01-03-14: Kr4
"You can't make a categorical statement based on driver diameter. Stiffness and weight of the cone plus driver excursion (how much air does it displace?), and cabinet volume are all part of the equation. Fed enough power, my Mirages can make deep, loud bass."
Here's a categorical statement: If all of those other parameters are equally optimized, the larger driver is capable of producing lower, louder bass. The dual 7" drivers in my Paradigms come no where close to matching what I get from the dual 10" drivers in my B&Ws, with or without adding subs.
Of course that's true, "all else being equal," but no such premises were part of the original statement. More radiating area is its own reward; it's why I have Maggies. Still, the other factors I mentioned are significant and can tip the scales one way or another. The deep bass that comes from a JL F112 is only partly because of its 12" diameter. It's also because of its extreme excursion capabilities, driver stiffness, magnet strength, and the high power in the built-in amp.
BTW, the Neat Ultimatum MF5 has at least *three* 6.5" drivers per tower, which totals nearly the same radiating surface as a 12" driver. Properly tuned to a large enough cabinet, this can account for the Neat's excursion down into the 20s. My Mirages do that too, but most 6.5"-based towers don't.