Full Range Drivers

" 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 ☺️

Think about this' Full symphony orchestra. 
See pic below
https://www.google.com/search?q=picture+of++the+vienna+symphony+orchestra&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUK...
All those FULL  MIDRANGE instruments,, all trying to work their fq's through a  tiny 1 inch hole.
Ridiculous

http://www.seas.no/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=367:e0011-06-t25cf002&ca...


Dome tweeters are a   failure when it comes to large chamber through full symphony orchestra. 

Its like asking a   90 lb  weaking to take on a  Herculean task
Ridiculous

Wide band is the only driver up to this Herculean challenge. 
Horns  would be the only other option.