Part 3 of 8 of the NB Audio beginner guide to speaker building. Start at Part 1 and the series contents.
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For a first build, choosing drivers is mostly checking them. Two good drivers don't automatically make a good two-way speaker. They have to suit the cabinet, the crossover and the job.
Expansion Guide 2 starts with a complete documented design and checks its drivers properly. Then it covers the extra questions when you're choosing a new pair.
The specs
Start with the complete model number, impedance version included. Then the three physical sizes that matter (the frame, the cut-out and the depth behind the panel) and a full-size paper template to prove they fit.
The match
Why "same model, different impedance" is still a substitution. How to compare sensitivity figures only when they were measured the same way. Why the wattage isn't a volume control. And how to read a frequency-response graph in three passes.
The shortlist
If you're picking a new woofer and tweeter: the questions to ask of each pair, kept to a short list. Then an order sheet with one line per exact part, and what to check when the box arrives.
Who it's for
It's written for a first build. Bring the design's parts list, its front-panel drawing and the makers' data sheets.
What it won't do is let a matching diameter or a bigger number on a spec sheet stand in for the part the design actually calls for.
Expansion Guide 2: Choosing Speaker Drivers
Free PDF, 9 pages. The full checks, the physical-fit worksheets and the order sheet.
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Previous: Part 2: Planning your speaker build: the checks before you order anything (Beginner Guide, Part 2)
Next: Part 4: Planning the enclosure: check the box on paper before you cut (Beginner Guide, Part 4)