See Speaker Spec - which would you go for

[saurabh]

What is the difference between 1" conical dome tweeter, 3" mid range woofer and 3" full range woofer, 1 piezo if these are defined by a speaker vendor in a speaker, what do they mean,which one is better ???

[David Meek]

Saurabh, they are each a type of driver that is in a speaker. The 1" conical dome tweeter is the driver that plays the high notes, the 3" mid-range plays the middle range and the 3" full-range woofer (3" woofer?????) plays the lower notes. All of these are generally a round cone (conical dome) that is pushed forward and backward by a magnet attached to the base of the cone.

Notice my question marks by the 3" woofer comment? Generally the deeper the note, the larger the driver in order to move more air efficiently. A true sub-woofer will have a driver (or multiple drivers) ranging from 10" up to 18". A full-range tower speaker can have a range of driver sizes based on its designer's preference. For instance, my Aerials have a 1" dome tweeter, a 5" midrange and two 7.1" cones acting in concert to produce the lower registers.

A piezo-electric driver is one that is fundamentally different from the standard magnetically driven cone that you see in most speaker construction. Sorry, but I'm not the one to explain the design of one of these. It may be a flat panel that is moved forward and backward by an electrical charge, but I wouldn't bet any money on that.

As to which is better? Unfortunately that's an impossible question to answer with authority. Again, it will depend on the way the speaker is designed and built, the equipment it's connected to, and the room it sits in. That's why there is so much energy generated around our little hobby! :yesnod:

[Shane Martin]

David,
The 3" Woofer is no joke. Based on the previous posts, I would assume this is part of a HTIB type setup. One is definitely not better but David's post explains alot. Most manufacturers use a 5 1/4 or even a 6 1/2" driver coupled with a 1" or 3/4" dome tweeter(aluminum, fabric, silk, etc..) Even the lowest end speakers from say Paradigm which are a paltry $200 a pair use a 5 1/4. This is partly why I'd avoid going with one that is like that and just buying 2 good speakers and a decent receiver and building from there.

Given the 3" woofer I would expect not too much bass at all out of them. But then again I think Bose used a similar sized woofer in some of their models. Then again Bose is the butt of many jokes.

[David Meek]

I know they are real, but it never ceases to amaze me that people have the audacity to call them woofers.

[Clive]

Is there such a think as mid-base?
Is there a difference between just a "woofer" and a "Sub-woofer

Reading the Specs on many THIB systems the 3" was mostly refered to as "full range drivers". :T