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Please recommend a full range driver.
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bjlefebvre
Super Member
I'm using a pair of Wild Burro Betsy full range drivers I like. They're supposed to sound best in open baffle but I've been using them in homemade Baltic birch cabinets, about 1 cubic foot each, as per the Betsy guy. No crossover needed at all - just the drivers, binding posts, wire and acoustic cabinet filler. Plenty efficient for my 5wpc tube amp. Pics of one of the cabinets below.
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Look into the Audio Nirvana drivers as well.
Mike
Mike
markus
Master Procrastinator
I like vintage ...tried a SHITLOAD of drivers back when I had a house and all the gear before the great divorce purge.... . After dozens of drivers tested on my je labs open baffles, my favorites :
1963/64 rca 12 inch console drivers ... Easy to find, cheap, and amazing midrange detail
Late 50's ampex branded ge built 12 inchers..... Bar none the best full range drivers I've ever heard. Always wanted to try the super early German field coil full rangrrers but never got a chance.
Both of those reach into the high frequencies, but benefit from a tweeter crossed over around 8 - 12 k.... I usually relied on the radio Shack lineaum dipole tweeters, although the ampex branded ge 3.5 inch paper cone tweeter is also amazing.
Isophon paper cone tweeters are also great
1963/64 rca 12 inch console drivers ... Easy to find, cheap, and amazing midrange detail
Late 50's ampex branded ge built 12 inchers..... Bar none the best full range drivers I've ever heard. Always wanted to try the super early German field coil full rangrrers but never got a chance.
Both of those reach into the high frequencies, but benefit from a tweeter crossed over around 8 - 12 k.... I usually relied on the radio Shack lineaum dipole tweeters, although the ampex branded ge 3.5 inch paper cone tweeter is also amazing.
Isophon paper cone tweeters are also great
You should try these out, they are closer to you than me, but if I wasn't lazy they would have been grabbed already.
https://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/ele/d/orinda-pair-of-1950s-retro-speaker/6916157093.html
Surprised those are still there, I’d love to hear those and the price seems like a steal
thomo57
Super Member
I love single driver speakers.
My Goodman 212C Triaxiom sound amazing in a large folded horn cabinet.
Also have pairs of Coral 10CX-501 they sound just as good
https://www.diy-audio-guide.com/coral-10cx-501.html
My Goodman 212C Triaxiom sound amazing in a large folded horn cabinet.
Also have pairs of Coral 10CX-501 they sound just as good
https://www.diy-audio-guide.com/coral-10cx-501.html
Sandstrom
Seldom turns out the way it does in the song
That's a smokin' deal, worth way more than that. I have a pair of those residing in some nice Karlson cabinets.
Lowthers are great, but costly. So are Jordans, either Ted's or Doreen's.
The old CTS 5 inch, often used as a midrange, is surprisingly pleasant as a full range, and, like many drivers, will sound more robust than you might expect in a TQWP (tapered quarter wave pipe). Admittedly, 'more robust than you might expect' is a relative term.
The merit of using a small driver as a way of dipping your toe into the water is that, if you don't have much into it, if you realize that actually, you really do want that treble and bass extension, and not only dead on in the hot spot, you can admit to yourself.
While there is a lot to be said adding super tweeters and subwoofers to full range speakers, in many ways, that is just a way of increasing the number of boxes in your system, and if you need to do that, maybe the goal is not really your own true goal.
Which is another way of saying that if you are asking about the 'best' you may not be the sort of person who finds fulfillment in a limited, but sometimes magical, type of speaker. No full range can cover the entire audio spectrum evenly (of course, that might also be said of almost all multi driver systems also).
The old CTS 5 inch, often used as a midrange, is surprisingly pleasant as a full range, and, like many drivers, will sound more robust than you might expect in a TQWP (tapered quarter wave pipe). Admittedly, 'more robust than you might expect' is a relative term.
The merit of using a small driver as a way of dipping your toe into the water is that, if you don't have much into it, if you realize that actually, you really do want that treble and bass extension, and not only dead on in the hot spot, you can admit to yourself.
While there is a lot to be said adding super tweeters and subwoofers to full range speakers, in many ways, that is just a way of increasing the number of boxes in your system, and if you need to do that, maybe the goal is not really your own true goal.
Which is another way of saying that if you are asking about the 'best' you may not be the sort of person who finds fulfillment in a limited, but sometimes magical, type of speaker. No full range can cover the entire audio spectrum evenly (of course, that might also be said of almost all multi driver systems also).
Mike Stehr
Poverty Audio
Norelco 9762M/Philips AD5200M
http://www.hupse.eu/radio/speakers/9762.htm
Wish I had a couple of these...
http://www.hupse.eu/radio/speakers/9762.htm
Wish I had a couple of these...
A400
Well-Known Member
I had a pair of the similar 9762/05, 1952 & 54. They had some good attributes but overall I like my pair of 9710 much more. I’d add those to a watch list.
Some of the old Japanese wide range drivers also have a following and I’ve heard a couple of nice ones. Occasionally can be found cheaply which would tick the bang for buck box.
My opinion is that there's really no such thing as a full range driver, only wide-range drivers. However, wide-range can cover enough of the audio spectrum to give great sound - but you have to sacrifice something somewhere, and that will depend on your personal preferences. The lower you want them to go, the more you'll have to sacrifice the top end, or the more space you'll have to allow for cabinets, horns or baffles. Yes, some kind of cabinet or baffle is essential. Which type of enclosure you choose will affect the choice of driver. The open baffle aficionados will have their favourite drivers, but drivers which don't work particularly well in open baffles may work great in a sealed box and vice versa.
Not only the enclosure but also the room will have an impact, so I would be wary of reading stuff like "...I used Driver X and it's absolutely stunning..." and expecting the exact same results with a different baffle/enclosure in a different room.
I suppose I'm saying there's no simple answer to your question. I'm wary of simple answers in general
chef free
Super Member
My opinion is that there's really no such thing as a full range driver, only wide-range drivers. However, wide-range can cover enough of the audio spectrum to give great sound - but you have to sacrifice something somewhere, and that will depend on your personal preferences. The lower you want them to go, the more you'll have to sacrifice the top end, or the more space you'll have to allow for cabinets, horns or baffles. Yes, some kind of cabinet or baffle is essential. Which type of enclosure you choose will affect the choice of driver. The open baffle aficionados will have their favourite drivers, but drivers which don't work particularly well in open baffles may work great in a sealed box and vice versa.
Not only the enclosure but also the room will have an impact, so I would be wary of reading stuff like "...I used Driver X and it's absolutely stunning..." and expecting the exact same results with a different baffle/enclosure in a different room.
I suppose I'm saying there's no simple answer to your question. I'm wary of simple answers in general
I know that I will have to sacrifice some "full range" but I can't hear much above 12k Hz and most music doesn't get below 40 Hz so I figure I can make the sacrifice for that sweet "point source image"...
John Rizzi
New Member
they are nice... I have a pair.