Enclosure: A cabinet in which the various Drivers are housed. This arrangement is absolutely essential if bass response is desired from the woofer, which by itself in the open air, will produce very little low frequency response. This is so because of an effect called phase cancellation. This means that the sound wave coming from the back of the speaker at low frequencies is identical in form and intensity to the one coming from the front of the cone. When they meet, as in the open air, they are exactly 180 degrees out of phase and thus cancel each other out. An enclosure either prevents this from occurring or modifies the interaction so that the backwave actually reinforces the front wave. Tweeters and midranges are less severly effected by the phase cancellation effects, and are not in need of enclosures.

 

Related Words

Enclosure: A cabinet in which the various Drivers are housed. This arrangement is absolutely essential if bass response is desired from the woofer, which by itself in the open air, will produce very li . . . View Full Definition

Explosion-Proof Enclosure: A totally enclosed enclosure which is constructed to withstand an explosion of a specified gas, vapor or dust which may occur within it. Should such an explosion occur, the enclosure will pr . . . View Full Definition

Tube (Enclosure): A type of woofer enclosure consisting of a long tube with a woofer at one end, and a port or Passive Radiator at the other. A good low-end reproducer, this design is very compact and general . . . View Full Definition

Sealed (Enclosure): Sometimes known as an Acoustic suspension type, the sealed enclosure is a simple design in which each woofer is mounted in a sealed, airtight box or compartment with a specific internal volu . . . View Full Definition