Why would you make such a strong statement? If a filter improves the overall performance of the system, why not use it? Would you rather listen to an unbalanced overly bright shouting full range speaker system and be happy knowing it is still "pure" due to the lack of any filter while it continues to hurts your ears?

Not me, I'll take the filter. A filtered full range is still much better then a two way in my opinion, and also better then an unfiltered full range in most cases. I have successfully designed and built both multi-way and single driver systems and really prefer the filtered full range Lowthers.

Martin

==cookie for manualblock!

Studying systems, *anthropologically* one arrives at this logical approach above. Crossovers, passive elements made the Ar3a the flattest measuring speaker since Hirsch Houck Labs rocked to the Tijuana Brass in 1964. I listened to the 3a alot with Cat Stevens, early Eagles and flat was good. Not very dynamic but flat nonetheless.

If your system sounds imbalanced? Got news, it IS. Adding passives at the last step in the chain is like giving up, tossing in the towel because the rest of the system has failed to do it's job properly.

Why not tune the rest of the system actively? Keep that bloody speed and tonality only obtainable by directly connecting one voice coil to one output circuit.

By using amps and sources with characteristics "cheeuned"(tuned)for optimum (overall)performance, you mitigate response anaomalie where it won't be passed on down the line. If you are using low "refined" power, even a small xtra coil results in sonic wavy gravy and compresion because now you have 2 inductors in a row (voice coil + comp coil)which is always avoided in any circuit, except seemingly, speakers.

Why do amp builders obsess over coupling caps types brands flavors? Have a nice transformer coupled amp with no caps n resistors in the signal path? Gonna spoil everything the amp builder did to bring you gobs of dynamics and tonal complexity by using a gob of parts at the end of the amp loop (spkr cirkut)?

It's really all about *expectations*.

How much dynamics do you expect? How much dynamics will your wife allow in her living room. Do you mind some power compression at moderate volumes? How do you know what your hearing is right? Instruments? Do you know the pain of a violin?

TC

"Understand from where my position comes; that in fact I have always understood the purpose of a full range driver to be an attempt to avoid the deleterious effects of passive components on the speed and ability to resolve complex passages in the signal. As well as to represent a point source radiator."

I agree. The only thing I would add is the increased efficiency that seems to be a property of most full range drivers. Low Qts (0.2 - 0.3) and high efficiency (94 - 98 dB) come with the large magnet. If you can design the enclosure to compensate and balance the SPL response this is no doubt the best solution. If your enclosure is unable to do this then a filter can help. The enclosure is not necessarily a bad design just a different set of compromises (typically smaller size and less complex). I personally believe that the benefits of a filter are much larger then any claimed potential degradation introduced and can improve the design (including correcting phase shift associated with baffle step losses). I don't hear any loss of speed or detail with the filters I have used in my designs. If you apply too much filtering then I would agree that the advantages of full range drivers start to disappear quickly. Everything is a balancing act and a set of compromises.

Martin

== In fact a voice coil physically connected to a cone is an load, changing with freq. A load that will introduce distortions into the final circuit of and amp. Never said it was pure. Quite the opposite. I simply maintain that ideally, you want this load to remain as pure as possible, especially when using amps that are sensitive to loads which are usually lower powered.

Why Biamp, triamp and quad amp? And why does dynamics suffer except when an amp is connected to only one voice coil no matter the strength of the amp? It's a load alright, just depends on what you expect that single load to do.

It's well established that individual amplifiers connected to a single coil modulate that coil better than trying to modulate several coils or elements. Look at all the spkrs like 4-ways that have individual amps on each driver, Meridian, Rushmore, Paradigm. Why all the fuss for connecting one amp to one coil?? Because it has lower distortion and greater dynamic contrast that's easily heard

>>It is the least pure part of the circuit.

==Right. So you have a simple circuit ie: the output circuit of an amplifier. You can trim and adjust with passive elements all you want. All I am saying is that it always results in non optimal dynamic behaviour, limiting the ability of the amp/spkr to swing dynamics.

TC