Audio Speaker Basics - The Final Link in Your Audio System

The term “audio speaker” is very broad and can refer to a number of components.

Generally speaking, Audio Speakers are needed to reproduce any kind of audio signal that is transmitted from a radio, CD player, MP3 player or any other audio source.

Although headphones are considered to be distinct from speakers, technically speaking the headphones have tiny speakers in them which allow us to hear audio signals when they are put on or in the ear.

Because headphones are worn so close to the ear, the Sound Pressure Levels (SPL) are much lower than those produced by loudspeakers, which are designed for producing sound in a large space.

Loudspeakers designed for listing to music need to be able to reproduce the entire frequency range. Humans can hear sounds in the range of 20 to 20,000 hertz, although most music will be made up of a smaller range of about 50 to 15,000 hertz.

Quality loudspeakers it to be able to reproduce this frequency range accurately, and they do this by incorporating several speakers into each loudspeaker enclosure.

Each speaker in a loudspeaker enclosure reproduces a certain frequency range. Woofers are for low frequencies and tweeters are for high frequencies. Sometimes there is a midrange speaker for reproducing mid frequencies.

All these speakers are connected together with a crossover which is an electronic component designed to split the audio frequencies into various bands.

Loudspeaker enclosures may house more than one of each type of speaker. There may be several woofers and even several tweeters to reinforce the sound and allow music to be played at greater volumes.

Tweeters are directional speakers, meaning that they transmit sound in a limited range, so several tweeters may be incorporated into a loudspeaker enclosure in order to dissipate high-frequency sounds more efficiently.

Modern speakers use synthetic materials such as polypropylene in their construction. These new materials have improved the audio qualities of inexpensive speakers, putting respectable audio sound within the financial means of more people than ever before.

At the same time, new technologies are being used in high-end speakers, providing amazing musical clarity to those who can afford it.