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What matters most in speaker design?

So...What matters most in speaker design?

A. The Drivers
B. The Cabinet / Enclosure
C. Crossover / Internal Wiring
D. Cost / Quality of Raw Materials (Drivers, Cabinet, Crossovers, etc.)

Yes, I realize the "right" answer is "all of the above" or better yet "the design that optimizes the trade-offs of the given variables / parameters that achieves the goals set forth by the creator." However, indulge me...

Can a great sounding speaker get away with focus on only 2 of the 4 above choices? Can a high cost of raw materials trump a sound design that focuses on inexpensive (but great sounding) drivers, a well engineered cabinet, and a decent crossover?

I was thinking about speakers that use relativly cheap drivers, but are executed in a genius enclosure with a good (but not exotic) crossover - and they sound absolutely amazing. This made me wonder...

What matters most in speaker design?
128x128nrenter

Showing 1 response by dan_ed

dan_ed
2,451 posts
 
In my meager experience I would agree with Duke and others about the crossovers. That is truly where the art meets the engineering and can make or break a speaker system.

I have gone down the same path that Wireless' friend traveled. It is very easy for a DIY'er to do because we are limited in what resources we have available. So the tendency is to get the best looking specs whether they be simulations or RTA plots. When it comes to the crossover, the best resources to have are good and varied ears to help listen and give feedback. I can do Pspice simulations all day but none of them will tell me how it is going to sound. There is no way around this if one is striving for the best they can achieve. At this point all of the numbers have been used up. Now it is time to decide what sounds the most realistic by using your ears.
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