Audio Panels

A loudspeaker, speaker, or speaker system is an electromechanical transducer that converts an electrical signal to sound. more...

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The term loudspeaker can refer to individual devices (otherwise known as drivers), or to complete systems consisting of an enclosure incorporating one or more drivers and additional electronic components. Loudspeakers, as with other electro-acoustic transducers, are the most variable elements in an audio system and are responsible for the greatest degree of audible differences between sound systems.

To reproduce a wide range of frequencies, most loudspeaker systems require more than one driver, particularly for high sound pressure level or high fidelity applications. Individual drivers are used to cover different frequency ranges. The drivers are named subwoofers, for very low frequencies; woofers, for low frequencies; mid-range speakers, for middle frequencies; tweeters, for high frequencies; and, also, the so-called supertweeters, which are basically tweeters optimized for higher frequencies than a normal tweeter.

These terms for different speaker applications/ranges can differ widely depending on the application. Home stereos use the designation "tweeter" for high frequencies whereas professional audio systems for concerts typically designate all types of high frequency drivers simply as HF or "highs". High frequency compression driver units are also called "horns" in cases where the professional loudspeaker's lower frequency drivers are front-loaded. There is also a distinct difference in terminology between that used in the U.S. versus the U.K.

A "filter network", called a crossover separates the incoming signal into different frequency bands appropriate for each driver. A loudspeaker system with 'N' separate frequency bands is described as "N-way speakers": a 2-way system will have woofer and tweeter speakers; a 3-way system is a combination of a set of woofers, mid-range speakers, and tweeters(HF drivers).

History

Alexander Graham Bell patented the first electrical loudspeaker as part of his telephone in 1876, which was followed in 1878 by an improved version from Ernst Siemens. Nikola Tesla reportedly created a similar device in 1881, but was not issued as a patent. During this time, Thomas Edison issued a British patent for a system using compressed air as an amplifying mechanism for his early cylinder phonographs, but he ultimately settled for the familiar metal horn driven by a membrane attached to the stylus. In 1898, Horace Short patented a design for a loudspeaker driven by compressed air, then sold the rights to Charles Parsons, who issued several additional British patents before 1910. Several companies, including Victor Talking Machine Company and Pathe, produced record players using compressed-air loudspeakers. However, these designs were significantly limited by their poor sound quality and their inability to reproduce sound at low-volume. Variants of the system were used for public address applications, and more recently other variations have been used to test space equipment due to the resistance to the very loud sound levels that launching rockets produce (ca, 165 dB SPL).

Read more at Wikipedia.org