Dual-Cone
A dual cone speaker, sometimes also referred to as a "full-range" speaker, uses an inexpensive, efficient design. The small "whizzer" cone in the center of the woofer reproduces high frequencies, but not as well as a separate tweeter

Efficiency or Sensitivity
An efficiency or sensitivity rating tells you how effectively a speaker converts power into sound. The higher the number, the more efficient the speaker and the louder it will play with the same input power. An efficient speaker helps you maximize your available power.

Frequency Response
The range of frequencies the speaker will reproduce (lowest frequency to the highest). The wider the range, the better. Optimal is 20 - 20,000 Hz, the range of human hearing.

Imaging
Imaging describes the extent to which a stereo system reproduces the location of instruments and vocalists as they were positioned during recording and mixing (See also soundstage below).

Good imaging creates a listening experience that seems natural and lifelike. The key to attaining the best possible imaging is equal and unobstructed path lengths between your tweeters and your ears. That is one of the reasons why matched component speakers, with their versatile tweeter placement, sound as good as they do.

Maximum RMS Power Handling
Maximum RMS Power Handling refers to the amount of power a speaker can handle on a continuous basis.

Midrange Speaker
A tweeter-less speaker (ranging in size from 3-1/2" to 6-3/4") dedicated to the reproduction of midrange frequencies. They are used in systems in which the low, midrange, and high frequencies are amplified separately.

Peak Power Handling
Peak power handling refers to the amount of power a speaker can handle during a brief musical burst.

Separates or Matched Components
Separates use a superior speaker design to give you the best possible sound. A typical separates system includes a separate woofer, tweeter, and external crossover, all of which are designed to work smoothly with one another. Generally, these components are made of better materials than their two-and three-way cousins.

Separate woofers may be easier to mount in tight places because tweeter protrusion is not a factor. The separate tweeters allow positioning for optimum imaging. Given adequate power, separates deliver phenomenal dynamics and detail.

Soundstage
Individual vocal and instrumental "images" make up your stereo system's soundstage. The better the soundstage, the greater the sense of its definite width, depth and height. See also imaging above.

Surround
The surround is the flexible ring around the edge of the woofer cone. Good ones are pliable enough to let the woofer cone travel freely in and out. The further the cone can travel, the stronger the bass. Surrounds are usually made of cloth, foam or rubber. Rubber tends to last longest.

Three-way
three-way or tri-axial speakers take the separate woofer and tweeter from a two-way design and add a midrange driver for enhanced warmth and texture. The extra high-frequency energy also boosts overall sensitivity.

Tweeter
Your highs are reproduced by the tweeter, the small speaker perched inside the woofer cone. Cone tweeters are efficient and the most economical. Dome tweeters, the type found in most home speakers, sound smoother and more accurate. Some domes are made of metals like titanium for extended high frequency response. Others are made of a fine cloth like silk for a smoother sound. Some are made from a combination of materials.

Two-way
Your music's high frequencies are reproduced accurately by two-way, or coaxial, designs. These speakers use a separate tweeter to deliver high frequency reproduction that surpasses that of dual-cone models. This tweeter, usually a cone or a dome, is perched inside the woofer.

Voice coil
The voice coil is the coil of wire in a loudspeaker that creates a magnetic field. With the help of other speaker components, the voice coil converts electrical signals into mechanical energy, which is used to produce sound. The voice coil former is the part of the speaker around which the voice coil is wound. Many of the speakers on this site offer a heat-resistant voice coil to prolong speaker life.

Woofer
Your bass and lower midrange are reproduced by the woofer, the speaker's big cone. To operate efficiently, a cone should be made of material that is stiff, yet lightweight. Cones made of polypropylene, or poly mixed with other materials, provide excellent sound, and stand up to the heat, cold, and moisture that car speakers face daily. Paper cones treated for moisture resistance also do a great job, and are usually very efficient.