Single Driver Bookshelf Speakers?

[daveh75]

and I do not understand why a single driver is desirable or necessary, personally.

It avoids the use of passive Xovers. Which is reason enough IMO

 

[daveh75]

As I said single driver (full range) drivers are not going to work in a bookshelf sized speaker.

(EJ) Ted Jordan begged to differ... As do I, funnily enough 😉

 

[Kenneth Fernandes]

In my view, the consumption of music at home is all about customized and tailored listening experiences, unlike in the studio environment.
This means the user could alter the loudness to his or her liking in the listening room. One way to do this is to separate the lows and mids-highs with separate volume attenuation.

Why single-driver speakers?
Not just a single-driver speaker, but with a frequency from ~100Hz to 20kHz and above. As the current speakers with two drivers can reproduce frequencies from ~40hz to 20kHz and above in one package. So, discrete volume attenuation of the bass and mids-highs is out of the question. This can only be achieved with single-driver speakers and a sub-woofer. Unless a speaker manufacturer comes up with a dual drive unit bookshelf speaker that has a starting frequency from ~100Hz and not from ~40Hz.

 

[Kenneth Fernandes]

It avoids the use of passive Xovers. Which is reason enough IMO

Such a great point of view!
Also, the speakers start frequency from ~120Hz and not the regular ~40Hz, along with a sub-woofer.

 

[GSV Ethics Gradient]

It avoids the use of passive Xovers. Which is reason enough IMO

Don't yours have crossovers, Dave? No idea what the differences would be between active and passive ones personally at least in terms of why one might be better than the other.

 

[daveh75]

Don't yours have crossovers, Dave?

My KEFs have Active Xovers.

My Jordans, being full range have no need for them.

No idea what the differences would be between active and passive ones personally at least in terms of why one might be better than the other.

How to choose a crossover

Send the right signal to your speakers and tweeters

www.crutchfield.com

Audio crossover - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

 

[Al ears]

Single-driver speakers, I mean a single material drive unit too. Similar to the drive units of an over-ear headphone like the Sennheiser HD 560S and others in the line-up, but with a bigger size and specification that cater to a living room. (~120Hz and above)
For the low frequencies, they could be paired with a sub-woofer.
The ones mentioned above have two different materials in the construction of the speaker unit, a metal insert in the centre of the driver and a different cone material.

Unfortunately every one I know has this feature.

 

[Kenneth Fernandes]

Unfortunately every one I know has this feature.

Which feature?

 

[Al ears]

Which feature?

a metal insert in the centre of the driver and a different cone material.

 

[Kenneth Fernandes]

a metal insert in the centre of the driver and a different cone material.

Ok!
A single driver speaker with only one material would be really great though!

 

[GSV Ethics Gradient]

My KEFs have Active Xovers.

Was that the deciding factor in your choosing them?

(I'm a believer in there seldom being a single right way in hifi, and that the quality of the engineering is more important - but that's just my take.)

 

[gasolin]

Avantone MixCubes black

Passive Mini Reference Monitors Full-Range, Shielded, Speaker: 5.25", Frequency range: 90 / 17,000 Hz, Impedance: 8 Ω nominal, SPL: 93 dB @ 1 W / 1 meter, 6 1/2" MDF housing, 2 Pinch terminals, 5/8" threaded socket integrated in the bottom for...

www.thomann.de

 

[daytona600]

1Sound C4 Tiny 4inch driver ( 111db Known as Cannons for a very good reason )
4” coaxial with a 4” passive radiator
100 Hz - 18 kHz (-6 dB)
Max SPL: 111 dB SPL @ 1m
Max 200 watts

 

[nopiano]

1Sound C4 Tiny 4inch driver ( 111db Known as Cannons for a very good reason )
4” coaxial with a 4” passive radiator
100 Hz - 18 kHz (-6 dB)
Max SPL: 111 dB SPL @ 1m
Max 200 watts View attachment 6304

😮 Wow, are they as small as they look?

Actually, doesn’t ‘coaxial’ mean it is two drivers, like KEF and Tannoy for example?

 

[daveh75]

Was that the deciding factor in your choosing them?

Not the only factor obviously, but having made the switch from trad passive Hifi setups to actives years ago (with a pair of Mackie HR824 mkII) I would never go back.

(I'm a believer in there seldom being a single right way in hifi, and that the quality of the engineering is more important - but that's just my take.)

SQ aside* I've come to loathe the aesthetics of stacks of boxes, the spaghetti joining it and the furniture required to house/support it all.

Many actives don't solve that totally, needing preamps and sources and associated spaghetti etc, and often being aesthetically challenged.

However, my KEFs do (imo obviously).

They're small, discreet and a complete system requiring no extra boxes.



*I've yet to hear an Active setup I couldn't happily live with, the same can't be said for traditional setups...

 

[gasolin]

1Sound C4 Tiny 4inch driver ( 111db Known as Cannons for a very good reason )
4” coaxial with a 4” passive radiator
100 Hz - 18 kHz (-6 dB)
Max SPL: 111 dB SPL @ 1m
Max 200 watts View attachment 6304

Linke to the speakers

 

[Al ears]

😮 Wow, are they as small as they look?

Actually, doesn’t ‘coaxial’ mean it is two drivers, like KEF and Tannoy for example?

Yes, and the radiator counts as a driver
If the OP wants a full range transducer made of only one material he isn't going to find one....

 

[gasolin]

Cambridge Audio MINX MIN12 Compact Speaker

www.cambridgeaudio.com

Cambridge Audio MINX MIN22 Compact Speaker

Compact size – fit vertically or horizontallyBMR Speaker Tech – wide sound dispersal for flexible positioningHigh Gloss ABS Enclosure – looks good & focuses sound Available in Black or White – choose the colour that suits youHigh Quality Cable connectors – fit better cable for better soundSold...

www.cambridgeaudio.com

 

[Kenneth Fernandes]

Avantone MixCubes black

Passive Mini Reference Monitors Full-Range, Shielded, Speaker: 5.25", Frequency range: 90 / 17,000 Hz, Impedance: 8 Ω nominal, SPL: 93 dB @ 1 W / 1 meter, 6 1/2" MDF housing, 2 Pinch terminals, 5/8" threaded socket integrated in the bottom for...

www.thomann.de

View attachment 6302

Yea, these have a solid specification and fit well.

However, I am thinking of a extremely thin single cone material, made of polypropylene or other thin plastic compounds. The driver surface doesn't have to be visible, instead, they are hidden away with a permanently fixed protective cover/grill and a completely sealed enclosure. And an accompanying magnet in their construction.

 

[masterblaster]

https://www.eclipse-td.com/uk/

https://www.langeloudspeakers.com/products/yocto

And if you are creative with a DSP crossover and DRC you could switch real time between single driver and 2-way with these:

https://sunaudio.com/

 

[Al ears]

https://www.eclipse-td.com/uk/

https://www.langeloudspeakers.com/products/yocto

And if you are creative with a DSP crossover and DRC you could switch real time between single driver and 2-way with these:

https://sunaudio.com/

Neither of those fit the OPs requirements unfortunately

 

[Dr-G]

Another vote for Eclipse-TD. The company's whole range is predicated on single-driver approach.
There's even a website that's done reviews...
https://www.whathifi.com/news/eclipse-unveils-its-first-new-speaker-in-seven-years

 

[Al ears]

Another vote for Eclipse-TD. The company's whole range is predicated on single-driver approach.
There's even a website that's done reviews...
https://www.whathifi.com/news/eclipse-unveils-its-first-new-speaker-in-seven-years

They don't fit the OPs requirements unfortunately.

 

[roaduck]

Would you consider Chinese speakers ?
A lot of things are made in China now.
I ordered these for a friend last Christmas and he loves them - you can not hear the box and the image size is massive for their size; totally holographic.
You can hear what the left one is doing whilst being directly in front of the right one - eight foot away - very tidy sound quality indeed.
Without crossovers they are totally in phase with negligible overhang / smearing between the crucial upper midrange/lower treble so sound fab for female vocals and tenor sax especially - cat quick.
The asymmetric / not parallel cabinets minimise internal standing waves as well.
Specs are 45-26 Khz and 96 db/w efficiency - drop them a line to give you more info.
These are called Q8 from Aliexpress - add 20% VAT as well.
You might be able to get them cheaper from alibaba ; I`ve no idea.
I can get these from my local Chinatown and Chamber of Commerce delivered in about a month to UK; but you can ask for bespoke designs/veneers and faster expedited delivery for standard models too.
I used to flog bespoke and high-end Asian Hi-Fi in the nineties in Hong Kong and Macau - they were just cutting their teeth then - now they are mega.
I also have family in Guangzhou so I am abreast of developments.

Chinese high-end speakers go for £40K plus and they are World class now.

 

[Deliriumbassist]

All this talk about single material (which really just seems like moving goalposts to me) - has this arisen from the Voxativ posted? Because if that's the case, that metal bullet is just a phase plug. It doesn't move. Its job is to prevent high frequency interference. There is precisely zero reason to discount a 'full-range' driver (or wide bandwidth, to be more precise) because of its inclusion.