Smaller speakers these days

[Kasey]

i hope its okay i post this here. my question is about home stereo speakers, not studio monitors... so i didnt know where else to post. Anyways, it used to be that the bigger the speakers you had for your stereo system or entertainment center the better. now the speakers are smaller than my fist, and thats how everyone wants them. What advancement in technology aloud speaker makers to get the same amount of bass and power that was acheived with the massive speakers with the new little speakers? Obviously there must be a loss though, since studio monitors havent really changed at all... only stereo speakers... so yea, im thinking somethings up and i want to know.

 

[Pinachi]

First thing comes to mind is..smaller=more acurate?

I believe its better to have many small speakers than one big one,but i dont know how this might effect the frequency of an audio played.

Maybe they just want to save space?

I dont know,i just live here

 

[SouthSIDE Glen]

First, studio monitors have changed. Near-field monitors are a relatively new (as seen by the big pictire) development, and many have gotten better and cheaper since th NS10 and it's early ilk.

But the main forces behind the miniturization of loudspeakers are (mostly) advances in materials technology and (also) advances in speaker cabinet design.

I'm a bit out of touch on exact materials used these days, but basically loudspeaker elements have gotten stronger, lighter and faster because of materials used. From the space-age alloys used in the magnetic voice coils to high-tech polymers used in cone manufacture (as opposed to the old pressed-paper cones) to the layering of metal alloys via vapor diffusion techniques not available twenty years ago, the quality of the speakers themselves have greatly improved and the speed and accuracy to which they can respond to the electrical impulses fed them by the amplifer has as well.

There are also advances in cabinet design. Old-fashoned tuned port and acoustic suspension designs have been replaced by computer-designed interiors, ports and/or speaker array placements that help support the sound. Witness the revolutionary Bose Wave radio to which there are now dozens of copycats. The secret behind the response of the Wave radio (whether you like the sound or not) is the special acoustically-designed channels through which the sound wave travel before they leave the box.

G.

 

[AGCurry]

I'd say the biggest factor in the tendency to smaller speakers is the move from tubes to solid state. Speakers used to be big because in general big = efficient, requiring less power to drive. It's pretty cheap and easy to make high-power solid-state amps, so the speakers can be smaller, less efficient, but sound just as good if not better.

I'm not giving up my Altec Lansing Valencias yet, though. They sound great in my big high-ceilinged living room, and the Voice-of-the-Theater horns provide great stereo imaging. They're plenty loud with 15 watts.

 

[mshilarious]

A lot of home speaker purchases are driven by home theater, hence the little cubes with big subs. All you really need for movies is enough treble to hear the dialog and a kick in the ass for explosions. Midrange isn't that important. Plus there is the desire for a built-in or low-profile look, given the flat-screen TV hanging on the wall.