speaker selection

[jjdavis]

How can I tell if a speaker is best for home type Stero or PA work. Have found car speakers unsuitable for home use.

[Dirk]

> How can I tell if a speaker is best for home
> type Stero or PA work. Have found car
> speakers unsuitable for home use.

As a general rule of thumb, PA woofers (I assume you're interested in woofers) have a high sensitivity and a high F3. They trade ultra-low response for being able to play loud. Home audio drivers are usually the opposite. They aren't as efficient, but they tend to play much lower (and in smaller cabinets).

Car audio woofers are designed with similar efficiencies as home audio woofers, but they're designed to work in very small boxes. Cars also exhibit something called "cabin gain", where the small space of the vehicle reinforces the low-end response. This is why they don't work so well in home environments. The car woofer "expects" the bottom end to be propped up by a very small listening environment, but instead it's playing into a 3000ft^3 area like a home living room. Makes it sound pretty weak.