Excursion (audio)
Encyclopedia
Excursion is defined as how far the cone of a speaker linearly travels from its resting position. In general lower frequency drivers or subwoofer
s are designed to move more air and have more excursion than those of higher frequency. If a speaker is pushed beyond its limits, overexcursion, or "bottoming out", can occur as the voice coil
either slips out of the magnetic gap or hits the bottom of it.
Often, large speakers such as those used in clubs and in professional audio actually allow little cone excursion and/or they have fairly stiff surrounds which do not allow them to fluctuate greatly without high power. This is because they would otherwise overdrive and have a much shorter lifetime because it doesn't take much power at very low frequencies to cause even a large and "powerful" loudspeaker to overfluctuate.
, is capable of 2.5 inches of linear
cone excursion, one way. That is a total range of 5 inches, which is potentially hazardous.
The Thunder 1000000, the record holder
for the largest woofer
ever made, with a diameter of 60 inches, is capable of 6 inches of peak to peak cone excursion.
Subwoofer
A subwoofer is a woofer, or a complete loudspeaker, which is dedicated to the reproduction of low-pitched audio frequencies known as the "bass". The typical frequency range for a subwoofer is about 20–200 Hz for consumer products, below 100 Hz for professional live sound, and below...
s are designed to move more air and have more excursion than those of higher frequency. If a speaker is pushed beyond its limits, overexcursion, or "bottoming out", can occur as the voice coil
Voice coil
A voice coil is the coil of wire attached to the apex of a loudspeaker cone. It provides the motive force to the cone by the reaction of a magnetic field to the current passing through it...
either slips out of the magnetic gap or hits the bottom of it.
Often, large speakers such as those used in clubs and in professional audio actually allow little cone excursion and/or they have fairly stiff surrounds which do not allow them to fluctuate greatly without high power. This is because they would otherwise overdrive and have a much shorter lifetime because it doesn't take much power at very low frequencies to cause even a large and "powerful" loudspeaker to overfluctuate.
Extremes
The MTX Jackhammer, a 22-inch subwoofer made by MTX AudioMTX Audio
MTX Audio is an American consumer audio company that manufactures sound equipment for many applications, including car audio, home audio, marine audio and live sound products. They are best known for their car audio products and they specialize in subwoofers and subwoofer amplifiers. MTX Audio is a...
, is capable of 2.5 inches of linear
Linear
In mathematics, a linear map or function f is a function which satisfies the following two properties:* Additivity : f = f + f...
cone excursion, one way. That is a total range of 5 inches, which is potentially hazardous.
The Thunder 1000000, the record holder
World record
A world record is usually the best global performance ever recorded and verified in a specific skill or sport. The book Guinness World Records collates and publishes notable records of all types, from first and best to worst human achievements, to extremes in the natural world and beyond...
for the largest woofer
Woofer
Woofer is the term commonly used for a loudspeaker driver designed to produce low frequency sounds, typically from around 40 hertz up to about a kilohertz or higher. The name is from the onomatopoeic English word for a dog's bark, "woof"...
ever made, with a diameter of 60 inches, is capable of 6 inches of peak to peak cone excursion.