Coaxial loudspeaker

A coaxial loudspeaker is a loudspeaker system in which the individual driver units radiate sound from the same point or axis. Two general types exist: one is a compact design using two or three speaker drivers, usually in car audio, and the other is a two-way high-power design for professional audio, also known as single-source or dual-concentric loudspeakers.

Car audio

Coaxial speakers in automobiles are 2- or 3-way loudspeakers in which the tweeter, or the tweeter and a mid-range driver, are mounted in front of the woofer, partially obscuring it. The advantage of this design is the ability to use a smaller area, hence their popularity in car audio. The low frequency sound waves from the woofer are not reduced too much by the drivers in their path. Without time-alignment correction, the sound from the tweeter may arrive slightly before the sound from the woofer; this misalignment is not generally addressed in automobile sound systems.

This design was popularized in the 1970s with Electronic Industries, Inc. of South Holland, Illinois introducing the general concept in May 1973, and Jensen Loudspeakers introducing a retail model the next month. This was followed by designs from Sparkomatic, Clarion, Infinity and others.