midranges

Midranges are loudspeakers designed to reproduce the middle portion of the audible spectrum, typically occupying roughly 300 Hz to 5 kHz. They lie between woofers, which handle bass, and tweeters, which handle treble, and are a common component in two-way and three-way loudspeaker systems. The midrange is where most vocal content and many instruments concentrate energy, making accurate midrange reproduction important for overall sound balance and intelligibility.

Designs vary, but midranges are commonly cone- or dome-shaped drivers made from materials such as paper, polypropylene, kevlar, metal, or textiles. Size ranges from about 2 to 6 inches in diameter, with larger units tending to have greater low-frequency reach but potentially reduced high-frequency sensitivity. Performance is influenced by the enclosure type, whether sealed or ported, as well as the crossover network that splits the input signal between midrange, woofer, and tweeter. Impedance is typically 4 to 8 ohms in consumer loudspeakers.

Applications include two-way bookshelf and floorstanding models, three-way systems with a dedicated midrange, car audio, and studio monitoring contexts. In car installations, midranges are often configured to suit cabin acoustics and mounted in doors or dashboards. Tradeoffs involve balancing bandwidth, efficiency, phase coherence, and distortion; accurate midrange response aids vocal clarity, instrument timbre, and overall tonal balance.