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True “full range” floorstanding speakers

There are quite a few on the market, but are usually pricey. One of my faves is the Nola Grand Reference:

nolagrand.jpg
 
Hi, transmission line speaker give a natural lower freq9uency,like an pipe organ 32 feet give flat 16hz.My IMF prof Mk 3, .4 way, should be able to go down 10hz,
Bonjour ut not at high volume like JBL or other expensive speakers, they are made to reproduce a complete big classical symphony with chorus at normal listening..best regards,Yvan.
 
Believe it or not- but a tweaked (slight tuning change in the PR to lower the resonant frequency of the PR, and box stuffing added) EPI 200 will get very close to 20Hz in many rooms. I've tested it!


Regards,
Gordon.
 
I guess I should have been more specific. I meant like a three way speaker with a woofer, midrange, and a tweeter all in a single cabinet. And not the exotic variety that most people can not afford.
 
My Revel Salon 2's (using JBL derived drivers) can come pretty close iirc. They need some power but can satisfy the "20-20k" requirement for those who feel that is important.

Jblnut
 
Grenadeslio said:
If you wanna play you gotta pay.

Easier to just get a pair of 12" subwoofers and use them as speaker stands, 20hz capability easy peasy.
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I gave up on powered subwoofers many years ago because the built in amplifiers always eventually fail. I’ve had Polk Audio, Klipsch, and Velodyne servo powered subs and it’s always just a matter of time before the amp goes belly up. I’ve moved on to building passive subs and using a pro amp to power them instead. I always wanted a pair of true full range speakers so I guess I’m just gonna have to build them.
 
AudioGMan said:
I guess I should have been more specific. I meant like a three way speaker with a woofer, midrange, and a tweeter all in a single cabinet. And not the exotic variety that most people can not afford.
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The Thiel CS3.6 I use come sorta close but don't quite make the cut. 27Hz-22kHz ±3dB, 29Hz-20kHz ±1.5dB.

While not "flat" there is usable in-room response to 20Hz or so.

Not bad for a pretty modest driver compliment.
 
Also, have a pair of Definitive Tech BP-30 that are rated 18Hz - 30kHz, but no +/- given. Somewhat common opinion is those ends probably are either -6dB or -10dB points. Regardless, they have pretty decent low bass. Four 6.5" (per speaker) in transmission line tuning.
 
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whoaru99 said:
Also, have a pair of Definitive Tech BP-30 that are rated 18Hz - 30kHz, but no +/- given. Somewhat common opinion is those ends probably are either -6dB or -10dB points. Regardless, they have pretty decent low bass. Four 6.5" (per speaker) in transmission line tuning.
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Hey now there’s a Def Tech model I haven’t listened to. Sounds promising. I’m familiar with the BP-2000 and the BP-3000 because I used to install residential systems in the late 90s and the retailer I worked for sold Def Tech. But those have built in powered subwoofers. I don’t recall the BP-30.
 
AudioGMan said:
I guess I should have been more specific. I meant like a three way speaker with a woofer, midrange, and a tweeter all in a single cabinet. And not the exotic variety that most people can not afford.
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So......one woofer, one mid, one tweeter, single cabinet, not expensive, 20 to 20k hz response + or - 3db, all passive.

Really?

Drop the "not expensive" and "one woofer, one mid, one tweeter" criteria and this can be done. Drop the "single cabinet" requirement, this can be done.

Think about it, with one woofer and one mid, the woofer often plays up to 800hz or so. How is a woofer that plays up to 800hz supposed to also play flat to 20hz? Ain't gunna happen.

You might as well start looking for a unicorn.
 
AudioGMan said:
I gave up on powered subwoofers many years ago because the built in amplifiers always eventually fail. I’ve had Polk Audio, Klipsch, and Velodyne servo powered subs and it’s always just a matter of time before the amp goes belly up. I’ve moved on to building passive subs and using a pro amp to power them instead. I always wanted a pair of true full range speakers so I guess I’m just gonna have to build them.
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Let's see, Infinity Modulus subwoofer, purchased in 1991, driver refoamed twice still rocking hard. $2000 in 1991 dollars, you get what you pay for.

That said, twin Dayton Audio Sub 1200's from Parts Express, $92 each in 2012, still rocking, when they do quit I definitely got my money's worth lol.
 
AudioGMan said:
Hey now there’s a Def Tech model I haven’t listened to. Sounds promising. I’m familiar with the BP-2000 and the BP-3000 because I used to install residential systems in the late 90s and the retailer I worked for sold Def Tech. But those have built in powered subwoofers. I don’t recall the BP-30.
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Then check out the BP20, auditioned them in 1991, they rattled the store's plate glass windows, no powered subwoofer.
 
AudioGMan said:
I guess I should have been more specific. I meant like a three way speaker with a woofer, midrange, and a tweeter all in a single cabinet. And not the exotic variety that most people can not afford.
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If it was inexpensive to make a decent full range speaker in a single box, more companies would do it. Unfortunately, it’s not easy, let alone inexpensive. Considering that inexpensive powered subwoofers, purpose built to reach low frequencies, often don’t get in to the low 20’s, it is reasonable to expect that any passive speaker system that accomplished this is going to require a reasonable amount of effort. Also, as previously mentioned, the more you expect of a single driver, the more difficult it is for that driver to do everything well. The more difficult something is to do, the more expensive it is to do. So can it be done, yes and some people have mentioned speakers here that fit your requirements. However, you may have a hard time finding it on a Cerwin Vega or HPM-100 budget.
 
z-adamson said:
So......one woofer, one mid, one tweeter, single cabinet, not expensive, 20 to 20k hz response + or - 3db, all passive.

Really?

Drop the "not expensive" and "one woofer, one mid, one tweeter" criteria and this can be done. Drop the "single cabinet" requirement, this can be done.

Think about it, with one woofer and one mid, the woofer often plays up to 800hz or so. How is a woofer that plays up to 800hz supposed to also play flat to 20hz? Ain't gunna happen.

You might as well start looking for a unicorn.
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So a sealed cabinet around 10-12 cubic feet of internal volume with dual 4 ohm 15” woofers wired in series that have an Fs below 20Hz that extend up to 1kHz crossed over at 800Hz at 12dB/octave low pass paired with a compression horn crossed over at 800Hz 12dB/octave high pass wouldn’t work? It can be done. Maybe no one makes them because of the WAF. Fortunately that doesn’t exist at my house. And yes I have a wife.
 
Golden Ear Triton Three+ (21 Hz), Two+ (16 Hz), One R (13 Hz), and Reference (12 Hz) all make the grade, and all are three-way speakers (with passive radiators).
 
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