The Difference Between Receiver and Loudspeaker
A receiver is a component used in communication tools like telephones, walkie-talkies, and mobile phones to transmit sound. It is a type of loudspeaker but is generally not called a loudspeaker. This term is typically used to describe sound-transmitting parts in electronic products, such as mobile phones, walkie-talkies, etc.
Both the microphone and receiver contain a small diaphragm. The diaphragm in the microphone acts like the eardrum in the human ear. When you speak into it, the diaphragm vibrates. This diaphragm is connected to a small coil (note: this coil moves with the diaphragm's vibration). The microphone also contains a fixed permanent magnet (attached to the microphone housing). The diaphragm is elastic, serving both to vibrate and to pull the coil back to its initial position. One end is fixed to the housing, the other connected to the coil.
When the diaphragm vibrates, it drives the coil to vibrate. The relative position between the coil and the permanent magnet changes, altering the magnetic field passing through the coil. A changing magnetic field induces an electromotive force in the coil, generating current. Specific sounds produce specific vibrations, which in turn generate specific current patterns. Thus, the microphone 'encodes' sound into an electrical current.
The principle of the receiver is essentially the inverse of the microphone, with a nearly identical structure. The receiver also has a diaphragm connected to a coil and a permanent magnet. Specific current patterns (like those just 'encoded' by the microphone) flow through the receiver's coil, causing its magnetic field to change. Consequently, the magnetic force between the permanent magnet and the coil changes, altering their distance. This drives the diaphragm to vibrate and produce sound.
Loudspeaker
A loudspeaker, commonly called a 'speaker,' is a widely used electro-acoustic transducer found in any sound-producing electronic device.
Structure
A loudspeaker is a transducer that converts electrical signals into sound signals. Its performance significantly impacts sound quality. In audio equipment, the loudspeaker is often the weakest component, yet it is also the most critical for sound reproduction. There are many types of loudspeakers, with prices varying greatly. Audio electrical energy is converted into sound through electromagnetic, piezoelectric, or electrostatic effects, causing its cone or diaphragm to vibrate and resonate (sympathetically vibrate) with the surrounding air.
Low-end plastic speakers suffer from thin cabinets unable to overcome resonance, resulting in poor sound quality (though some well-designed plastic speakers outperform poor wooden ones). Wooden speakers reduce resonance-induced coloration, generally offering better sound quality than plastic speakers.
Typically, multimedia speakers use a dual-unit, two-way design: a smaller speaker handles mid-high frequencies, while a larger one handles mid-low frequencies.
Selecting speakers should consider the material of these two drivers: Current multimedia active speakers mainly use soft dome tweeters (others include titanium dome for analog sources). Paired with digital sources, they reduce harshness in high frequencies, imparting a gentle, smooth, and delicate feel. Common soft dome materials include better-quality silk and more cost-effective PV film.
The woofer determines the speaker's sonic character and is relatively more important to choose. Common types include: Paper cone, with subtypes like rubber-coated paper cone, paper-based wool cone, and pressed cone. Paper cones offer natural timbre, low cost, good rigidity, light weight, and high sensitivity. Disadvantages include poor moisture resistance and manufacturing consistency challenges. However, they are prevalent in top Hi-Fi systems due to very even output and accurate reproduction.
Common Loudspeakers
Kevlar (ballistic cloth): Offers wide frequency response and low distortion, ideal for bass enthusiasts. Disadvantages include high cost, complex manufacturing, and lower sensitivity; not optimal for light music.
Woven wool cone: Relatively soft, excellent for soft and light music, but lacks bass impact and power.
PP (Polypropylene) cone: Widely popular in high-end speakers. Offers good consistency, low distortion, and well-rounded performance. Other materials like fiber composites are rare in budget speakers due to high cost.
Larger speaker size is generally better. Large-diameter woofers perform better in low frequencies. This is a selection criterion. Speakers made with high-performance drivers imply lower transient distortion and better sound quality. Common multimedia speaker woofers are 3-5 inches. High-performance drivers also mean lower transient distortion and better sound quality.
The most common type is the electrodynamic cone loudspeaker (often called a paper cone speaker, though by 2014 cones used various materials like polymers and metal, making 'cone speaker' more accurate). It mainly consists of three parts: the magnetic circuit system (permanent magnet, pole piece, pole plate), the vibration system (cone, voice coil), and the support system (spider, basket, surround).
1. Voice Coil: The voice coil is the driving unit of the cone speaker. It consists of thin copper wire wound in two layers on a paper tube (dozens of turns), placed in the magnetic gap formed by the pole piece and pole plate. Fixed to the cone, the voice coil vibrates with it when audio current flows through it.
2. Cone: Cone diaphragm materials vary widely, generally divided into natural fibers (cotton, wood, wool, silk) and synthetic fibers (rayon, nylon, fiberglass). As the sound-radiating component, the cone largely determines speaker performance. It must be lightweight yet rigid, resistant to deformation from temperature/humidity changes.
3. Surround: The surround ensures axial cone movement, restricts lateral movement, and blocks airflow between the front and rear of the cone. Materials include those used for cones, plus plastics and natural rubber, heat-bonded to the cone.
4. Spider (Centering Washer): Supports the joint between the voice coil and cone, ensuring vertical alignment without tilting. Its concentric rings allow the voice coil to move freely vertically in the gap without touching the pole plate. The dust cap prevents external particles from entering the gap and causing friction noise.
Loudspeaker Construction
Generally, a loudspeaker consists of: Magnet, Frame (Basket), Spider, Surround, and Cone Diaphragm.
A receiver is a component used in communication tools like telephones, walkie-talkies, and mobile phones to transmit sound. It is a type of loudspeaker but is generally not called a loudspeaker. This term is typically used to describe sound-transmitting parts in electronic products, such as mobile phones, walkie-talkies, etc.
A loudspeaker is a transducer that converts electrical signals into sound signals. Its performance significantly impacts sound quality. In audio equipment, the loudspeaker is often the weakest component, yet it is also the most critical for sound reproduction. There are many types of loudspeakers, with prices varying greatly. Audio electrical energy is converted into sound through electromagnetic, piezoelectric, or electrostatic effects, causing its cone or diaphragm to vibrate and resonate (sympathetically vibrate) with the surrounding air.
Both the microphone and receiver contain a small diaphragm. The diaphragm in the microphone acts like the eardrum in the human ear. When you speak into it, the diaphragm vibrates. This diaphragm is connected to a small coil (note: this coil moves with the diaphragm's vibration). The microphone also contains a fixed permanent magnet (attached to the microphone housing). The diaphragm is elastic, serving both to vibrate and to pull the coil back to its initial position. One end is fixed to the housing, the other connected to the coil.
When the diaphragm vibrates, it drives the coil to vibrate. The relative position between the coil and the permanent magnet changes, altering the magnetic field passing through the coil. A changing magnetic field induces an electromotive force in the coil, generating current. Specific sounds produce specific vibrations, which in turn generate specific current patterns. Thus, the microphone 'encodes' sound into an electrical current.
The principle of the receiver is essentially the inverse of the microphone, with a nearly identical structure. The receiver also has a diaphragm connected to a coil and a permanent magnet. Specific current patterns (like those just 'encoded' by the microphone) flow through the receiver's coil, causing its magnetic field to change. Consequently, the magnetic force between the permanent magnet and the coil changes, altering their distance. This drives the diaphragm to vibrate and produce sound.
Loudspeaker
A loudspeaker, commonly called a 'speaker,' is a widely used electro-acoustic transducer found in any sound-producing electronic device.
Structure
A loudspeaker is a transducer that converts electrical signals into sound signals. Its performance significantly impacts sound quality. In audio equipment, the loudspeaker is often the weakest component, yet it is also the most critical for sound reproduction. There are many types of loudspeakers, with prices varying greatly. Audio electrical energy is converted into sound through electromagnetic, piezoelectric, or electrostatic effects, causing its cone or diaphragm to vibrate and resonate (sympathetically vibrate) with the surrounding air.
Low-end plastic speakers suffer from thin cabinets unable to overcome resonance, resulting in poor sound quality (though some well-designed plastic speakers outperform poor wooden ones). Wooden speakers reduce resonance-induced coloration, generally offering better sound quality than plastic speakers.
Typically, multimedia speakers use a dual-unit, two-way design: a smaller speaker handles mid-high frequencies, while a larger one handles mid-low frequencies.
Selecting speakers should consider the material of these two drivers: Current multimedia active speakers mainly use soft dome tweeters (others include titanium dome for analog sources). Paired with digital sources, they reduce harshness in high frequencies, imparting a gentle, smooth, and delicate feel. Common soft dome materials include better-quality silk and more cost-effective PV film.
The woofer determines the speaker's sonic character and is relatively more important to choose. Common types include: Paper cone, with subtypes like rubber-coated paper cone, paper-based wool cone, and pressed cone. Paper cones offer natural timbre, low cost, good rigidity, light weight, and high sensitivity. Disadvantages include poor moisture resistance and manufacturing consistency challenges. However, they are prevalent in top Hi-Fi systems due to very even output and accurate reproduction.
Common Loudspeakers
Kevlar (ballistic cloth): Offers wide frequency response and low distortion, ideal for bass enthusiasts. Disadvantages include high cost, complex manufacturing, and lower sensitivity; not optimal for light music.
Woven wool cone: Relatively soft, excellent for soft and light music, but lacks bass impact and power.
PP (Polypropylene) cone: Widely popular in high-end speakers. Offers good consistency, low distortion, and well-rounded performance. Other materials like fiber composites are rare in budget speakers due to high cost.
Larger speaker size is generally better. Large-diameter woofers perform better in low frequencies. This is a selection criterion. Speakers made with high-performance drivers imply lower transient distortion and better sound quality. Common multimedia speaker woofers are 3-5 inches. High-performance drivers also mean lower transient distortion and better sound quality.
The most common type is the electrodynamic cone loudspeaker (often called a paper cone speaker, though by 2014 cones used various materials like polymers and metal, making 'cone speaker' more accurate). It mainly consists of three parts: the magnetic circuit system (permanent magnet, pole piece, pole plate), the vibration system (cone, voice coil), and the support system (spider, basket, surround).
1. Voice Coil: The voice coil is the driving unit of the cone speaker. It consists of thin copper wire wound in two layers on a paper tube (dozens of turns), placed in the magnetic gap formed by the pole piece and pole plate. Fixed to the cone, the voice coil vibrates with it when audio current flows through it.
2. Cone: Cone diaphragm materials vary widely, generally divided into natural fibers (cotton, wood, wool, silk) and synthetic fibers (rayon, nylon, fiberglass). As the sound-radiating component, the cone largely determines speaker performance. It must be lightweight yet rigid, resistant to deformation from temperature/humidity changes.
3. Surround: The surround ensures axial cone movement, restricts lateral movement, and blocks airflow between the front and rear of the cone. Materials include those used for cones, plus plastics and natural rubber, heat-bonded to the cone.
4. Spider (Centering Washer): Supports the joint between the voice coil and cone, ensuring vertical alignment without tilting. Its concentric rings allow the voice coil to move freely vertically in the gap without touching the pole plate. The dust cap prevents external particles from entering the gap and causing friction noise.
Loudspeaker Construction
Generally, a loudspeaker consists of: Magnet, Frame (Basket), Spider, Surround, and Cone Diaphragm.
A receiver is a component used in communication tools like telephones, walkie-talkies, and mobile phones to transmit sound. It is a type of loudspeaker but is generally not called a loudspeaker. This term is typically used to describe sound-transmitting parts in electronic products, such as mobile phones, walkie-talkies, etc.
A loudspeaker is a transducer that converts electrical signals into sound signals. Its performance significantly impacts sound quality. In audio equipment, the loudspeaker is often the weakest component, yet it is also the most critical for sound reproduction. There are many types of loudspeakers, with prices varying greatly. Audio electrical energy is converted into sound through electromagnetic, piezoelectric, or electrostatic effects, causing its cone or diaphragm to vibrate and resonate (sympathetically vibrate) with the surrounding air.