Question on small bass drivers in tower speakers


I noticed that many speaker manufacturers have been offering tower speakers with a multiple array of smaller bass drivers in their latest designs. I understand that having a series of smaller bass drivers in a cabinet can provide very fast and accurate bass response but I often wonder how these smaller drivers fair when it comes to reproducing the lower registers of the frequency range at louder volume levels (95+db).

I've seen claims of bass response down to the low 20hz range using two 6.5" woofers from some manufacturers like Proac as an example.

My question is this, how can these small drivers be capable of reproducing such low frequency when stuffed into a box when if you look at the manufacturer website of the speaker drivers themselves and see a listed Frequency response that shows the woofer only being able to play down to 40hz at best when taking a speaker of no more then 7" in diameter into consideration?

If someone was in the market for an almost "Full Range" speaker how likely are they to be happy with a tower that only uses 6.5-7" drivers at most that claim low 20hz capabilities verses some other manufacturer who uses 8" or larger drivers with similar advertised capabilities?

Even if I take into consideration the most inert cabinet designs available for these small drivers I still find it difficult to grasp the idea that they will be able to play bass that low on the scale with any real authority.

Please add your thoughts and experiences with small driver tower speakers and if you were impressed or disappointed with their capabilities of playing low and loud despite the advertised claims ..Thanks
eniac26
Agree with JohnK, but in addition there are room and space considerations that do not dictate the large amount of air to be moved and shorter listening distance.
Smaller drivers distort more than larger, greater thermo compression, larger excursions do not equal lower distortions. http://sound.westhost.com/articles/pwr-vs-eff.htm
The June TAS contains a (fawning) review of the "Venture Grand Ultimate": 2" tweet, 5" mid, 4 7" woofs; claimed to 24hz; $89k. Made me wonder about just this question. They look like a mini-tower, tho weight is 161# ea. Anybody heard 'em? ;)

John
Thanks to everyone who responded. So it sounds like these smaller drivers are capable of reproducing low bass but the real kicker is at what volume level they will be able to do it in without imploding on themselves.

I think the smallest driver array I would ever consider in a tower speaker based on my own listening habits would be one that has two 7" drivers but only if I could hear them in a similar sized room as my own before hand. If presented with that opportunity to hear such a speaker I would be sure to have a few of my well recorded rock cd's on hand to see how they hold up as the volume level increased.

So far during my own search, the two speakers that have stood out in the crowd that fall into the category of this thread that I would consider are the Aerial 7T and the Monitor Audio PL300. I am lucky enough to have a dealer within driving distance who offers both brands but I have a sneaky suspicion that they won't have these models sitting on the floor for review.
Eniac,

World class woofers have 4" diameter short voice coils in a long magnetic gap. Most 7 inch woofers have a 1 1/2" diameter long voice coil in a short gap (i.e. plenty of distortion). Great woofers start at around 12 inch and some are as much as 18 inch. A good woofer may cost more than $500.