Even if you extend the high frequency response with DSP/EQ, there are other things EQ doesn't fix. I've done this with small full-ranges used near-field, and while they sound better with EQ, the ones that lack detail before EQ still lack detail after EQ. Limitations often extend beyond simple frequency response. For some people and applications the benefits of using a full-range outweigh this shortcoming though.
Speakers are a huge set of compromises, and what set most rocks your boat could be very different than mine.
To my mind, except possibily for some exotica none of us will ever here due to their scarcity (jj, looking at what old vintage stuff sells for will not give you a good representation of the value of things — vintagness has often kicked in and stuff goes for WAY more than it is worth ...take an SME 3009 for example. Not a good arm, but ones on good shape are getting obscene amounts of money.)
Noone has heard every loudspeaker from before the 70s, and certainly noone has heard all the modern full-ranges. So you question is impossible to answer.
What i know is that i have widerange, single driver ludspeakers in my home today that i enjoy better than any i have heard in the past — i have yet to hear a big system with horns up top as GM alludes to that sounded even decent, so our compromises are different. I can recommended what i like but this is a quest you will hve to do some of your own work on the subject.
dave
To my mind, except possibily for some exotica none of us will ever here due to their scarcity (jj, looking at what old vintage stuff sells for will not give you a good representation of the value of things — vintagness has often kicked in and stuff goes for WAY more than it is worth ...take an SME 3009 for example. Not a good arm, but ones on good shape are getting obscene amounts of money.)
Noone has heard every loudspeaker from before the 70s, and certainly noone has heard all the modern full-ranges. So you question is impossible to answer.
What i know is that i have widerange, single driver ludspeakers in my home today that i enjoy better than any i have heard in the past — i have yet to hear a big system with horns up top as GM alludes to that sounded even decent, so our compromises are different. I can recommended what i like but this is a quest you will hve to do some of your own work on the subject.
dave
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Not a hardship. Only 1, of the literally 100s of builds we did, ever needed an externa/passivel BSC filter.
dave
Reading this sickens me. About 6 years ago or so someone asked me if I would recone his four 12” fisher drivers as he wanted to use them in a guitar cab and in exchange he would give me two broken amplifiers and a small pile of drivers. That small pile of drivers was 14 Altec 755As. Many years ago he was commissioned to put in a new intercom system into a fairly large radio station and the 755As were used as the intercom speakers that were pulled. Ugh, wish I still had them. I sold the lot for quite a bit more than the value of the work I did, but nowhere near what they’re selling for now. Sheesh. The amps were a Marantz Model 500 and a Phase Linear Dual 500, which I still have both. Marantz has been fully restored and is quite stunning. The phase linear is still on the rack and in line for a restoration at some point.
Dan
Sigh. Guess I'll go cheap. These small drivers are available only in China, I presume. Each is special in some way that is not exceeded by my "commercial" speakers (vintage alnico FR, ESL63, and so on). $80 drum paper 6.5", $30 5"; $30 leather surround after P-610 6.5" and 5"; $15 honeycomb 4" after plast job; $75 4+8" XO-less; $30 resin-coated-CF 6.5" subwoofer after plast job flat to 7.5khz with one inductor. These prices are for a pair.
If by best you mean nice tone; The Fane 15” fullrange is pretty nice in a big box. This one is probably even nicer: https://www.lii-audio.com/product/o...uperb-scale-soundstage-with-new-imaging-f-18/
I think we should go completely wireless. Then all the drivers have an equal chance.
Since the Lii Audio has been mentioned already twice, I'll plug their F15 (which I own) as a current tech, quite fairly priced driver that can dish out some nice sound. Well, that delicate stuff anyway.
Thinking I read somewhere as they were about to demo a convention center in Dallas, someone notices the room's ceiling speakers are all Altec 604Cs. I assume they were able to get them before the tear down. OP, there's one for the pre-70 "to beat" list, even though as dave said, there'll be somebody who doesnt like their sound. I wouldnt mind owning a pair, but not for $3500 -
Wow - what a gold mine!
Thinking I read somewhere as they were about to demo a convention center in Dallas, someone notices the room's ceiling speakers are all Altec 604Cs. I assume they were able to get them before the tear down. OP, there's one for the pre-70 "to beat" list, even though as dave said, there'll be somebody who doesnt like their sound. I wouldnt mind owning a pair, but not for $3500 -
Just beware that the frequency response graph was probably drawn by the same creative genius who wrote this on their FAST 15: "The bass is deeper and more elastic that the energy can be released and pulled back quickly and easily".
I love mine, but only with a notch filter and super tweeter.
Where's your notch in frequency? My ears too shot for the super tweeter stuff...
I honestly feel my Lii's are better than anything I have to put in front of them. Electrically, that is. Same probably true for my Mark Audio P7HD based setup. IMHO, that's how it should be; speakers as your best investment, all else plays catchup to what they can deliver.
Hello. I do not think she asks for a cheap single driver speaker that can do this. I think she's asking what single driver can do this, which costs the least out of a possible speakers than can do this.
My problem is it's all subjective.
My own speakers are not purist single drivers, but are run full range with less efficient helper tweeters vertically oriented, and a separate sub augmenting the deep bass.
I like them a lot, some friends hate them, and another instantly said- my god, the coherence! Are you hearing this?
And went home and commissioned someone to build him some Feastrix ported boxes.
One speaker that beats another is all subjective, that's the problem in the question, to me at least.
My no name raw full ranges came to about $900 cdn, and the Feastrix he bought were about ten times that.
He's got some beautiful oiled solid heavily braced hardwood ported cabinets, yet we both like my spray painted MDF folded open baffles better, soundwise.
So price isn't a valid indicator in sonic preferences either; those Feastrix are far beyond my means.
What I read by the OP is not what post ‘70, cheap full-range beats all pre-’70 full-range speakers - but which one beats any pre-‘70 speaker - not single driver, but any and all.
That’s a tall order. There were LOTS of amazing high-end speakers made before ‘70.
Taking the approach of the least amount of parts in the signal path to ones ears seems counter to using a single driver speaker without a crossover.
How many steps and parts are applied in a DSP on the way to a driver?
She did not say full range, or full-range as you are now stating. She said fullrange, which in my readings has always meant a single driver.
I stated single driver for anyone having difficulty understanding that term.