Not overanalyzing at all, BBIBH. In fact, you nailed it in your last paragraph. I would only add that smaller woofer cones--as opposed to, 12-inch cones--have less mass, and are less prone to flexing (they can be made stiffer more easily) as they move rapidly back and forth compressing and rarefying the air molecules.
So if a 6-inch cone is lighter and stiffer than a 12-inch driver, it will require less force to move it, and because it doesn't flex, it will produce less distortion and coloration. By pairing a couple of 6-inch drivers, you can move roughly the same quantity of air and achieve comparable low-frequency output and bass extension with the decided advantages that smaller-cone drivers yield.
Alan Lofft
Axiom Resident Expert
