What Is a Speaker? How to Tell the Different Types Apart
A speaker turns electrical signals into sound. Learn how active and passive speakers differ, and how woofers, subwoofers and midbass speakers compare.
If you love music and movies, you are surely familiar with speakers. Speakers bring more life to the audio when you listen to music or watch a film. Even if you use them in your daily activities, do you know what a speaker actually is? And how many types of speakers are there? If you do not know yet, the description below may add to your knowledge.
What is a speaker?
A speaker is a piece of hardware that outputs sound from a computer, DVD player, MP3 player or phone. The sound a speaker produces comes from processing electrical signals into audio frequencies. Speakers can generally be divided into two types: active and passive.
Active and passive speakers defined
An active speaker is a loudspeaker that already has a power amplifier built into a box or enclosure, so it needs no additional power amplifier. A passive speaker, on the other hand, does not have a built-in power amplifier. For a passive speaker to work at its best, you must add a power amplifier.
Types of speakers
- Woofer
The main job of this type of speaker is to produce low tones, or bass. Woofer speakers usually have a frequency range of about 60 Hz to 250 Hz. Woofers on the market come in many sizes, though they are commonly 4, 6 and 8 inches.
- Subwoofer
Subwoofers are designed specifically to produce low audio at frequencies of 20 to 200 Hz. To reproduce such low frequencies, these speakers need a certain standard called THX, a certification for sound systems. Common sizes are 10, 12 and 15 inches.
- Midbass
This speaker is often called a midwoofer. The range it produces is between 80 and 350 Hz, so the sound tends to be mid to low. This is related to its small size, only 5 to 7 inches.
So, what is a speaker? After reading the description above, you can surely answer that question. Simply put, a speaker is a piece of hardware that outputs sound from a computer, phone, MP3 player or DVD player. Speakers also come in two kinds, active and passive, which differ in whether an amplifier is built in. Finally, these two kinds are divided again into several types. You can get top-quality speakers at www.bliaudio.com
