When and why did the typical floorstanding speaker lose the midrange driver?

[Ollie Valcairo]

Up to the 1990s, and maybe later too, when you bought a floorstanding speaker cabinet there most likely be a tweeter, a midrange, and a bass driver. Now you will typically get a tweeter and two identical lower frequency drivers. Why did that happen and over what period did the switch occur? I suppose there was technological improvement that meant a 160mm driver could now handle midrange and bass sounds with good balance, and that was not possible earlier.
Now, when I write 'typical', I mean most floorstanding speakers costing up to £1000 roughly. I know there are many setups that employ 3 different drivers but I don't think these are typical any longer.

[Pharos]

Any designer makes decisions on many factors; his and others' sensibilities to speakers' failings, cost/benefit analysis of various options, current fashion, change in technology which may eliminate previous shortcomings, are a few.

This applies to bass types, and what you describe. Mid/woofers may now be designed to go higher with a better performance thus negating the need for another driver and a much more difficult to design and expensive to make Xover.

It is also necessary to look at what the current 'fad' is, and to perhaps follow it to get a share of the market.

I don't like three ways because of the several points of source, but others may be more offended by the other, two way design compromises.

There are very few ABRs now, or transmission lines, when nonce they were much more frequently produced.

Often a mid/bass driver is now used only for its upper range presumably for the economic reasons of only needing to produce two driver types.

[Macca]

Up to the 1990s, and maybe later too, when you bought a floorstanding speaker cabinet there most likely be a tweeter, a midrange, and a bass driver. Now you will typically get a tweeter and two identical lower frequency drivers. Why did that happen and over what period did the switch occur? I suppose there was technological improvement that meant a 160mm driver could now handle midrange and bass sounds with good balance, and that was not possible earlier.

Pretty much what you say, drivers improved, I'd say it started really catching on in the late 1980s though. Before that it would be a two way with an ABR to reinforce the bass.

If you look at model ranges from the big companies they tend to go two-way at the bottom, then a two and half way, but the flagship of the range will still be a three or four way design.

[Lawrence001]

The fashion for slimmer speakers probably had an effect as well. As makers started adding multiple 5-6" drivers they would naturally go higher than an 8-12" driver. Combined with the "invention" of (or common usage of, as I don't know when the idea was first thought up) the 2.5 way crossover, this made separate mid range drivers redundant. It was probably cheaper to make or buy more of the same size driver too (although the better 2.5 way speakers will have different spec drivers for mid/bass and bass).

[Made in 1968]

A lot of people live in small Lego houses these days, Well have done for years but lots of New Builds. If you ever been in one the rooms are as big as a prison Cell so i think small Floor standers are popular & bigger ones are a not. I do see a lot of people wanting tiny Bookshelf speakers too. Not sure if the industry sees this but i do see a lot of small floor standers available. We are in a 4.6mtr square Living Room, may seem big but when the sofa & furniture are in i only have room for Tiny speakers..

[RobbieGong]

Sorry, I'm meaning most or a lot do the slim designs as well as large speaker designs with big woofers, so Spendor, Tannoy, Usher, Wilson Benesh, ATC, Klipsch .......

[Made in 1968]

What the Average height of a modern Floorstander 1Mtr Tall?

[bumpy]

I personally hate the way that smallish mid range drivers are forced to cover the lower frequencies. Nothing worse than seeing such drivers flapping in the breeze trying to deliver.

[drrdf]

Part of this may be due to the fact that infra-base no longer seems to be popular or fashionable. You cannot get acceptable coverage down to 15 Hz with these modern devices.

[Barry]

Part of this may be due to the fact that infra-base no longer seems to be popular or fashionable. You cannot get acceptable coverage down to 15 Hz with these modern devices.

I seriously doubt you can get 'acceptable coverage down to 15Hz' with any reasonably sized domestic speaker. Most of what you are hearing is usually frequency doubling.