- bass
- The frequency range covering approximately 20-1000 Hz.
- bobbin
- A tube (most commonly made of plastic or metal) which is attached to the back of the speaker cone. The voice-coil is wound around the bobbin.
- capacitor
- A component used in crossover filters that creates a frequency dependent impedance (higher at low frequencies and lower at high frequencies - the opposite of a what an inductor creates).
- cone
- The part of an electrodynamic speaker that is shaped like an inverted cone. Usually made of paper or plastic, however, there are many materials used to make cones. The forward/backward movement of this part causes the air pressure variations we perceive as sound.
- electrodynamic
- For our purposes, this term will be used to refer to speakers whose movement is caused by an audio signal passing through a voice-coil which is immersed in a magnetic field.
- excursion
- This term refers to how far forward/backward a speaker can move.
- frequency dependent
- Something being frequency dependent means it is different at different frequencies.
- Hertz
- A unit of measurement for frequency, equal to one cycle per second. Named after the physicist H.R. Hertz. Commonly abbreviated Hz.
- high pass
- A filter that passes frequencies above the one it was designed for unchanged, and attenuates , or reduces the level of the signal below the frequency range it was built for.
- impedance
- Opposition to the flow of an alternating current (music is one form of alternating current). Although impedance and resistance share the same unit of measurement, the Ohm, they are not the same thing. In an electrodynamic speaker, the impedance varies with the frequency of the signal being applied to it.
- inductor
- An inductor is a coil of wire used in crossover filters that creates a frequency dependent impedance (lower at low frequencies and higher at high frequencies - the opposite of a what a capacitor creates).
- k
- k is from the metric system. It means kilo, or 1000.
- low pass
- A filter that passes frequencies below the one it was designed for unchanged, and attenuates , or reduces the level of the signal above the frequency range it was designed for.
- ohm
- A unit of measurement for resistance and impedance. Represented by the symbol
which is the Greek letter Omega.
- resistance
- The opposition to the flow of D.C. current.
- resistor
- A device used to restrict the flow of current in a circuit.
- spectrum
- A complete range.
- treble
- The high end of the audio spectrum, covering from approximately 4 kHz to 20 kHz.
- voice-coil
- A coil of wire inside the speaker which is attached to the bobbin. When an audio signal flows through this, it causes the speaker cone to move forward/backward (because a speaker is an electromagnetic device).
Accessories Home Links Loudspeakers 101 Software