Posted to Speakers Articles 2009-03-01
What the guy selling speakers out of a van doesn't tell you... not all speakers are the same!
Purchasing loudspeakers for your stereo system is a process guided by personal preference and budget more than anything else. No matter how much money you plan on spending, however, there are certain features one should seek and others one should avoid.
Loudspeaker Types
Speaker drivers are divided into three principal types separated by the frequencies they reproduce:
• Tweeter Drivers: These are the smallest speakers, being between ½" and 1" in size and reproducing frequencies from 2KHz to 20KHz
• Midrange Drivers: Speakers between 2.5" and 6 1/2" reproducing frequencies between 200Hz and 4 KHz.
• Woofers are the largest speakers, between 6 ½" and 15" and reproducing sounds between 20Hz and 500Hz.
A fourth type of speaker that has become very popular is the subwoofer. A subwoofer is a specialized speaker used to reproduced sounds around 100Hz and below. These speakers sometimes draw power passively and sometimes have their own separate source of power. Subwoofers are necessary to experience the full range of sound used in most modern films and music. Their speaker may point out the front or at the ground.
Loudspeaker Enclosures
There are different types of enclosures used to house speakers that have an influence on sound quality. Baffle speakers are suspended in a sealed enclosure that uses the space around the speaker to reproduce the sound. They have good response but are less efficient than other types of enclosures.
Bass reflex systems are a tuned type of cabinet. They have great output but can be more sensitive to small flaws in the design.
Transmission line speakers are held in an enclosure where the speaker rests at the end of a pathway produced by bends and curves in batting. This has the effect of producing a channel which aids in bass responsiveness. The length of the channel will be determined by the frequency response of the speaker.
Loudspeaker Wiring
Speaker wiring can be purchased pre-terminated or with loose wire ends. Though it's commonly seen, using unterminated wires presents several hazards. Principally, the loose wires may come into contact with one another, creating a short circuit that can destroy the amplifier or, in the best case scenario, simply cause it to shut down for a time. The terminals on the rear of speakers are usually spring loaded or post-type terminals which use a screw device to secure the speaker wire. Either sort will be marked + and -. These polarity markings should always be matched with those on the back of the stereo system.
Some of the most common terminators for speaker wire include solder-trimmed ends, crimped spade lugs, 2 pin DIN connectors and banana plugs. Which one you use will depend on what your speaker accepts.
Loudspeaker Driver
Drivers have many different styles. The most common is the cone or diaphragm. It usually is housed in a basket and has a magnetic coil. Some speakers have cones manufactured with paper (or paper fiber) while others Kevlar or other composites.
Crossover
The crossover separates the signal from the amplifier and directs the frequencies to the correct driver. Depending on the speaker type, there can be one (two way), two (three way), three (four way) or more crossovers inside and they can be active or passive. Active crossovers require an external power source.
Types of Speakers
Floorstanding
Bose 901:
Direct/ Reflecting stereo speakers with active equalizer
Jamo A 705:
Aesthetic series aluminum profile speaker
Klipsch F-1:
third generation Synergy Floorstanding Loudspeaker
Polk Audio LSi25: floorstanding loudspeaker with built-in powered subwoofer
Bookshelf
Klipsch RB-81: Reference Series Bookshelf Loudspeaker
JBL Control One: 2-Way, 4-Inch Personal-Size Control Series Monitor Loudspeaker
Center
Polk Audio LSiC: high performance center channel speaker
Klipsch RC-64: Reference Series Tapered Array Magnetically shielded center channel
Rear Surround
JBL CSB5:
2-Way Bookshelf/ On-Wall Loudspeaker
Subwoofer
Klipsch RW-12d: front-firing powered Reference Series subwoofer
In Wall
Klipsch R-5650-W: Pivoting Tractrix Horn tweeter In-wall Loudspeaker
