What Makes a Speaker Sound Good?

Home audio aficionados are paying more attention to their speaker selections.

Of all the components in an audio system, speakers can make or break music quality as well as musical performances and how realistic they sound. While speakers from across the pricing spectrum share features, the quality of each dictates how good the sound is. Speaker drivers, crossovers and cabinet construction form a speaker's foundation.

Drivers

At the core of any speaker is the driver. Its frame serves as a mount for cones and coils used to convert signal to sound. Drivers made of materials such as ribbon or ceramic perform better than ones constructed from paper or plastic.

Crossovers

Circuits called crossovers create clarity in performance, but poorly designed ones actually hinder the signal and musical quality.

Cabinets

Heavier speaker enclosures indicate the amount of bracing and material that houses a speaker core. The shape of the enclosure such as rounded edges and cylinders leads to better frequency response and overall sound quality. Lighter speaker enclosures tend to vibrate or discolor sound.

References

• Home Theatre HIFI: Speakers
• Huff Loudspeaker: Information
• Home Speaker: Acoustic Audio Speakers