Theoretical Aspects on Building Loudspeakers

Dr.-Ing. Peter Strassacker
E-mail: peter@lautsprechershop.de
Peter Strassacker
Synopsis: Introduction  Theory  German Books  Tools/Calculators  Software  Measurement 
Speaker Building: Introduction  Cabinets  Tweeter  Woofer  Cabinets  Crossover  Capacitors  Inductors  Tuning
German Periodicals: Hobby HiFi  Klang+Ton    Events: Discussion  RiPole  our Newsletter 

This is a short summary of theories on loudspeakers:

The cabinet

This part of the loudspeaker determines the sound characteristics, in particular the bass response. The following cabinet types are common: Further information you'll find on our cabinet page. In case you want to calculate cabinet size yourself please download our software lspCAD lite on http://www.speakerbuilding.com/software/ware/lspcad_l.zip or you may also read our loudspeaker descriptions. If the cabinet size is already determined please use our volume calculator.

The Crossover

This component ensures that the individual drivers receive only the signal that the respective driver is able to process well. Additionally, it adjusts the volume of tweeter and midrange driver.

The main parts of the crossover are:
coils - our calculation software,
capacitors - our calculation software,
resistors and a PCB where the components are mounted and wired up.

The crossover should be calculated mathematically correct using the complex calculus something you should spare yourself.

Therefore, we are providing a few tools for you:

Please bear in mind that an optimum loudspeaker cannot be calculated with these tools alone, since the characteristics of the drivers (frequency rise...) still have to be considered.

We have collected more than 250 design suggestions from all over the world (we have more in our archives) to ensure the best possible sound solution for your specific needs.

The loudspeaker drivers

The three different types of drivers according to frequency capabilities are tweeters, midrange and bass drivers. There are several different driver designs per type. Quite a few exotic types have come up over the years and disappeared again. The classics are still:

Please send us an E-mail should you have further questions...

Theory on Cables

Cables (please see our more detailed theory on cables in German language) possess the following attributes: More helpful is the following discussion about cable.

As long as a good loudspeaker cable is being used the influence on sound quality is - at least theoretically - rather slim.

The quality of the cable affects low signal paths much more.

For low signal paths running over longer distances a symmetrically shielded cable is recommended.

Soldering

What needs to be considered? What's the theory saying? Answers to these questions you'll find in our theory on soldering.

Further topics

The list of topics is constantly updated. Please tell us what you want to hear about!