Shadorne - It seems logical from a physics perspective that smaller drivers would be easier to control resulting in a more accurate bass response. The problem being that small drivers cannot move as much air and that's more related to volume that quality. Obviously, driver design is very important, but all things being equal it seems that the smaller driver should distort less.
My current Focal 836v speakers have three 6-1/2 inch bass drivers and can reproduce frequencies down to about 30 hz on a test CD, though at a very low volume. They will play organ music in a satisfactory way. If I compare these speakers to my Infinity IL50 that had a built in 250 watt 10 inch woofer/subwoofer they certainly can't reproduce the same volume levels, but when the IL50s were adjusted to music levels on the subwoofers they wouldn't go any lower than the Focals do. For music, the Focals have an equal low end and much higher sound quality. For home theater, the Focals require a subwoofer to be used if I want the house to shake. Most people that hear my speakers assume the subwoofer is on when listening.
It's possible to put larger drivers in a side firing configuration that maintains a lot of the WAF of the small forward firing drivers so I'd think that would be the better solution IF the large drivers were the goal.
My current Focal 836v speakers have three 6-1/2 inch bass drivers and can reproduce frequencies down to about 30 hz on a test CD, though at a very low volume. They will play organ music in a satisfactory way. If I compare these speakers to my Infinity IL50 that had a built in 250 watt 10 inch woofer/subwoofer they certainly can't reproduce the same volume levels, but when the IL50s were adjusted to music levels on the subwoofers they wouldn't go any lower than the Focals do. For music, the Focals have an equal low end and much higher sound quality. For home theater, the Focals require a subwoofer to be used if I want the house to shake. Most people that hear my speakers assume the subwoofer is on when listening.
It's possible to put larger drivers in a side firing configuration that maintains a lot of the WAF of the small forward firing drivers so I'd think that would be the better solution IF the large drivers were the goal.