It is very difficult to reproduce high frequencies, low frequencies on a same device.
You know why?
Can you speak when some one is shaking you strongly?
Similarly, woofer sounds are low frequency high power sounds and will move the diaphragm of the woofer to extreme ends and when the poor high frequency signals are also on the same line, but the woofer is already excited to it extreme it can move from there until the high low frequency sounds are reduced slightly in the mean time you have lost some high frequencies. Result is ugly audio.
So high frequencies and low frequencies are separated and fed to two individual devices called tweeter and woofers respectively.
Just like, taking away the shaker from you and leaving you free to talk.
Another name for a woofer (or sub woofer) is a bass speaker. Although that term isn’t commonly used as often as the term woofer or sub woofer. Same for tweeter or treble.
Note that even though they’re both the same meaning, there’s still a slight difference. A woofer speaker usually has one large speaker, while tweeter speakers are combined with Low and Mid range speakers (3 speakers in one main speaker box). Bass and treble speakers are usually singular speakers.
Also, the term bass is a musical terminology, as well as treble, so using them to say bass speaker or treble speaker isn’t technically correct.
What is a tweeter? (Tweeter = Treble)
A speaker that reproduces high frequency sounds. These are usually relatively small because of the short wavelength of the sounds they reproduce.
A tweeter is a loudspeaker designed to produce high frequencies, typically from around 2,000 hertz to 20,000 hertz (20,000 Hz is generally considered to be the upper limit of the human ear). Some tweeters can reach up to 30 to 35 kHz. The name is derived from the high pitched sounds of some birds.
What is a woofer? (Woofer = Bass)
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” (in contrast to the name used for speakers designed to reproduce high-frequency sounds, tweeter).
A woofer reproduces mid- to low-frequency sound. Each woofer will have a different frequency range, but a typical woofer will responsible for everything between the high-frequency signals of the tweeter and the very low-frequency signals of the sub woofer. If your speaker also has a mid-range speaker, the woofer will probably be responsible for a narrower range of low-frequency signals only.
What’s the difference between a woofer and a sub woofer?
Basically, it is designed to handle lower frequencies than the woofer. If you want to hear the full range of frequencies, one choice is to use a woofer and tweeter in a bass reflex enclosure.
Do I need a sub-woofer when I have speakers with a tweeter and woofer combination?
It is best to get tweeters, mid-range speakers and a sub-woofer separately and connect them to an amplifier.
Woofers are larger speakers that allow it to play deep bass tones much better because they Emit a larger sound wave. Tweeters are used for higher treble sounds because the small tight cone releases a very small tight sound wave. Now when you install each of these you should install them with a crossover to separate your bass tones from your treble tones to each speaker respectfully otherwise you will be forcing a tweeter to play bass and a woofer to play treble which is possible but does not sound so good. Some speakers like come pre-setup in this configuration.
Unless you are referring to the slang terms for woofer and tweeter which I will not go into at this time.
Unlike woofers, tweeters are very directional, so they are wasted if they are not mounted high where the sound will reach your ear. So, I would say, keep them away from the woofer (it won’t hurt them, but you’ll never know they are there).
Tweeters are directional in nature. There should be a clear unobstructed path between yourself and the tweeter for best results.
The higher the frequency the more directional it is. If you really know what you are doing you can bounce the tweeters sound off of a hard surface and go around the obstruction. Bose uses this technology in it’s 901 series of loudspeakers. This could be very tricky.
