Basic Speaker Parts

driver
Loudspeakers are defined as sound drivers or drivers. The driver is the main element of a speaker system because it converts line-level voltage from a speaker amplifier into sound by pushing and pulling air molecules in the waves that are of interest to the human ear. Drivers can be made of different materials - from reinforced paper cone shapes, metal dome diaphragms or carbon fiber elements; all within metal coils.
enclosure
Made of wood, plastic, and in some cases plasterboard or concrete, the enclosure is the box or cavity in which the drive is installed. A shell can contain a single driver or multiple drivers.
Without an enclosure there is no speaker. The size of the enclosure determines the volume of air flow and, therefore, the sound force a speaker can produce in a given room. This correlation suggests that the size of the speaker cabinet should be related to the size of the room. Unfortunately, speakers designed for larger rooms don't sound great in smaller rooms. And relatedly, the reverse is also true. Speaker enclosures come in a variety of designs, such as port reflexes with a hole in the front or back to leak more bass. Fascinatingly, some others are completely sealed—well-designed sealed enclosures tend to produce more accurate sounds. A well-made loudspeaker cabinet uses a reinforced structure, often referred to in loudspeaker specifications as a strut cabinet - to ensure that the cabinet vibrates as little as possible to avoid unwanted coloration, especially at resonance in the cabinet The lower frequency tends to be closer to the higher bass frequencies.
Diaphragm:
A diaphragm is a device that converts mechanical motion into sound waves.
Cone:
The cone is the diaphragm that connects to the voice coil. The cone is the section containing the larger surface, designed for maximum air flow as the voice coil moves. Cones can be made of paper, carbon fiber, black polypropylene, aluminum, titanium, phenolic, magnesium, granite, fiberglass, ceramic, or Kevlar.
Voice coil:
The voice coil is made of copper wire and is an electromagnet that provides the motive force for the cone by the reaction of the magnetic field to the current passing through it. A voice coil is a set of windings wound on a form of aluminum, nomex, kapton or other material. It is made using flat or round wound wire. Nominal impedances are 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 16 or 32 ohms.
Dust cap:
A dust cap is a diaphragm designed to cover the voice coil opening from the rest of the speaker's interior. It can be made of paper, aluminum, felt, rubber, screen or polypropylene.
spider:
The bracket is made of treated paper coated with adhesive and sits inside the speaker, its main function is to keep the voice coil in proper alignment and to ensure the speaker returns to its normal position between vibrations. It acts like a safety mechanism to keep all the internal parts in place. The Spider fits snugly around the voice coil and attaches to the speaker basket.
Surround:
The surround is polyfoam, foam, butyl rubber, accordion or monocloth or "m" roll cloth ring that holds the cone and basket together. It acts as a suspension system, working in harmony with the star bracket, bringing the cone to its normal position between vibrations.
Drive Diaphragm:
The driver diaphragm is attached to the metal basket with an acoustic spider suspension on one end and a flexible surround on the other.
basket:
The basket is a structure made of aluminum or plastic that protects all internal parts and serves as structural reinforcement so that no additional deformation occurs.
washer:
Made of foam, rubber or cardboard. The primary function of the gasket is to minimize vibration between the driver and the housing.
magnet:
Magnets are made from a group of metals called ferromagnetic metals. These are metals such as iron and nickel. These metals have the special property of being able to be magnetized. On a speaker, the magnet is a large piece located on the back of the speaker. The magnet acts as a negative or positive inverter for the voice coil, which in turn moves the diaphragm and makes the driver sound.
General Assembly:
The diaphragm, star mount and surround are rigidly connected to a voice coil suspended by a magnetic field created by a permanent magnet. The entire assembly is free to move according to the movement of the voice coil in response to the electrical signal. This movement moves the air in the room to create sound.
speaker design
Understanding speaker parts by design is important because speaker design helps demonstrate comparisons between speaker specifications. A comprehensive understanding of how loudspeakers are built internally provides enhanced knowledge that can visualize the differences between different types of loudspeakers. This is the main reason why a great speaker manufacturer spends years and millions of dollars researching and developing a model line worthy of the manufacturer's logo.