Subwoofer time-domain speed is set by amplitude response, not driver design

Evidence

Loudspeaker transducers were found to be minimum-phase devices within their operating bandwidths, meaning that the time-domain, transient response behavior is predictable from the amplitude response. “Massless” film diaphragms don’t move faster than conventional cones and domes covering the same bandwidth—it is the strength of the motor that makes the difference. I now have a massive electric luxury sedan that accelerates more rapidly than most many-cylinder turbocharged lightweight sports cars—it’s a horsepower/torque-to-mass matter. The high frequency limit revealed by the amplitude response defines the rise time. Instinct is wrong yet again. — , Toole, Floyd E - Sound reproduction-…, 506 (#expands, via linked claim)

The notion of “fast” subwoofers is misguided, in that the time-domain performance of minimum-phase systems is predictable from the amplitude response. With an 80 Hz bass management crossover frequency, all subwoofers are equally “fast.” So, what we confront in the real world is essentially “fast” subwoofers communicating through “slow” rooms. — , Toole, Floyd E - Sound reproduction-…, 1017 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: All subwoofers sound equally fast because rooms, not drivers, dominate bass time response — , Toole, Floyd E - Sound reproduction-…, 1017; Frequency-response peaks prove time-domain ringing in minimum-phase devices; Transducer transient response is fully predictable from its amplitude response — , Toole, Floyd E - Sound reproduction-…, 506

Related

• Transducer transient response is fully predictable from its amplitude response (similarity 0.91)
• All subwoofers sound equally fast because rooms, not drivers, dominate bass time response (similarity 0.88)
• Subwoofers aid rather than harm good sound reproduction (similarity 0.87)
• All subwoofers are equally fast at 80 Hz and rooms slow them down (similarity 0.82)
• High-frequency drivers need far less motion than low-frequency drivers to radiate similar loudness. (similarity 0.78)

Broader Connections

• Transducer transient response is fully predictable from its amplitude response #expands (0.93) — , Toole, Floyd E - Sound reproduction-…, 506
• All subwoofers sound equally fast because rooms, not drivers, dominate bass time response #corroborates (0.92) — , Toole, Floyd E - Sound reproduction-…, 1017
• Frequency-response peaks prove time-domain ringing in minimum-phase devices #corroborates (0.72)