Different Types of Speakers
Speakers and audio systems have been a popular form of entertainment and relaxation for decades, and when it comes to listening to your favorite music or watching your favorite movie, it makes sense to listen to them in the best quality possible. This drive for perfection has pushed speaker research, development, and technology to where it is today. While the basic shape of what most people think of as an audio speaker might not have changed much over the years, the technology behind them, the materials they are made of, and many of the small details have progressed into products that produce excellent quality sound today.
In the early days of speakers, a consumer really didn’t have a lot of choices when it came to what kind of speakers they could purchase. Speakers as we know them today began to appear in the 1920s and only really started to become available to the general public in the 1930s, and these mostly came in the form of home radios. Before these speakers, the only real option for listening to music was to use a record player that utilized a large cone shaped horn to produce sound, and the arrival of speakers was a real game changer. These newly invented speakers not only provided a better sound quality than the primitive horns, but also took up far less space, and utilized the fast-growing and now universally common power source of electricity to produce sound.
Speakers that are available today come in a wide range of shapes and sizes and also produce different sounds based on the frequencies they are designed to operate at. Subwoofers, tweeters, and mid range speakers working together made up many sound systems over the years, but one of the most popular choices when it comes to speakers today are full range speakers. Sure, the name full range speaker sounds like it is going to produce a higher quality of sound than a mid range version, but what exactly makes a full range speaker better than other speakers?
Components of a Full Range Speaker
A speaker is often called a driver because it acts as the central part of any sound system and drives the sound by converting voltage into sound by pushing and pulling air molecules in to form of waves that human ears can understand and interpret. The layout and basic designs of the drivers haven’t really changed much and are the same simple layout that speakers have used for decades.
The most visible part of a speaker is the cone (or diaphragm), which fits into the framework (often called a basket) that makes up the body of the speaker. The cone takes up the most surface area of a speaker and is designed for movement, so it is attached to the speaker basket using a foam or cloth surround that acts as a suspension device and allows the cone to move and vibrate while still being appropriately secured. It is connected to the voice coil, which is usually attached to the back of the cone at its center. The voice coil is usually made from copper wire, which is wound tightly over another material, such as aluminum or other lightweight materials, and acts as an electromagnet that provides the force to move the cone that produces the sound we hear. The component known as the spider, which is made up of treated paper, fits tightly around the coil and is spaced so that everything stays in place during and after movement. A dust cap is also an important part because it covers and protects the coil opening and the other components.
The rear of a typical speaker contains a magnet, which is made from materials such as iron and nickel which are easily magnetized. This magnet usually comes in the form of a circular shape and surrounds the coil, and while the coil is attached to the cone, it is also suspended by the magnetic field which is created by the magnet. Electrical signals are used to energize the magnet, which moves the coil attached to the cone, this creates induction, and the resulting vibration produces the sound that we hear. Different styles of speakers are designed with different materials and in different sizes and diameters so that they will produce sound from a specific frequency range, so how exactly is a full range speaker different from all of the other products on the market?
Most audio speakers cannot produce the full range of frequencies that are heard by the human ear, and this is why multiple sizes and styles are often used to create a high-quality sound. A full range speaker contains all of the traditional components, including those listed above but also features a few other unique items which set them about the rest. One of the parts featured in many full range speakers that are not found in other designs is a smaller low-mass cone which is often called a whizzer. The whizzer fits in place where the larger diaphragm and voice coil meets, so visibly it sits on top of the larger cone, but is still underneath the dust cap which protects the coil. Sometimes the dust caps are also physically different and take a cone shape to improve use at higher frequencies.
Coaxial speakers and multi driver speakers are often confused with full range speakers, but they are really two separate speakers mounted in the same housing. The use of a whizzer along with the traditional cone and a modified dust cap can be thought of as a mechanical form of speaker crossover because it is utilizing different components to focus on different frequencies within a single driver unit instead of separating frequencies and sending them to various speakers designed to produce specific frequencies.
Full Range Speakers vs. Mid Range Speakers
Now that you know how a full range speaker differs from others speakers in terms of their design and frequency output, what are the real practical differences between the two? To produce a high quality sound, most audio systems have to utilize different speakers that focus on different frequency ranges, and this is what really sets full range speakers apart from their mid range counterparts.
Small speakers known as tweeters are used to handle high range frequencies, subwoofers are used for low range frequencies and focus on bass, while mid range speakers focus on frequencies found in the middle range of the spectrum. All of these speakers feature a single cone, and their shapes and the materials that they are made of help them focus on the specific frequencies they are designed for. A mid range speaker can be used to play high and low frequencies, but the sound quality will suffer because they don’t have much of a high frequency response, and frequencies too low will often damage a mid range speaker.
Mid range speakers work great when paired with tweeters and subwoofers to create a full-range system, but a system utilizing multiple speakers for multiple functions will take up a lot of space. A full range speaker will take up a lot less physical space while playing music across all frequency ranges with a high sound quality that a mid range speaker and most coaxial speakers can’t match. Not only will this save you space, it will also make for an easier installation and application.
Why Should You Purchase a Full Range Speaker?
So should you purchase a full range speaker? Well, that really depends on what goals you are trying to accomplish. There is nothing wrong with a multiple speaker setup that utilizes high frequency tweeters, mid ranges speakers, and a separate subwoofer to produce the sound that you want, but this option will take up a lot of space. If you are looking to leave a minimum footprint, then you will want to use a full range speaker just for space utilization reasons alone.
When it comes to sound quality, it is hard to beat a full range speaker. The use of full range drivers allows you to have an excellent high frequency response, and will allow you to have some bass that a mid range speaker can’t produce. The sound quality of a midrange speaker might sound ok on its own, but when compared to what a good full range speaker can produce, there is no real head-to-head comparison; a full range speaker is the best. So if you are looking to save space while still being able to listen to your music in the best possible quality, a full range speaker might work best for you.
Shop the Best Speakers at Garage Bagger Stereo
If you are looking to upgrade your sound systems with some of the best full range speakers on the market, look no further than Garage Bagger Stereo. When purchasing speakers and audio equipment, it is crucial to find the best quality equipment available and to get it from a reputable source. Garage Baggers carries the best brands on the market, and they are authorized dealers for Rockford Fosgate products and the other top brands. They have many years of combined experience when it comes to specialty speakers and motorcycle and marine-grade audio equipment. If you have any questions, they are just an email or call away and they can help point you in the right direction when it comes to accomplishing your sound system goals.
So head on over to https://garagebaggerstereo.com , order the best full range speakers on the market, install them, and enjoy many hours of trouble-free listening to your favorite music in the best quality possible!