What is your opinion of single driver speakers


Can anyone share their listening experience with Pearl Acoustics Sibelius speakers?

jmascian

I dont understand why so many folks like single drive LS, (SDLS). It got following issues, Bass- low bass can fixing to add sub, but still missing upper bass 100-300hz- sound still weak and no full body, Whizzer cone got very poor characteristic to compare hi end Tweeter, We design all my speakers included demonstrated at CAF and NY audio show -- wide range driver with no crossover like SDLS but with accompanies one or two woofers plus high end supertweeter , If you not far from Brooklyn, we have show room working 6 days in week, no appointment need it

Sacrificing the frequency extremes with such ferocity (extraordinary determination if you like) is an acquired taste. At a minimum, but certainly an entirely different mind set then almost any norm. That’s fine of course, but some pretty complicated psychological things are going on with passionate adherents. Pointing to the trade offs either way doesn’t get you closer to understanding those deep unconscious impulses that in turn, either rationalize or especially, intensely focus on the positives. Which are there, but not nearly as much a the negatives for any real breadth of music - at least objectively. None of us listen to music wholly objectively however. We can’t if we’re going to enjoy it. There’s a good deal more subjectivity mixed in with single driver systems - just as it is in certain other aspects of our hobby. You can’t easily convert someone to it. They have a visceral inclination towards it - or not. The Freudian, Jungian etc. complications involved would be mesmerizingly interesting to be sure, but accurately ascertaining it probably borders on the mystical.

@john1 Most music doesn't reach frequency extremes. There are notable exceptions like orchestral music. Now, objectivists will pretend to exclusively listen to orchestral music in an attempt to make fullrange drivers look awful (unintentionally). You can't fault them for seeking the most versatile system in absolute terms. 

However, if you're looking at speakers below $2k (arbitrary number) you'll see that many models have poorly matched woofers and tweeters with badly designed crossovers. But they measure really well on a frequency response graph! They have sufficient bass and treble on top. Everything seems fine. But subjectively I find the midband/vocals veiled and the bass is slower (it's not a dealbreaker). 

Now I'm not gonna pretend to be the most knowledgable person in the room. It's quite the opposite. Anybody who evokes fullrange drivers in a positive light is a dunce in the objectivist crowd. 

The experiment of listening to mutliple 'affordable' speakers in a showroom (fullrange drivers VS 2 way crossover) is informative. I value vocals, acoustic guitars and bass guitars highly because I listen to mostly indie/folk/alternative music. So fullrange drivers were my choice. But if you listen to prog metal and orchestral music you'll probably prefer multiple drivers with a crossover. Either solution sounds great. I am not picking winners here. 

I evoked the issue of price. Amazing speakers which command a high price should have well designed crossovers with properly matched drivers. So they should exhibit the same positive characteristics we expect in fullrange drivers.