Hi, i'm newbie here..first of all what exactly is full-range driver, is it beneficial?
This is common in PC speaker sytem, but how do i define these?
Does full-range driver applied only to satellite speaker that have single driver, and can someone give example of PC speaker that use full-range?

Again, many thanks..i find only this forum can give comprehensive guide of audio.

applies to single driver only I guess, because a 2.1 system is practically using a second driver as the subwoofer with the exception that it is encased and placed seperately.

btw, google would have helped you, first hit: http://fullrangedriver.com/

A full-range driver is a vain attempt to have one loudspeaker chassis with one diaphragm cover the entire audio range.



Depends on how many liberties you wish to take with what you think the audio range is. If you sacrifice several octaves of bass and maybe an octave or two of treble, then indeed you can have a full-range driver of sorts. IOW, if you all 200 Hz to 5 KHz, and limited dynamic range "full range". then indded you have a "full range driver". But even that might not be very satisfactory, because it will be prone to rough response and poor directionality control.




PC speaker systems with just a single driver per channel are not exactly what you'd call full-range, full-dynamics devices. They are highly limited.

Even PC speakers are commonly implemented with a 2-way or 3-way design. Probably the simplest design that can be considered to have high fidelity and be full-range would be 2-way satellites with a shared subwoofer.



"highly limited"

Not really high fidelity.



None come to mind.



The only examples of full-range high fidelity drivers that I can think of are headphones and earphones. Note that 2 and 3 way earphones are not uncommon.

I think 200Hz to 5kHz is a mid range driver. Good full range drivers can cover 200Hz to 20kHz. I have one sitting on my shelf next to me that will cover 100Hz to 15Khz, but just won't go very loud. Some Fostex drivers have good sensitivity but poor maximum excursion. EJ Jordan make a very good full range driver that lacks a little in the bass and get a little rough in the top octave.

Full range drivers do have trade-offs; they can have a narrower frequency range, or limited maximum sound pressure level/limited power handling. I don't think it is fair to dismiss them completely.

Here is a good DIY design with a detailed write up: http://www.zaphaudio.com/audio-speaker18.html

I used to have a full range setup (DIY) and it was quite good with just vocals or acoustic guitar but quality was not that good for loud rock and even worse classical.
I was using not so expensive drivers, I'm sure if you get into more expensive range - it will get better but the problem of congestion on very "busy" music still exists.

Virtually all good "HI-Fi" speakers use at least a woofer and a tweeter.

In your local department store or grocery store, the overhead speakers (used for background music and paging) are usually 8-inch full-range speakers. Some factory-installed car-stereos might use full-range speakers, and you can find low-end aftermarket car-speakers that are single-driver full-range. Most small portable radios and some TVs also use them.

Full range speakers are also common for electric guitar amps, since you don't need the "full 20-20kHz" range for a guitar. But, electric bass speakers often have a tweeter. I assume this is because the woofer needs to be "tuned" lower, and then you sometimes need a tweeter to cover the harmonics.

It's probably more appropriate to call such PC speakers "one-way" rather than "full range", since their usually paired with a sub.