Full-range drivers[edit]

Main article: Full-range speaker

A full-range driver is a speaker designed to be used alone to reproduce an audio channel without the
help of other drivers, and therefore must cover the entire audio frequency range. These drivers are
small, typically 3 to 8 inches (7.6 to 20.3 cm) in diameter to permit reasonable high frequency
response, and carefully designed to give low-distortion output at low frequencies, though with
reduced maximum output level. Full-range (or more accurately, wide-range) drivers are most
commonly heard in public address systems, in televisions (although some models are suitable for hifi listening), small radios, intercoms, some computer speakers, etc. In hi-fi speaker systems, the use
of wide-range drive units can avoid undesirable interactions between multiple drivers caused by noncoincident driver location or crossover network issues. Fans of wide-range driver hi-fi speaker
systems claim a coherence of sound due to the single source and a resulting lack of interference,
and likely also to the lack of crossover components. Detractors typically cite wide-range drivers'
limited frequency response and modest output abilities (most especially at low frequencies), together
with their requirement for large, elaborate, expensive enclosuressuch as transmission lines,
quarter wave resonators or hornsto approach optimum performance. With the advent of
neodymium drivers, low cost quarter wave transmission lines are made possible and are
increasingly made availably commercially.[20][21]
Full-range drivers often employ an additional cone called a whizzer: a small, light cone attached to
the joint between the voice coil and the primary cone. The whizzer cone extends the high-frequency
response of the driver and broadens its high frequency directivity, which would otherwise be greatly
narrowed due to the outer diameter cone material failing to keep up with the central voice coil at
higher frequencies. The main cone in a whizzer design is manufactured so as to flex more in the
outer diameter than in the center. The result is that the main cone delivers low frequencies and the
whizzer cone contributes most of the higher frequencies. Since the whizzer cone is smaller than the
main diaphragm, output dispersion at high frequencies is improved relative to an equivalent single
larger diaphragm.
Limited-range drivers, also used alone, are typically found in computers, toys, and clock radios.
These drivers are less elaborate and less expensive than wide-range drivers, and they may be
severely compromised to fit into very small mounting locations. In these applications, sound quality
is a low priority. The human ear is remarkably tolerant of poor sound quality, and the distortion
inherent in limited-range drivers may enhance their output at high frequencies, increasing clarity
when listening to spoken word material.