Now you might have a pair of those sweet subs in the back of your car, but do you know how they work? And what makes some speakers sound crisp and clear but others tinny.
And what really is volume? First off what is a speaker? Well for one in the dictionary it is known as a loudspeaker.
It basically is a device that converts electronic signals into an audible sound at different intensities.
Loudspeakers are divided into different drivers (a.
k.
a.
components): the subwoofer, woofers, mid-range speakers, and tweeters.
Where did the loudspeaker come from? In 1874 Ernst W.
Siemens first described the phenomena of the dynamic moving-coil transducer.
But it was Alexander Graham Bell (the inventor of the telephone) who first patented it and put it to use.
Yes that's right.
Telephones were the first use of speakers ever.
After this discovery many patents and improvements on the technology set the groundwork for what we use speakers for today.
What are speakers made of? The primary piece that takes up the most space is the diaphragm.
The diaphragm is the cone part of the speaker that is easily viewed from the outside.
The cone holds a wire that is in a magnetic field.
Now here's where you might lose me so pay attention.
The magnetic field is made when an electrical current is sent through the wire.
This magnetic field causes the magnetic system inside the diaphragm to move back and forth.
When more or less electrical signal is sent through the wire the farther away and back the vibrations are, creating higher or lower pitches.
To keep the diaphragm and wire at a neutral position, a suspension system is placed in the mix.
The suspension system is made up of the "spider" and a "surround.
" The spider connects the bottom of the diaphragm to the frame.
The surround is the piece of material found just at the top of the diaphragm that goes around the entire edge and keeps the cone aligned with the magnetized wire.
Why is it important to have a loudspeaker system instead of just one driver? Some drivers are made specially to cover different frequencies or ranges of sound.
There are 4 main categories of drivers that make up a system: subwoofer, woofer, mid-range, and the tweeter.
Subwoofer: The subwoofer is the key to the bass sound you here in your songs.
It handles all of the frequencies lower than 120 hertz.
Woofer: This is used to eliminate the subwoofer from the system.
However its frequencies cannot reach the low point that a subwoofer can reach.
Often used in computer speakers where there is usually a pair of drivers that is required to cover all of the ranges of sound.
Mid-range driver: This is used to create all of the middle range frequencies from vocals to guitar riffs.
Tweeter: This is used to produce the very high frequency sounds from the wah-wah sounds in guitar solos to the high pitch beats in techno music.
What determines the clarity? Well it so much clarity that you are looking for it's the material the diaphragm is made out of.
The ideal diaphragm is stiff (to prevent uncontrolled movements by the cone), light, and damped (reduce the aftershock made by the vibrations).
But with the materials used to make the diaphragm, you lack one of the qualities of the ideal diaphragm.
For instance, metal is stiff and light but it is not damp and usually gives you that tinny sound when listening to music.
Well this is it.
I hope all you noobs out there have learned what and how the speaker works.
Feel free to comment if I left anything out.