Consumer Electronics

Dept of ECE Course Code –BEC654B

Module 1

1
 Microphones
Dept of ECE

01-Mar-2025 2
 Introduction
• A microphone is a device of the class called transducers
which converts sound waves in air into electrical waves of
the same phase, same frequency and same amplitude
proportion.
• In the process of conversion, the microphone must make
use of either the pressure of the air waves, or the velocity
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at which the air moves. So, we have two types of
microphones, the pressure-operated types, and the velocity-
operated types.

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 How microphones works

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 • Whenever a person speaks, the sound waves enter the
microphone; it generates energy.
• A microphone has a diaphragm that is usually made by the
very thin plastic, located inside the microphone. When
sound waves hit the diaphragm, it moves back and
forward.
• The coil is connected to the diaphragm that moves back
and forward as well.
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• A magnetic field, which is produced by the permanent
magnet. The coil cuts the magnetic field, and when the coil
moves back and forward via the magnetic field, an electric
current runs through it.
• The electrical signal can be transmitted to devices like
computers, amplifiers, or recording equipment.
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 Requirements
It is necessary that electrical signals are a faithful
reproduction of sound pressure. This is possible only if a
microphone fulfils the following requirements
• Its response should be independent of frequency in the
complete audio frequency range i.e. 16Hz to 20kHz.
• The noise generated within the microphone should be as
Dept of ECE low as possible.
• Its performance should not be affected by adjacent strong
electric & magnetic fields.
• It should be mechanically robust.
• Its response should be independent of the direction of
sound waves.
 Characteristics/Quality of Microphones
• Sensitivity – It explains how much week sound signal is
detected by microphone. It is defines as output of
microphone (in mV) for a sound pressure of 0.1 Pa at 1000
Hz. It is also expressed in dB below 1V.
• Signal-to-noise ratio – All equipments generate noise i.e.
extraneous signals. If the generated noise is high, the
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quality of sound will be poor. In a good microphone the
extent of a noise should be such that the signal to noise
ratio is low. This ratio is defined as the ratio at the output
when sound pressure is 0.1 Pa (or 0.5*10−4 W/𝑚2 ) to the
output in the absence of sound. Evidently the output in the
absence of sound is due to noise.
 • Frequency response -
The bandwidth of frequencies in the output of microphone
within ±1 dB of the output at 1000Hz. Complete audible freq
range is 16Hz to 20KHz. Microphone which gives flat
response within ±1 dB for 40Hz to 15000 Hz is considered
good hi-fi audio system. 80Hz to 8000Hz is acceptable for
normal microphone.

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 • Distortion – A microphone may suffer from non-linear distortion, frequency distortion and
phase distortion.
 Non-linear Distortion: This distorts the amplitude of the audio signal, which results in
production of such harmonics in the output that are not present in the input sound. For
quality microphones. such distortion should be less the 5%. For high-fidelity sound systems,
distortion should not be more than 1%.
 Frequency distortion: It means that some frequencies not present in the sound signal appear
in the output. This is due to natural resonant frequency of the movable parts of the
microphone.
 Phase distortion: It means that the inter-phase relationship between different frequency
components in the output is not same as in the input. This generally occurs when more than
one microphone are used in system.
• Output impedance –The importance of this parameter arises because of the necessity to
Dept of ECE transfer maximum power to the transmission circuit. As per maximum power transfer
theorem, the power transferred to the load (transmission system in this case) is maximum
when load resistance is equal to source resistance. To ensure maximum power transfer, the
resistance of load and source can be matched by the process of impedance matching. For
this purpose the microphone is connected to a two winding transformer whose output is fed
to the transmission system. The transformer changes the impedance level. Let 𝑁1 and 𝑁2 be
the number of turns in primary and secondary windings and 𝑍2 ′ and 𝑍2 be the impedances as
seen from primary and secondary terminals. From transformer theory, we have
𝑍2 𝑁2 2
′ = ( )
𝑍2 𝑁1
 • Directivity – It shows directional characteristics of sound
reception by microphone.
• A microphone may be unidirectional (i.e. it can pick up
sound only from one direction), bidirectional (i.e. it can
pick up sounds from two directions) or omnidirectional
(i.e. it can pick up sounds from all directions). However for
an omnidirectional microphone the response for sounds
coming from different directions in not same.
Dept of ECE Directivity = 20 log D where,
Actual output in the direction of maximum output
D=
Output in that direction for an omnidirectional microphone
Dept of ECE
 Classification
1. Moving Coil Microphone
2. Ribbon Microphone
3. Condenser (or Capacitor) Microphone
4. Crystal Microphone

Dept of ECE 5. Carbon Microphone

6. Electret Microphone
 Moving Coil/Dynamic Microphone
• It works on the principle of induced emf (Faraday’s law of
electromagnetic induction)
• The variations of sound pressure cause the motion of a coil in a
magnetic field. Thus an emf is induced in the moving coil.

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Dept of ECE

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 Construction -
• It consists of a permanent magnet, generally POT type with
a central south pole & peripheral north pole.
• The magnet is so shaped as to give a uniform field in the
air gap.
• A diaphragm made of non-magnetic material is fixed t the
body by springs.
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• A coil wound on card board cylinder is attached to the
diaphragm & is free to move in the air gap as the
diaphragm vibrates due to sound waves.
• A protective cover saves the delicate diaphragm & other
parts from mechanical damage.

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 Working -
• When sound waves strike the diaphragm, it moves forward
& backwards. The coil also moves along the diaphragm &
an emf is induced in the coil.
• Value of emf depends on the rate of change of flux &
hence on the motion of coil
𝑑Φ
𝑒𝑚𝑓 = *B*l*v
𝑑𝑡
Dept of ECE where B - flux density (Wb/𝑚2 or Tesla), l - length of coil
(m), v - velocity of coil (m/s)
Since emf is proportional to velocity of coil, it is designated
as velocity microphone. The motion of coil depends on
pressure of sound waves. Therefore it is pressure
microphone.

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 Features -
• sensitivity is 90dB below 1 V for a sound pressure of 0.1 Pa, voltage
induced is 30 μV
• Output impedance is low, 30-40 Ω If it is to feed transmission line of
impedance 250 Ω an intervening setup transformer of turn ratio 3 is needed
• Frequency response is nearly flat, 40Hz-8kHz
• Omnidirectional
• SNR is 25 dB
• Distortion is <5%
Advantages -
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• Mechanically robust & not affected by weather, cheaper than ribbon &
condenser microphone but costly compared to crystal & carbon
microphones
Disadvantages -
• It has to be kept within 25 cm distance from source of sound, heavy in
weight due to heavy magnet
Applications -
• Suitable for PA systems
• Broadcast studios
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 Ribbon Microphone
• Its principle is exactly the same as that of moving coil
microphone. However instead of diaphragm & coil it has
an aluminium ribbon.
• When sound waves strike the ribbon, an emf is induced in
it.
• It is a velocity microphone because induced emf is
Dept of ECE proportional to velocity of ribbon.
• Its is also called pressure microphone since the working
depends on pressure of sound waves.

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 Construction -
• The permanent magnet has extended pole pieces.
• Between the pole pieces is placed the aluminium ribbon in
which the emf is induced.
• A stepup transformer is inbuilt in the microphone case.

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 Working -
• The ribbon acts as a diaphragm. When sound waves strike
it, it vibrates. Because of this motion an emf proportional
to velocity of ribbon is induced in it. This voltage is
stepped up by the transformer and appears at the output
terminals.

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 Features -
• sensitivity of ribbon microphone is low, about 3 μV or 110 dB below 1 V for a
sound pressure of 0.1 Pa. However this voltage is stepped upto about 30 times by
stepup transformer.
• Due to low mass of ribbon, the frequency response is very good and is almost flat
from about 20 Hz -12000 Hz
• output impedance is very low, generally less than 0.5 ohm. The stepup transformer
helps in increasing the output impedance by about 900 times.
• Sound pressure can be applied to the ribbon from front as well as back. Therefore,
it is a bidirectional microphone
• distortion is less than 1%
• noise generated within this microphone is low hence SNR is good, about 50 Db
Dept of ECE • good transient response
Advantages -
• good frequency response, bidirectional behaviour, good transient response and that
it does not need any external bias for its working
Disadvantages -
• delicate and expensive microphone. It can be easily damaged due to slight
mishandling. Its sensitivity is low
Applications -
• Suitable for dramas, music, radio broadcast
• Two dead sides 21
 Condenser (or Capacitor) Microphone
• The capacitance of a parallel plate air capacitor is inversely
proportional to the distance between the plates
𝜖0 𝐴
𝐶=
𝑑
Where C−12 – capacitance (farad), 𝜖0 - permittivity
2
of free space
(8.85*10 𝐹/𝑚), A – area of plate (𝑚 ), d – distance between
plates (m)
• As d changes due to pressure of sound waves, capacitance
Dept of ECE changes. This change in capacitance causes a change in the
frequency of an oscillatory circuit. This change in frequency is
a measure of the pressure of sound waves.
• Alternatively this change in capacitance causes successive
charging and discharging currents in a resistance. These
currents produce oscillating voltage across the resistance. This
voltage is a measure of the pressure of sound waves.

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Dept of ECE

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 Construction -
• It consists of a light weight diaphragm about 0.0025 cm
thick made of duralumin.
• It is separated by about 0.005 cm from another metal plate
which is fixed and is known as backplate.
• It is connected in series with a resistance R across a battery
of about 150 V. The output voltage across R is fed to an
amplifier.
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 Working -
• As sound waves impinge on the diaphragm, the distance
between the diaphragm and back plate changes and thus
the capacitance between the plates changes.
• Charging and discharging currents flow in the circuit
causing a change in voltage across resistance R.
• This voltage is amplified by the amplifier. Thus output
voltage of the amplifier varies with the change in pressure
Dept of ECE of sound waves.
• It is a pressure microphone since output is proportional to
pressure of sound waves.

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 Features -
• Sensitivity is low & therefore it has an inbuilt amplifier. The amplifier output is
about 3 mV for a sound pressure of 0.1Pa
• Very good & flat frequency response from 40Hz-15kHz
• Distortion is <1%
• SNR is high, 40dB
• Omnidirectional
• Output impedance is very high, 50MΩ

Advantages -
• High output impedance, good frequency response, low distortion, high SNR
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Disadvantages -
• Delicate, costly (due to the need of battery & amplifier ckt), its working is affected
by heat & moisture

Applications -
• Standard mic for calibrating other mic
• Sound level meters
• In professional hi-fi system 26
 Crystal Microphone
• Its principle is based on Piezo Electric Effect
• Difference of potential between the opposite faces of some
crystals is produced when these are subjected to
mechanical pressure
• Crystals which exhibit this property: quartz (low
piezoelectric effect), Rochelle salt (high piezoelectric
Dept of ECE effect), ceramic (most suitable)

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Dept of ECE

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 Construction –
• The crystal is in the form of a bimorph crystal unit (two
plates put together form the unit).
• Metal foils are attached to the crystal surfaces to serve as
terminals.
• A diaphragm, generally made of aluminium is held
between supports through springs. The diaphragm is
connected to the bimorph through a push rod.
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 Working -
• When sound waves impringe on the diaphragm, it vibrates.
• These vibrations are picked up by the bimorph element and
a voltage is developed across its faces.
• The voltage developed is proportional to pressure of sound
waves. This voltage is generally fed to an amplifier.

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 Features -
• sensitivity is good, 50 mV (i.e. 26 dB below 1V) for a sound pressure of 0.1 Pa
• almost flat frequency response between 80Hz-8000Hz.
• The noise generated within this microphone is low. Hence it has high SNR (about
40 dB)
• output impedance is very high, about 1 MW
• distortion is low, less than 1%
• omni directional

Advantages -
• Good sensitivity, high signal to noise ratio, low distortion, small size, omni
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directional characteristics, low cost

Disadvantages -
• Less rugged than moving coil, cannot withstand high temperature, very low
frequency sound waves are attenuated, affected by moisture

Applications -
• Home recording system
• Amateur communication
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• Mobile communication
 Carbon Microphone
• When fine carbon granules enclosed in a case are subjected
to pressure variations, the resistance of granules changes
due to compression & rarefaction.
• The change in resistance causes a change in voltage in a
circuit.
• This voltage is proportional to pressure of sound waves
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Dept of ECE

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 Construction -
• Fine carbon granules are packed in a case as shown.
• The sound pressure acts on a metallic diaphragm.
• The movable metal piston transmits this pressure to a
movable carbon (or metallic) plate. The second metallic
plate is fixed.
• A battery is connected between the two plates. A
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transformer is used to eliminate the dc content in the
microphone output.

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 Working -
• When sound waves impinge on the diaphragm, it vibrates.
• As a result the carbon granules get compressed or
loosened. When the granules are compressed, their
resistance decreases. When loosened, their resistance
increases.
• This change in resistance of granules changes the current
in the circuit. This change in current causes a change in
Dept of ECE terminal voltage.
• Absence of sound steady current flows
• Net resistance of carbon granules is given by -
𝑟 = 𝑅0 + δ𝑟
where r - net resistance (Ω), 𝑅0 - steady resistance for no
sound, δ𝑟 - variation of resistance due to sound pressure
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 Features -
• Very good sensitivity, 20dB below 1v. Output voltage is 100mv
• Frequency response 200Hz-5000Hz
• SNR is poor
• Output impedance is 100Ω
• Distortion is high, 10%
• omnidirectional

Advantages -
• Very rugged, small size, very cheap, good sensitivity
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Disadvantages -
• Poor SNR ratio, high distortion, limited frequency response, not suitable
for high fidelity works

Applications -
• telephones
• Portable radio communication sets 36
 Electret Microphone
• Its principle is same as condenser microphone.
• It does not require DC supply.
• It has inbuilt charge on one plate.
• Sound pressure causes movement of diaphragm &
consequent change in capacitance.
Dept of ECE • Since charge is constant, voltage appears between the
plates.

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 Construction -
• It has metallic diaphragm held in position by springs.
• The fixed plate has coating of teflon which has the
characteristics of retaining charge for a long time.
• Teflon layer is given negative charge at the time of
manufacture.

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 Working –
• When sound pressure acts on the diaphragm, it vibrates.
Therefore, capacitance between the plates changes which
can be represented as
𝑄
𝑉 = ൗ𝐶

• When capacitance decreases, voltage or field across the

plates increases. When capacitance increases, field
Dept of ECE decreases . Thus terminal voltage changes due to pressure
of sound waves

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 Features -
• Average sensitivity
• overall good freq response
• SNR is high
• Distortion is low
• Output impedance is high, 50 MΩ
• omnidirectional

Advantage -
•Cheap, Very light weight, does not require dc supply, low distortion, small
size
Dept of ECE

Disadvantage -
•Delicate, working is affected by temperature & moisture

Applications -
• Small PA system for clubs & small halls
• Tie clip microphone for lectures
• Radio microphone in sports meet 40
Dept of ECE

01-Mar-2025 41
 Loudspeakers
Dept of ECE

01-Mar-2025 42
 Introduction
• A transducer for converting electrical signal of audio frequency into
sound waves of same frequency.
• These include electroacoustic efficiency, uniformity of frequency
response, linearity of amplitude response, transient response, power
handling capacity, size, durability and cost.
• An ideal loudspeaker:
1. would have an electroacoustic efficiency approaching 100%.
Dept of ECE 2. would have an acoustic output response that is independent of
frequency over the entire audible range.
3. would introduce neither harmonic nor intermodulation distortion
into its output.
4. would faithfully reproduce transients as well as steady input signals.
5. would be capable of producing a nondirectional radiation pattern.
6. would be of as small a size as is possible considering the required
acoustic output. 43
Dept of ECE

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 The speaker system itself can be divided into three functional
parts:
a) The electromagnetic part, consisting of the voice coil and
the field magnet. Audio frequency electric current in the
coil causes mechanical motion of the cone or diaphragm
on which it is mounted. This part is often referred to as
the driver or motor of the system.
b) The mechanical part, on which the driving coil is usually
Dept of ECE mounted and which is set into mechanical motion by the
audio frequency electric current in the driving coil.
c) The acoustic part, which transmits the sound energy
developed by the mechanical part of the area served by
the system in the most efficient and faithful manner
possible. This takes the form of a baffle or enclosure with
a horn being a form of enclosure.
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 Characteristics of Loudspeaker
• Efficiency: It is used to describe the ability of the speaker to convert
electrical signals into sound waves.
𝑜𝑢𝑡𝑝𝑢𝑡 𝑠𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑 𝑝𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟
η=
𝑖𝑛𝑝𝑢𝑡 𝑎𝑢𝑑𝑖𝑜 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝑞𝑢𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑦 𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙 𝑝𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟
Its value depends on proper matching of the mechanical impedance. (Some
manufacturers quote the efficiency in terms of sensitivity which is defined to
be the input signal required to give a sound pressure level of 0.1 Pa at a
distance of 1 metre from the loudspeaker.)
• Noise: The unwanted sound, not contained in the input signal but present in
Dept of ECE the output of a loudspeaker is called noise produced by the loudspeaker
(the mechanical parts may vibrate at some resonant frequency, causing
noise).
• Signal-to-noise ratio or SNR: It is defined as the ratio of ‘signal output’ to
the ‘output of noise in the absence of signal’. It should be as high as
possible.
• Frequency Response: It indicates the loudspeaker's response for the audible
frequency range of sound. Ideally, the response of a loudspeaker should be
flat within ± 1 dB for the frequency range of 16 Hz to 20 kHz. Moreover,
the movable system may have some natural resonant frequency within the
audible range and the output at that frequency will be emphasized.
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 • Distortion: Any change in frequency, phase and amplitude of
the output sound as compared to the input audio signal is called
distortion.
Frequency and phase distortions may result due to mass and
compliance effect. Amplitude or non-linear distortion will result
due to non-uniformity in the magnetic field in which the coil
moves.
• Directivity: It is the ratio of actual sound intensity in the
direction of maximum response to the sound intensity which
would exist if the speaker is omnidirectional.
Dept of ECE • Impedance: For maximum power output from speaker, its input
impedance should be equal to the source impedance so that
proper impedance matching is obtained. Input impedance has to
match with source amplifier for maximum power transfer. Line
voltage is 100v in India so as per need impedance matching
should get provided.
𝑉2 1002
𝑅= =
𝑃 𝑃

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 Loudspeaker frequency ranges
Some hi-fi speaker systems are made up from a number of different
speakers to enable them to cover the complete audio frequency range as
it is not possible for a single speaker to cover the whole range.
• Sub-woofer: It is intended to reproduce the very low frequencies,
especially giving a sense of ‘feel’ to the sound. Typically a sub-woofer
loudspeaker would reproduce frequencies in the region of 20Hz or so
up to just over 100Hz. Sub-woofers are present in systems where
extending the bass response to very low frequencies is needed.
• Woofer: They provide the reproduction of low frequencies. Often its
Dept of ECE range will extend down to around 30Hz or so and possibly up to 500
Hz or may be even 1 kHz.
• Mid range - squawker: It is intended to reproduce the mid range
sounds. A mid range loudspeaker might typically be used to cover
frequencies between about 200 or 300 Hz and 5 kHz to 7 kHz or
thereabouts.
• High frequency loudspeaker - tweeter: The high frequency
loudspeaker is often called a tweeter in view of the fact that it
reproduces the high frequencies, often above 2 to 5 kHz.
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 Moving Coil (Cone type/ Direct radiating
magnet) Loudspeaker
• A coil known as voice coil, is placed in the magnetic field
of permanent magnet. When electric current passes through
the coil, a force acts on the coil causing the coil to move
(vibrate).
• A paper diaphragm of the shape of a cone is attached to the
coil. Thus the diaphragm vibrates, produces pressure
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variations in air and the result is the sound waves.
• The force acting on the voice coil causes vibration of the
diaphragm resulting in compressions and rarefactions in
the air. Thus electrical signals are converted into sound
waves of the same frequencies.

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Dept of ECE

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 Construction -
• The main parts of this loudspeaker are magnet, voice coil,
conical diaphragm.
• It uses a pot type permanent magnet having central south pole
and peripheral north pole.
• To give a strong magnetic field, the magnet is made of special
alloy Alnico (10% aluminium, 18% of nickel, 12% cobalt, 6%
copper, and 54% iron). This material has very high retentivity
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and can thus retain magnetism almost indefinitely.
• The magnet gives a strong magnetic field in the air gap.
• A voice coil is suspended by a suitable suspension in the air gap
and is free to move in the air gap when a force acts on it.
• The coil is attached to a conical diaphragm made of special
paper. The cone has corrugated construction.
• Terminals of the voice coil are fixed on the cone surface.
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 Working -
• When electric current flows through the voice coil, interaction
between the field of permanent magnet & the magnetic field of
current occurs.
• Due to this interaction a force acts on the voice causing its to &
fro motion.
• Force on coil due to interaction current and magnetic field is
given by –
𝐹 = 𝐵𝐼𝑙 ∗ 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝜃
Dept of ECE Where F – force on coil, B – magnetic field, I – current through
coil, l – length of coil, 𝜃-angle between coil & field.
• As the conical diaphragm is attached to the voice coil, it
vibrates causing compression & rarefactions in air.
• Thus the electrical signals are converted into sound waves of
the same frequency.
• The cone helps in spreading the sound over a large area & thus
sound can be heard at a great distance. 52
 𝑟𝑐 − resistance of voice coil
𝐿𝑐 −self-inductance of voice coil
Dept of ECE 𝐶𝑚 − mechanical compliance
𝐿𝑚 − inductance which represents mass of moving system (mass opposes
motion, inductance opposes flow of current – thus effect of mass is always
represented by inductance in eqv. ckt.)
𝑅𝐿 − load (resistance of air to the change in pressure)
• At low frequencies, the reactance of 𝐿𝑚 (𝜔𝐿𝑚 ) is low & shunts the load
resistance. Therefore the output at low frequencies is reduced. At high
frequencies, the reactance of series inductance 𝐿𝑚 (𝜔𝐿𝑚 ) is high & causes
attenuation of high frequency components of signal. 𝐶𝑚 is considered
negligible. 53
 Characteristics -
• Efficiency is poor, 5-10% of the signal power is converted into sound
• SNR is 30dB
• Distortion is about 10%
• Omnidirectional directivity
• Nearly flat frequency response typically 200Hz to 5KHz
• Non-linear distortion can be as high as 10%
• omnidirectional

Dept of ECE Advantages -

• Small size, low cost, satisfactory frequency response

Disadvantages -
• Poor efficiency, very low & high frequencies are attenuated

Applications -
• Radio receivers, TV receivers, cassette players, record players 54
 Electrodynamic Loudspeaker
• The construction is similar to moving coil direct radiating
loudspeaker except that it uses an electromagnet (instead of
permanent magnet).
• The field coil of the electromagnet is would over the
central limb.
• The field coil produces a very strong magnetic field
(stronger than permanent magnet) thus can handle more
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power.
• The flow of electric current in the voice coil creates a
magnetic field. This field interacts with the field of
electromagnet and creates a force. This force causes to &
fro motion of voice coil & the conical diaphragm vibrates
thus converting electrical signal into sound waves.

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Dept of ECE

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 Advantage -
• It can handle more input power
• Frequency response is better

Disadvantage-
• External power supply is need for field coil
• Heavy in weight
Dept of ECE • Costlier

Applications -
• Suitable for PA systems
• Seminar hall PA systems

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 Horn Loudspeaker
• Its principle is the same as that of moving coil direct
radiating cone loudspeaker. The interaction of the magnet
field due to current in the voice coil with the magnetic field
of the magnet causes a force to act on the coil.
• The coil moves to & fro and causes vibrations of the
diaphragm.
Dept of ECE • It does not use a cone & does not deliver sound directly to
open space. Instead it delivers sound to air trapped in a
horn which radiates sound to open space.

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Dept of ECE

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Dept of ECE

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 Construction –
• The magnet, voice coil, diaphragm are similar to that in moving
coil direct radiating speaker.
• It do not have a cone instead a horn whose diameter increases
from small value at the throat to a large value at the mouth.
• The shape of the horn may be canonical, exponential, or
hyperbolic.
Dept of ECE • The rate of increase in diameter from throat to the mouth is
slow in hyperbolic form, medium in exponential and high in
canonical.
• Dimension of horn loudspeaker is large (length about 2m &
diameter at mouth about 1m).
• Folded horn can also be used to economise space.

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 Working –
• When current flows in voice coil it creates a magnetic field.
• This magnetic field interacts with the magnetic field of the
magnet creating a force.
• The force causes the voice coil to move to & fro, thus the
diaphragm vibrates.
• The horn expands from a small diameter at throat to a large
opening at mouth.
• The sound pressure at the throat is maximum & decreases as we
Dept of ECE approach the mouth.
• The power is delivered to the air space indirectly i.e. the power
is delivered at the throat & sound waves then travel to the
mouth.
• The horn acts as acoustic transformer. The advantage is better
matching between impedance of voice coil & acoustical
resistance thus increasing efficiency of loudspeaker.
• A small diaphragm can produce large volume of sound.
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 Characteristics -
• Efficiency is good, 40%
• SNR is 40dB
• Non-linear distortion is low, <5%
• Power is about 100w
• Flat frequency response, 25Hz to 10000Hz. High frequency response can
be improved further by using tweeter horn.
• Directivity is different at different frequencies

Advantage -
Dept of ECE • High efficiency, good power handling capacity (>100watts)

Disadvantage -
• Costly than cone type loudspeaker, large size

Applications -
• Suitable for PA systems for large audience
• Big auditorium
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 Loudspeaker for High Fidelity systems
• It is a special loudspeaker for high fidelity (hi-fi) music
system.
• It is a combination of a cone & exponential horn.
• The cone faces away from the audience.
• The enclosure for the cone & the exponential horn are so
placed that the output from the horn is directed towards the
Dept of ECE audience.

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