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Small drivers vs big drivers

Hi,
I have a question that is always in my mind recently. I see some speakers with small  drivers (5-9 inches) that is reviewed to be able to throw out big sound stage and go down to 18hz-20hz. Some other speakers with big drivers (10-15 inches) though are commented to have 'big sound stage' but can only go as low as 30-35hz. 

To make the situation more complicated, some speakers have small drivers but there are many of them. Can many small drivers be compensate for the size limitation?

I don't know which specs determine a wide sound stage and the ability to reach low frequencies.  What is the pros and cons of each design?

Thank you!

Huy.
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audiokinesis
1,872 posts
 

Forgot to include this: One area in which a vertical array of multiple small woofers has superior room interaction relative to a single large woofer is in the floor-bounce dip. The multiple small woofers will have their floor-bounce dips at different frequencies and so they will tend to fill in for one another. The single large woofer won’t get that benefit, though its dip will be smeared out a bit compared to a single small woofer, and therefore will be slightly less deep. The ear/brain system is fairly forgiving of the floor bounce dip because it occurs naturally all the time, but minimizing it is still beneficial.

Duke

shadorne's avatar
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shadorne
7,333 posts
 
+1 Audiokinesis 

I can’t think of anything to add as Duke knows a lot more than I ever will!!

We are lucky to have such knowledgeable contributions!

Agree 100% everything Duke said!
marqmike
676 posts
 
+1 shadorne
Plus Duke is a gentleman.
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quanghuy147 OP
29 posts
 
Thank you everyone for your contribution. All are obviously valuable to us.
kosst_amojan
2,095 posts
 
@audiokinesis 

Good explanation and it makes sense. The only point I would take issue with is the matter of smearing over multiple drivers. Assuming line array theory is properly considered, that's not a phenomenon that bears out in measurements. That becomes a problem only when the wavelengths become small enough as to cause decoupling of the drivers. It's certainly problematic in some designs. For woofers crossing over at 250Hz it's not a problem. For mid-range drivers, special care should be given to physical placement and crossover points. I'm of the opinion that arrays are basically pointless for mid-range and higher frequencies in a residential setting. I appreciate the usefulness of picking a larger drivers for mid-range duty for it's dispersion, but at the bottom of a driver's pass band they're implementation is usually omnidirectional. I'm not sure there's a replacement for a decently sorted room. 
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