Large driver vs small driver?

ctransj
ctransj Posts: 29
edited August 2013 in Speakers
is that true the larger driver sound warmer and smoother than the small drivers? For some reasons, I am not a fan of small narrow speakers. You can cover the whole range of frequencies with a sub for lower end but to me, the vocal is so hash from small driver.
Post edited by ctransj on
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  • gumbay13
    gumbay13 Posts: 360
    edited August 2013
    A topic like this is going to have passionate arguments for and against the size of the driver based on personal experience.

    I'm sure it will be colored by "it depends".

    All being equal i would err on the side of the larger woofer.

    I will be interested to hear a head to head between the RTI A7 and the Tsx 500t with its 8" drivers.

    An article on "Bigger is Not Always Better"
    http://www.polkaudio.com/polk-university/articles/bigger-is-not-always-better
    AMP/Pre Pro: Outlaw 7000x, Marantz AV7703
    Speakers: Fronts:LSiM 705s/ Center: LSiM 706c / Surrounds: LSim 703s
    SUB: Rythmik LV12R x2
    Source:OPPO UDP-203
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  • pretzelfisch
    pretzelfisch Posts: 160
    edited August 2013
    I think the more interesting comparison is the mids between an rti a5 and rti a9. many like the A9 but it has the smaller mid range driver of the line.
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  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 34,039
    edited August 2013
    No it is not true. For example, the classic Western Electric (later Altec) 755 8" full-range driver family is a famously smooth and natural sounding driver - ad their pricing on the audiophile market reflects this, big time! The less classic and far cheaper vintage Electrovoice "Wolverine" LS-8 twincone 8" full-range driver is likewise quite sweet and pleasant to listen to.

    There are always compromises involved in the choice of a driver and how it's baffled - I'd encourage the original poster to Google the phrase "Hoffman's Iron Law" and do some readin'...
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  • Face
    Face Posts: 14,340
    edited August 2013
    ctransj wrote: »
    is that true the larger driver sound warmer and smoother than the small drivers?
    False. The only truths there is that a larger driver will beam sooner and send less high frequency information into the room, but a larger driver will also have a breakup or resonance at a lower frequency, introducing more distortion. You can have a small driver that sounds warm and a larger driver that can sound bright, other than what I listed, one doesn't have anything to do with the other.
    "He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you." Friedrich Nietzsche
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  • RamZet
    RamZet Posts: 792
    edited August 2013
    Well what do you consider a narrow speaker?

    Are the B&W CM9s narrow?
    Would a Cerwin Vega VE-12 be a wide speaker?
    B&W CM9Classé Sigma
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