Guide Note

Speakers, loudspeakers, or speaker systems convert electrical signals into sound. Speakers are incorporated with audio systems to produce sound and music.

Fast Facts

1. 1st speaker patent: 1876
2. 1st patent holder: Alexander Graham Bell
3. 1st speaker used for Bell's telephone
4. Modern moving-coil driver designed by Oliver Lodge (1898)
5. Moving-coil principle patented: 1924
6. Moving-coil patent-holders: Chester W. Rice & Edward W. Kellogg

Audio speakers are found in many electrical devices that we use everyday. These include televisions, cars, computers, and even cell phones. The higher quality a speaker is, the better the sound coming out of it will be. This is important for speakers used with audio systems, since it is desirable to have the best sounding music as possible.

To achieve ideal sound from a speaker, it is important to fit it with a proper enclosure. For audio setups, speakers are often mounted in a compatible box or cabinet. After speakers are properly positioned, they can be mated with an amplifier to provide additional power to the speakers, which in turn creates a better quality of sounds. Speaker applications can vary based on the specific use.

• * Subwoofer: Loudspeaker that produces bass
• * Bass: Low frequency sound
• * Treble: High frequency sound
• * Midrange (or "mids"): Frequency that the human ear hears comfortably
• * RMS / "root mean square": power output of an amplifier