Because you hear the music through the speaker, it would seem to be the stereo system's easiest component to choose - after all, if it sounded good in the store, then it should in your home.

However, the waters have been muddied by the over 5000 different name brands available. All having conflicting literature. All claiming to be better than the other.

Some even have reviews to back up these claims. Out of these 5000 so-called speaker companies, there are less than 100 of them that actually manufacture the parts.

Anyone with sharp marketing practices and some money in the bank can start their own speaker company.

To hear through all this "smoke and vapour", the question to ask is - "Can I see your spare speaker parts?".

Fig.1

Spare parts should look like (fig. 1). The whole purpose of asking to see the spare parts is to answer two questions. Does your audio store deal with a real speaker company and does your store really service what they sell?

We can answer both of these questions by looking at (fig. 1). It should be a "cone and coil" only. After all, the frame and magnet of a complete speaker, which are costly to manufacture and ship, never break. The importance of dealing with a real speaker manufacturer is that they are committed to significant research and development and the potential of creating a more musical product. Furthermore, they may be more apt to manufacture spare parts for their previous speakers.

The Tweeter

Fig.2

Fig.3

Fig.4

The device that gives you the "highs"

Our continuing theme is to "trust your ears".For those wishing to do more investigative research, ask for the grill cover to be removed from the speaker. At this point, the evolution of the speaker becomes quite apparent.

In the beginning there were no tweeters (the small speaker that gives you those wonderful highs). The 1950s produced a cheap "paper" cone tweeter (fig. 2) that became the norm. Unfortunately, this obsolete technology can still be found in many speakers.

In late 1960s to early '70s the "fabric" tweeter became the norm. It was a tremendous advancement.

Fabric domes (fig. 3) can still be found in many speakers selling under $500. pr.

Today, the accepted norm is the "metal dome" tweeter (fig. 4).

The Woofer

Think of a big DOG (WOOF, WOOF) - this is the device that provides bass.

Since determining a woofer's overall physical qualities requires removing it from the cabinet, it involves considerably more work. Having done this, we find there are

Fig.5

3 different types of baskets, the cheapest is plastic, (not our choice). The next is pressed from sheet metal (fig. 5), then cast aluminum (fig. 6).

The difficulty with sheet metal is that it is not very strong and the "leg" or support must be very wide to hold the magnet.

This creates a problem; as sound comes from the front of the cone, it also comes from the back, hits the wide support and reflects back onto the speaker cone. This changes the overall character of the sound.

Fig.6

Cast aluminum baskets (fig. 6) are considerably stronger and with a narrower "leg", reflect much less sound.

The Crossover

This device is the dividing network. It sends the high notes to the tweeter and the lows to the woofer.

As you examine the woofer, removed from the cabinet, take a peek at the crossover. Being overly simplistic, it should have lots of parts. Many cheap speakers provide only a capacitor dangling in the speaker box.

Bi-Wiring... This connection is not related to amplifier performance. Bi-wiring is meant to isolate the after-effects of the woofer voice coil (fig. 1) as it moves in and out. When we put electricity from the amplifier to the voice coil, it behaves like an electric magnet. It interacts with the permanent magnet on the speaker back and moves in an outward motion behaving like an electric motor. The moment the voice coil moves back, at rest, it behaves like a generator producing its own voltage, called "back electromotive force". Bi-wiring effectively isolates the woofer from the tweeter making a noticeable improvement in sound.

Does your audio store deal with a real speaker company and does your store really service what they sell?