Difference Between Speaker and Woofer

Speaker vs Woofer
 

Speakers are the most important part of any sound system. Without these speakers, there would be no sound, and speakers make possible for one to hear what a gentleman on the podium is saying or what song is playing in the music system. On the other hand, woofer is a part of any speaker system that has been designed to reproduce low frequency sound signals. In short, bass is reproduced by woofers. Despite this clear cut differentiation, there are many who confuse between a woofer and a speaker. This article highlights the features of a speaker and a woofer to differentiate between the two.

Speaker

Any music system’s sound reproduction is dependent upon its speakers, and the quality of sound is dependent upon the quality of the speakers. Speakers are devices that are designed to take electronic signals from CD’s, cassettes, or DVD’s and change or convert these signals into mechanical sound that we are able to hear. Any sound heard by us is a result of the vibrations of our eardrum. Any vibrating object causes these vibrations to strike the eardrum that is interpreted by our brain as sound signal. Similarly, a speaker takes electrical signals and converts them into physical vibrations that are heard by our ears as real sound. Speakers are fitted in music players, mobile phones, TV’s and radios. Larger speakers are needed in sound systems that are used as public address systems and are known as loudspeakers.

Woofer

Woofers are parts of the speaker system designed to handle bass, or in other words, lower frequency signals. The largest stiff paper cones that we see in a speaker system are woofers. On the other hand, the smallest paper cones are for tweeters designed to handle higher sound frequencies. It is possible for one to see these three parts of a speaker system if one opens up the speaker and even feel the vibrations of the sounds produced. Typically, a woofer is a large cone that is 8-18 inches in size. Both tweeters and woofers are called drivers, and there is a circuit in the speaker system that diverts different frequencies to these drivers. Woofer is a driver that is designed to reproduce sound frequencies from 40 Hertz to 1 Kilohertz. The word woofer comes from a dog’s bark labeled as woof in English language.

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