The main differences between an acoustic component and a coaxial one
Surely you know that acoustics can be coaxial and component. And if you are not sure which one to choose, if you want to learn about the difference between these types or how to carry out the installation correctly, then this material will be useful to you.
The main difference between coaxial speakers and component speakers is their form factor or design. In principle, this is where the pros and cons come from. The name of coaxial speakers comes from the Latin words CO - joint and AXIAL - axis. The name speaks for itself, because here there are two or three speakers together on one axis - high-frequency and mid-bass and/or mid-frequency. In component acoustics, they are separated and are separate elements - components. We've sorted out the names.
The answer to the questions - which is better, which type is preferable to improve the sound of music in the car and what to buy - is simple. These are component acoustics, but not in all cases. Read on if you want to find out why.
What else to consider when choosing acoustics?
When it comes to classic audio concepts, vintage systems come naturally. This direction is worthy of attention, but only from the point of view of design and style. In modern kits, the set of interfaces and communication tools deserves attention. Since speaker systems with full-range speakers are not limited in any way in this regard, you can safely provide several terminals for amplification. High-tech models are also provided with wireless connections - these are solutions for lovers of flexible and comfortable sound organization.
Coaxial acoustics
So. The advantages of coaxial acoustics are ease of installation . Take the speaker, mount it in its standard place, connect it, and your speaker system is ready. Also, coaxial cables tend to be cheaper. And the main disadvantage, oddly enough, stems from the ease of installation and location of the speakers in one basket. Then you will understand why.
Most often, “coaxials” are used to add audio to the rear zone of a car, as well as in situations where physical separation of high-, mid- and low-frequency speakers is not necessary, or is simply impossible.
Common installation locations are rear doors or rear parcel shelf.
What to prefer - a central cap or a cone-visor?
A design feature of broadband systems is the speaker design. Models with a central bell can be called classic - in fact, they are an ordinary speaker that does not show off anything special in terms of performance. The so-called pipe speakers, that is, cone-visor models, differ in that in addition to the main cone they also have a second additional row. The presence of an auxiliary reproducing cone is also intended to simulate frequency separation, but such solutions are justified only in the case of small-sized sets. If you are choosing a full-range speaker for a medium- or large-sized speaker system, then it is better to rely on a standard device without a crossover. Single speakers with powerful potential are capable of providing fairly clear, natural and full-bodied sound without distortion.
Component acoustics
Component acoustics consists of several speakers , there may be two of them, then this is a two-component system, or maybe three, in which case this is a three-component system. As a rule, such acoustics are installed at the front of the listener.
Speakers for a component system can be selected separately or purchased as a ready-made kit. It should be noted here that all components in the kit are balanced with each other. If you want to purchase speakers separately, you will need to take into account their frequency ranges and select a crossover .
A crossover is needed in order to divide the signal between different speakers and send high frequencies to tweeters or high-frequency speakers (HF), and middle frequencies to midbass or midrange.
One of the advantages of component acoustics is that they can be correctly positioned in the car. This complicates installation, but significantly improves the sound quality of the system.
Due to their characteristics, high-frequency speakers have a narrow directivity , that is, undistorted sound propagates close to the direction axis. Therefore, they need to be placed facing the listener, approximately at the height of the head (ears).
HF installation example
Then you get the highest quality and detailed high-frequency sound that these tweeters can provide. They are usually installed in the corners of the side mirrors or in the windshield pillars.
Example: HF in the corner of the mirror
In three-component acoustics, the midrange speaker (MF) has a sound propagation angle that is not much greater than that of the tweeter, so its directionality is also very important. They are installed according to the same rules, usually together with tweeters.
Example of setting midrange and treble
In midbass, the sound spreads much wider. Therefore, they are suitable for installation in a standard place in the door. True, to maximize the impact of good sound, they are slightly turned towards the listener, giving better directionality. This is exactly why podiums are made or door cards are remade.
Example of a podium with a twist
Do not neglect this, if you have such an opportunity, such a nuance will significantly improve the sound quality of the entire system. Thus, the location of the speakers is one of the key components of good sound, regardless of the price and level of components. After the components are installed correctly, it feels as if a film has been removed from the speakers or some kind of obstacle has been removed. The sound becomes cleaner and lighter. Therefore, direct, not reflected sounds reach the listener.
Design selection
Of course, you should start from the characteristics of the place where the system is used, its ability to reflect sound and other physical qualities. Don’t be afraid of pieces of furniture, equipment and various installations in the room - when reflected from them, the sound becomes livelier and more natural. A universal solution would be a dipole speaker, one speaker of which can be directed directly to the wall. As engineers note, the directional reflection effect will minimize other, already negative, beats on objects, thereby leveling the sound picture. A broadband speaker system equipped with a bass reflex is also in demand. This is a speaker with an air duct, the presence of which allows the system to better handle harmonics. However, in this case you will have to sacrifice clarity, detail and natural sound.
Results
Coaxial acoustics : ease of installation, relatively low price, but the sound quality is lower compared to component acoustics. It is better to use it for sound in the rear area of the car, if needed. Common installation locations are rear doors or rear parcel shelf.
Component : costs more, requires an installation approach. But the sound quality is much higher. Has ample customization options. Installed from the front of the listener.
Full-range and coaxial speakers
Enter or register. Small-sized cm 2-way speakers for installation in the corresponding standard places of cars. For p Stylish, loud and, most importantly, inexpensive sets of acoustics in the popular size 6x9 inches. The AL series acoustics are ideal for both simple systems with an external amplifier and for systems
Why do we need broadband speakers [picture Replacing standard speakers with coaxial ones or higher-quality broadband ones. It cannot be said unequivocally that the larger the speaker, the better it sounds.
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Read our articles, learn new things, listen to high-quality music with excellent bass!
As you know, all acoustic systems (AS) can be divided into 3 groups: 1). Active multiband (2 or more bands)/active filtering. In such speakers, the division of bands is carried out before the PA, then each amplifier amplifies only “its own” frequency band and is loaded onto one/group of heads of the same type. In many respects, this design option provides the highest quality sound, but in practice its implementation is expensive (the number of PAs is required according to the number of bands), requires individual configuration and, in the case of active acoustics, in which the PA is located inside, is difficult to modernize. 2). Passive multi-way speakers. Perhaps today this is the most common type of speaker. Most of these are 2- and 3-way systems; they are connected to the output of the power amplifier, and the passive filter built into the speakers takes care of the head section. The main problem with multi-band acoustics, in my opinion, is the presence of this very filter. A passive crossover, apart from fulfilling its immediate task (allocating each head its own range), does not add anything good to the sound. The phase response and impulse response of the system deteriorate, serious distortions are introduced, etc. Moreover, despite the presence of various options for constructing filters, any of these options is essentially a compromise, improving one thing but worsening another (a classic example is the Zobel circuit). The result of the sound of such a speaker is either a flattened, cleaned-up sound, or an uninteresting, boring sound, or a combination of one and the other. However, due to convenience, ease of operation and accessibility, as well as the virtual absence of an alternative, it is this type of speaker, as I noted, that is most widespread today. 3). Wideband speaker. The oldest design in which there is no division into bands, and the emitter is a broadband head designed to transmit the entire frequency range. Wideband speakers have their pros and cons compared to multiband systems. The disadvantages include uneven frequency response (including, as a rule, an unpleasant surge in the 2-3 KHz region, weak lows and “overwhelmed” high frequencies), high directivity at mid/high frequencies and modulation of mid/high frequencies by low ones due to diffuser oscillations. Nevertheless, despite its obvious and noticeable shortcomings, the single-head design finds a decent number of its fans. Its advantages include the absence of phase distortions, the closest design to a point source and the absence of elemental distortions (since there is no filter itself). In addition, the design of a wideband speaker is simpler, since there is no need to configure a crossover (active or passive). There is also a magical side - supporters claim a certain “musicality”, “airiness” and “involvement” of the sound of such a speaker.
Which is better and for what purposes?
Car acoustics: broadband, coaxial and component
So, we are faced with a difficult choice - what kind of music should we put in the car? Wideband, component or coaxial speakers? Coaxial? What kind of coaxial acoustics are these? – Such a question, unfortunately, is not uncommon. Today we’ll dot all the i’s and learn about these categories of car acoustics in more detail. Let's start with coaxial, since it has a very interesting and promising name:
Coaxial acoustics - gets its name from the type of construction. Coaxial, or coaxial. All speakers located in the device body are located on the same axis. This allows you to significantly reduce the volume they occupy in the car interior, while dividing the reproduced frequency range between the low-mid-frequency speaker and the tweeter - the high-frequency speaker. This separation is necessary for improved sound compared to wideband acoustics (which will be discussed later). Each speaker has its own diffuser and optimal design for reproducing the frequencies assigned to it. A built-in crossover separates the frequencies between the speakers, and in very budget models its role is played by a capacitor.
The main advantage of this design, as mentioned above, is the improved sound quality compared to the sound of a single wideband speaker, with a slight increase in the cost of such acoustics compared to the same broadband speaker. The advantages are also ease of installation and significant savings in space in the cabin, compared to, for example, component speaker systems. The disadvantages include the narrow directionality of sound waves, since all the speakers are concentrated in one place and have the same direction. For this reason, it will not be possible to create a stage effect, which, in turn, allows for component acoustics, the elements of which can be distributed throughout the cabin. In some speakers, the manufacturer used a trick and made a device that allows you to separate the tweeter from the main speaker (or main ones, there are several of them) and install it, for example, in a door. But the thing is that such acoustics are still inferior in quality to component systems, since the price limits for the coaxial acoustics segment have long been determined in the car acoustics market, within which the manufacturer is limited by the quality of materials and the costs of production technology. Coaxial acoustics are an intermediate link between broadband and component and contain both the advantages and disadvantages of both of these solutions.
Features of broadband systems
When evaluating modern speaker systems, an experienced customer will definitely find out all the smallest details about the speaker crossover. This addition, which is based on a capacitor with inductor coils, does not show itself in any way, but provides an important function - dividing the electrical sound signal into separate bands. As a result, frequency lines are formed, among which the upper and lower bands will be mandatory. The sound was segmented into different subranges, which made it possible to distribute the sound background throughout the surrounding space. But attention is paid to the crossover not so much to determine the quality of its work, but to understand the potential damage it can cause to the purity of sound. In turn, a wideband speaker system is free of crossover and, therefore, does not involve dividing the signal into bands. At first glance, this should provide continuous advantages, but truly high-quality performance of such speakers is extremely rare.
