Car Audio Speakers

Frequency

Technically, the frequency of a sound wave is the number of cycles the sound source produces in 1 second. This relationship of cycles against time is measured in Hertz. With this in mind, speakers have specialized somewhat, having narrowed down their capability to producing sounds at a specific range of frequencies. Proper speaker choice which would encompass the entire range of audible sound would determine the quality of your listening experience.

Crossover

Simply put, a crossover is a filter of sorts, which separates the source sound into its low, middle, and high frequencies, and supplies the appropriate group to corresponding speakers.

Full-range

Well, as the name implies, these speaker types can output the whole gamut of audible sound. A trade off of this capability would be reduced clarity and a fair amount of distortion, since these types usually have low power handling capabilities.

Mid-range

These types handle the middle frequencies of sound. These frequencies are the flat monotones typically close to the frequency of human speech, but lacking in presence and oomph. Not meant to stand alone, these speakers are usually accompanied by other speakers which handle the high and low frequencies beyond the mid range.

Tweeter

These are the tiny speakers that are responsible for the high pitched sounds such as the crashing of cymbals or the clinking of breaking glass. When installing speakers, one should consider the properties and idiosyncrasies of the sound wave at different frequencies when planning speaker placement. The lower bass frequencies tend to travel further and appear to have the ability to round corners. The higher frequencies however have a shorter range of travel and usually go in a straight line. Hence, tweeters are usually placed closer and pointed directly at the listener. Factory-built speaker setups in cars sold today, but some older cars will just use their mid-range speaker to play all frequencies.

Woofer

These speakers are usually the huge behemoths found in the trunk, and are responsible for playing the range of low pitched sounds from the punchy Bob Marley bass lines to the sub audible rumbling of a jumbo jet takeoff.