How Many Inches?

[ssashton]

Reading forums it is easy to see many vocal people saying big woofers are better, no replacement for displacement etc..

However looking at the speakers on the market, even high end ones, we see A LOT of 6.5" drivers and some 8". Often they are stacked in high end models. I guess these manufacturers have done their research and know what he market actually buys. Or perhaps its nothing to do with that and just a desire to reduce unique BOM.

So I'm really curious to ask how big are the woofers in your current speakers? Are there multiple and do you use a subwoofer? What people recommend and what they actually use might be different based on practical circumstances!

 

[jonfitch]

I'm a size queen

 

[Purité Audio]

In my limited experience a ‘partner’ would prefer no speaker but if they have to have one then as small as possible.
Keith

 

[ssashton]

In my limited experience a ‘partner’ would prefer no speaker but if they have to have one then as small as possible.
Keith

Do you happen to know what size woofers you sell the most of?

 

[Purité Audio]

Of our long term brands we have sold more pairs of Dutch&Dutch 8Cs by far and they have an 8” mid driver.
Having said the Kiis have 5x 6.5” per speaker, I would have to do some maths.
Keith

 

[stringer]

My electrostats have ten inch woofers. I was considering buying a subwoofer but when I measured them with REW they had plenty of power down to 20hz. I don't think you could have that with a 6.5 or 8 inch driver. Maybe high end manufacturers just figure most users will add subs if they think the low end isn't big enough.

 

[Blumlein 88]

My speakers have two 8 inch woofers. My surround speakers have one 8 inch woofer.

 

[DVDdoug]

So I'm really curious to ask how big are the woofers in your current speakers?

The woofers in my "main" front "stereo" speakers are 12-inches. And I have a pair of 15-inch subs.

I don't think you can get "realistic" bass you can feel in your body from 8-inch woofers, but maybe some can do it.

drivers and some 8". Often they are stacked in high end models.

Two 8-inchers have about the same cone area as a 12-inch. And typically, smaller drivers can go higher in frequency which can be an advantage, especially in a 2-way. And narrower speakers fit better into a living room.

and do you use a subwoofer?

FYI - A separate subwoofer is REQUIRED for the separate "point one" LFE channel in home theater. The other channels contain the "regular bass" which can optionally be routed to the sub with "bass management", but the LFE is not included in the stereo downmix.

 

[ssashton]

My electrostats have ten inch woofers. I was considering buying a subwoofer but when I measured them with REW they had plenty of power down to 20hz. I don't think you could have that with a 6.5 or 8 inch driver. Maybe high end manufacturers just figure most users will add subs if they think the low end isn't big enough.

Which ones are they?

 

[Somafunk]

1” tweeter, 4” mid, 8” woofer in active monitors and two 9.5“ long throw dual opposed woofers in sealed active sub (monitors/sub in sig)

So if i add up my inches I get 45” of sweet sounding goodness, or 114.3 cm which makes more sense for me living in the metric world

 

[stringer]

Which ones are they?

Martin Logan SL3

 

[ppataki]

2x15" full range drivers + 1 piece of 2x15" dual opposed subwoofer

 

[Philbo King]

Studio:
A pair of Eon 400W powered PA speakers: 15", seldom used.
A pair of JBL 308mkii: 8"

Living room:
A Paradigm powered subwoofer: 8"
A pair of Sony passive 3-way towers (surround front) : 12"
A pair of Fisher 2 way passives (surround rear): 8"

 

[Sonny1]

I have two sets of main speakers and switch them once in a while. One has 10” Peerless XXL with 12” passive radiators and the second speaker has SB Acoustic 10’s. Both have sufficient bass for music. I don’t have a HT. The Peerless setup is active and is more accurate and plays deeper but the other speakers with EQ sound good. I’m sure high quality smaller drivers with can sound even better but maybe not in a large room. DSP has transformed speaker technology so anything is possible. I just like to play loud every once in a while and it’s asking a lot for smaller drivers, traditional ones not Purifi, to play deep and loud and accurate.

 

[MAB]

Reading forums it is easy to see many vocal people saying big woofers are better, no replacement for displacement etc..

However looking at the speakers on the market, even high end ones, we see A LOT of 6.5" drivers and some 8". Often they are stacked in high end models. I guess these manufacturers have done their research and know what he market actually buys. Or perhaps its nothing to do with that and just a desire to reduce unique BOM.

So I'm really curious to ask how big are the woofers in your current speakers? Are there multiple and do you use a subwoofer? What people recommend and what they actually use might be different based on practical circumstances!

High end manufactures sell to consumers who were told for a couple decades that large woofers have 'slow' bass, and small woofers have 'fast' bass. Phrases like transient attack, group delay, muddy bass, etc. have permeated consumer's brains, and led them to believe small drivers sound intrinsically better, and multiple small drivers will do the job of a single large driver but better. Multiple small drivers will not do anything better, but they will cost more, and seem to have an aesthetic that audiophiles like.

Smaller drivers do make sense if you have specified a baffle width that is critical to a speaker's design, like this:

I have 15" woofers in one pair of speakers, dual 10" in another pair. The speaker with dual 10" actually goes lower, but that is due to the manufacturer's design choices, not the size of the drivers.

 

[Ron Texas]

I wonder if narrow baffle speakers came about for cost reasons with multiple smaller woofers following.
I have LS50's (original) which quote A 5.25" mid woofer, but effectively are barely a 5".

Also, I have a pair of Rhythmic 12" subs crossed over at a slightly higher than usual 100 Hz.

 

[MAB]

I wonder if narrow baffle speakers came about for cost reasons with multiple smaller woofers following.
I have LS50's (original) which quote A 5.25" mid woofer, but effectively are barely a 5".

Shipping cost is a big thing.
For example, Vandersteen re-engineered the the model II when UPS increased their maximum package dimensions for standard-rate shipping in the late '80s. Shipping/handling/warehousing is such a big part of the equation. No wonder that manufactures like the narrow form-factor. I wonder if the 'small woofers are fast' marketing ethos was just a cost-savings play.

 

[mj30250]

6" high-excursion woofers in my main system, crossed to dual 15" subs at 100Hz much of the time. I am personally thrilled with the sound top-to-bottom. It would be interesting to listen to a larger version of the same speakers that included 10-12" woofers, not because I feel it's needed, but I'd be curious as to the effect it might have on mid/upper bass.

 

[bothu]

18", 10", 4.5", 1" that is my deal.

Bo Thunér, Sweden

 

[ssashton]

High end manufactures sell to consumers who were told for a couple decades that large woofers have 'slow' bass, and small woofers have 'fast' bass. Phrases like transient attack, group delay, muddy bass, etc. have permeated consumer's brains, and led them to believe small drivers sound intrinsically better, and multiple small drivers will do the job of a single large driver but better. Multiple small drivers will not do anything better, but they will cost more, and seem to have an aesthetic that audiophiles like.

Smaller drivers do make sense if you have specified a baffle width that is critical to a speaker's design, like this:

I have 15" woofers in one pair of speakers, dual 10" in another pair. The speaker with dual 10" actually goes lower, but that is due to the manufacturer's design choices, not the size of the drivers.

I mean.. I wouldn't mind a pair of those! Bass distortion is very low for sure.

Music and HT is a different thing. I somehow would expect HT users to have smaller woofers in the main s given a sub is almost guaranteed. But that doesn't hold up so far in this thread.