Hi Jamie123
A loudspeaker, aside from the speaker drivers uses a crossover network
the crossover network creates 2 areas for 2 way speakers like woofer and tweeter
and 3 areas for a speaker having a woofer midrange and tweeter.
These are what is termed passive components, they when placed with the correct
values achieve ability to roll frequencies off, or block low frequencies
Typical values in a speaker are 70uf for woofers and 6uf for tweeters
The capacitor momentarily stores and releases a charge. A inductor
opposes change in current - to visualise what it does you have to think of
the speaker moving it creates via this movement what is called a back EMF
which is Electromagnetic Force. The inductor is designed to contain this EMF
generated signal, and if the inductor was not there the effect of the woofer
in particular would quickly interfere with the other speakers. A resistor
changes voltage to current and values in speakers are typically 10 ohms or less
as you do not want too much resistance as it is not energy being used to
directly reproduce sound.
Getting loudspeakers to work with passive components in cabinets can be a hit and miss affair
thankfully it is a science with much history http://www.classicspeakerpages.net/l...stic_research/
A good loudspeaker starts its life being designed for a enclosure size, as the enclosure and
how air interfaces with that enclosure dictates low frequency response.
Loudspeakers are very much guided by the properties of three main components
( although there are many more ) those being Capacitors Inductors and Resistors
each of these has certain virtues where loudspeakers are involved.
There are also active loudspeakers here frequency division normally done by passive
components is instead done precisely with active filters and amplifiers designed
not only for the speaker but also designed with exact frequency- usually with great result.
My suggestions invite a best of both approach, as inductors and Capacitors are opposite
in their behaviour but happen to work very well together. Compare this to a glass of cold milk
Milk being the Capacitor and the Fridge being the Inductor, the attribute of becoming cold
caused by placing the milk in the fridge - er... if the power is on.
Cheers / Chris
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