A tweeter speaker is a loudspeaker designed to produce high-frequency sounds, usually between 2 kHz and 20 kHz. The name comes from “tweeter,” which refers to bird songs featuring high-pitched pitches.
Tweeter speakers are essential to many audio systems, reproducing high-frequency sounds that give music and other audio content clarity, detail, and presence. They typically work alongside more significant drivers, such as woofers or midrange speakers, to handle lower and midrange frequencies.
Tweeter speakers come in various sizes, shapes, and designs, but all share one thing: they are designed to reproduce high-frequency sounds accurately and precisely and are generally made from lightweight materials like silk, aluminum, or titanium, which allows them to move quickly while producing clear highs with minimal distortion.
There are three primary types of tweeter speakers: dome tweeters, cone tweeters, and ribbon tweeters. Dome tweeters are the most common type and are commonly found in home audio systems and car audio systems. They feature a dome-shaped diaphragm that vibrates to produce sound waves.
Cone tweeters are similar to dome tweeters, except they feature a cone-shaped diaphragm instead of a dome. Although less common than dome tweeters, they still find use in some audio systems.
Ribbon tweeters use a thin ribbon of material, such as aluminum or kapton, suspended between two magnetic poles. When an electrical current is applied to the ribbon, it vibrates to produce sound. Ribbon tweeters are renowned for their accuracy and detail but are more costly than the dome and cone models due to higher initial costs.
Overall, tweeter speakers are essential to any audio system as they produce high-frequency sounds that give music and other audio content clarity and detail. Selecting the right tweeter speaker for your setup is critical to getting optimal sound performance from your system.