Full Range Drivers

tbg5,263 posts01-28-2010 1:10pmWell, all I can say is that there is an exceptional single driver made by Feastrex that can be used to cover from about 60 Hz to well above 20K Hz. Actually there are two different drivers, one 5" and one 9." The 5" is the better driver and especially in the field coil version. I heard it in the Maxhorn cabinet and was thoroughly please except below 60 Hz. I have spent a good part of my audio life trying to mate subwoofers with such "not full range" speakers. I don't think it can be done.

These drivers are very expensive. I think $39k per pair. I cannot imagine anyone buying them at that price.


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You can find a  SUPER RAVE review on the Inet on Feastrex. 
Everyone has to make their own research and judgements.
At that  price, I want to hear one, before i put down 40G's. 
Field Coil , according to a  friend who has heard FC's.  do not make any magic more than a  good Neodynium magnet. 
In classical muisc, there is not much below 60hz.
However according to  2 labs making the new high tech wide band Neodynium speakers, they claim fq's reach as low as, ~~20hz~~ and extend well beyound the earlier designs of 10k hz. 
One lab, if my eyes see correctly claim 80khz extension. 
Which to me is a  selling gimmick.  And raises a  ~red flag~~
Again in classical orchestra, full symphony, there is hardly any fq's over say,,,10khz. 
Which leads me to my latest mantra ,
Wide band is the ideal choice for classical music. 

" Wide band is the ideal choice for classical music. "
if you repeat it enough time, it surely will become true

Full range drivers aren't full range.

Any of them I've seen benefit from tweeters and a subwoofer array.

They sound better if bass frequencies are prevented from causing excursion of the cone- this reduces Doppler Effect distortion. Its easy to hear the improvement when this is done. All 'full range' drivers have beaminess in the highs- so its useful to have a tweeter or tweeter array rear-firing to correct off axis tonal balance- so you don't have to have your head in a vise. This helps to 'lock in' the soundstage quite nicely!


This runs counter to the single driver enthusiast's ideal of no crossover. But there it is. You can't get away from these simple facts although there's no harm (other than dollars) in trying :)


The real advantage of a 'full range' driver is they are usually fairly easy to drive- and that's good for amplifiers to make less distortion. But if you want to really hear them at their best, you'll have a crossover of some kind sooner or later.

atmasphere9,566 posts07-01-2021 10:51amFull range drivers aren't full range.

Any of them I've seen benefit from tweeters and a subwoofer array.

They sound better if bass frequencies are prevented from causing excursion of the cone- this reduces Doppler Effect distortion. Its easy to hear the improvement when this is done. All 'full range' drivers have beaminess in the highs- so its useful to have a tweeter or tweeter array rear-firing to correct off axis tonal balance- so you don't have to have your head in a vise. This helps to 'lock in' the soundstage quite nicely!


This runs counter to the single driver enthusiast's ideal of no crossover. But there it is. You can't get away from these simple facts although there's no harm (other than dollars) in trying :)


The real advantage of a 'full range' driver is they are usually fairly easy to drive- and that's good for amplifiers to make less distortion. But if you want to really hear them at their best, you'll have a crossover of some kind sooner or later.


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Now this is a well thought out post.
Lot of meat N potatoes here.
OK so I like how you mentioned, bass fq;'s can interfer with the cone producing other fq's. 
I would prefer less bass in a  wide band, so I can employ either a  Seas or Scanspeak  *super bass* woofer. 
I have no issues witha  xover in  woofers, not at all. 
So if I need a   tweeter/xover in the 15+hz range, I may skip it, 
There is  just not enough hz's to interest me, however my tech geek mentioned its a  sort of **ambience* in the super highs that you want to capture, = the sparkle, the sheen. 
OK, if I need some sparkles, I'll figure out a  tweeter with xover. Got that.
No problem there.
As far as  **easy to drive*** welll yes, it is true tyhe lower the gain on a  amp vol knob, = more fidelity. 
The higher you turn the knob, the slight increase in distortion. 
Another huge plus for my needs, as i listen near field, 10x12x8 room. 
You know its possible i should order their 5 inch wide band, as being more a  pure midrange with  better highs vs  their 8 inch. 
As I say I have the W18's for bass running up to 800hz's. 
But at 87 db, you really need to crank the vol to get response from the 100hz-800hz. 
This is going to bea  issue, as the wide band has either a  97db, or 91db. 
On the lab site says 97db, but on a  dealer site, the speaker specs is  91db. 
My tech tried to explain  one possibility, but I got side tracked and did not listen carefully.
If the diver is 97db, this will be a  major issue trying to iintergrate a  W18E001 at 87db.  However if its 91db,  the match will be acceptable. 

What do I think of full range drivers? I have one in my car sounds pleasant but not sound like live music! Enjoy ☺️