b SET amplification into these speakers is as good as I've heard. No, they don't do bass but they excel at everything else. So the ? for those with point source design experience is does the lack of a crossover in designs equate to these types of results in other point source or single driver designs?
128x128coltrane1

Showing 1 response by geoch

The high efficiency & the absence of X-over is the only common thing among the 8" full range drivers.
BUT :
There is a world of difference between (ie): a Lowther PM7A and a WE 755 or a Fostex Fe206E and a Feastrex Naturflux.
Also you can consider some coaxials (ie): an Altec 604 and a PHY-HP KM 30. (from different planets also)
While the coaxials are using a minimalist X-over, there are not less atractive than the single F-R drivers, most (if not all) of them are asking for an added tweeter, so in the end you are forced to use a minimal X-over also. (not to mention an active sub.)
If you prefer the single F-R driver instead of the 3 way compression drivers, I'm sure its not because of the X-over... that is not the limiting factor of these speakers.
So, maybe the attractive factor is not the absence of X-over. I suspect is the time coherency of their nature.
When you keeping low the expectations, everything are going fine. But the day that you start thinking for the upper limits... the experience will come to you only with hard work and after many failing projects. The point is that the success & satisfaction probably would never come.
It is the nature of the beast. We love it but we are not accept it's limitations and we were going for tweeks & mods until the end of the world.
Oh yes Sir.

George