When speaker manufacturers choose the speaker drivers that they will offer on a specific model usually many factors contribute to the decision.
Here are some highlights of how they make their decision and it is a good indicator of how you can choose your drivers too.
Appearance:
If performance is the primary goal I suppose appearance should not make a difference. We know better though; everyone cares to a certain extent about appearance. Should speaker drivers be any different?
Price:
Price is most often the primary factor when choosing drivers for a speaker design. The price must be reasonable to fit within the budget and final price of the product. All parts, plus labor, plus overhead are all factors that can be controlled for each design.
So, using a high end expensive driver with a cheap and flimsy speaker cabinet is not logical for the speaker manufacturer. Speaker Drivers will be chosen as sets and should fit nicely in consideration of the other components used.
This is a bit like putting $20,000.00 racing wheels on a $300.00 Pinto car. It just is not done. In the same way you would not want to install a $500.00 mid range driver in a cabinet made of press wood that cost $23.00 to build. Speaker manufacturers would put a $500.00 mid-range driver in a speaker cabinet that cost $3000.00 to build.
Quality of Craftsmanship:
There is certainly something to be said for craftsmanship. If you intend to pay $20,000.00 for a set of high end speakers there is a good chance that you don't mind the use of a $1,500.00 finish. Even though the paint finish on a set of speakers does nothing to aid in the performance, if you are spending this much on them; you want the speakers to look good.
The drivers should be no different. Drivers that look like they were put together in a garage by a drunk monkey won't cut it. Quality is desirable and most folks demand it.
Quality of Sound
Sound quality is in fact the whole point of a good speaker driver. The details of each design are what lead to a low distortion and high fidelity speaker.
Speakers are not complicated. The knowledge of how to build them has been around since 1877.
In 1877, German, Ernst Siemens patented the first loudspeaker (on Dec. 14, 1877).
Since then there have been many changes in the designs and there are many different types as well. Advances are still being made to the technology as a matter of fact. But the basic idea of speaker are still the same. The theories behind how they work are essentially the way they were 100 years ago.
Inventors have just learned a lot in the last years and continue to build on each others ideas and concepts. There are more high quality and lower distortion drivers available now than ever before and the prices are only becoming more competitive as companies try to beat each other on price and performance.
What this means for the average consumer is that you have many, many excellent speaker drivers available to you that 10 years ago large companies could not get their hands on.
The best speaker drivers are used in the best loudspeakers. There are many different ways to build speakers but there is no free lunch. And there are no $10.00 drivers that can compete with a $200.00 driver. In this industry you generally get what you pay for although there are some gems if you search hard and long enough.
If you are considering a Speaker Building Project then match your budget with the components you plan to use. And get the best speakers you can afford to complete an excellent project that will reward you for years to come.
This article was written by Peter Selby of home-speaker.net. This is a self help audio and video site that offers free advice for the theater and stereo setup enthusiast.
To read more detailed information about quality speaker drivers see this article.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Peter_Selby
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