Loudspeaker Nonlinearities – Causes, Parameters, Symptoms

This paper addresses the relationship between nonlinear distortion measurements and nonlinearities which are the physical causes for signal distortion in loudspeakers, headphones, micro-speakers and other transducers. Using simulation techniques characteristic symptoms are identified for each nonlinearity and presented systematically in a guide for loudspeaker diagnostics. This information is important for understanding the implications of nonlinear parameters and for performing measurements which describe the loudspeaker more comprehensively. The practical application of the new techniques are demonstrated on three different loudspeakers.

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