How to add a tweeter to a baffle or speaker

Jan 052024

How do I add a tweeter to a baffle or speaker?

Many music lovers who have a couple of baffles at home with only one speaker wonder if there is a way to add a tweeter to a baffle or speaker to improve the quality of the sound it produces.

Usually the speaker we have reproduces the bass well, but not the treble. Here is a very simple method to add a tweeter to your current speaker.

Any baffle with only one speaker can hardly reproduce all frequencies at the same time, and it is the reproduction of the high frequencies that costs the most.

Typically, speakers 6 inches or larger in diameter will sound much better if the high frequencies are bypassed (diverted) to a tweeter.

The tweeter can be any small speaker of 4 to 6 ohms and about 2 to 3 inches in diameter. It can also be a cone tweeter.

How is the new tweeter connected to the current speaker?

Two opposing electrolytic capacitors are placed as shown in the diagram, allowing only frequencies above 1500 Hertz (approximately) to pass to the tweeter.

In this way, low frequencies are prevented from reaching the tweeter, high frequencies can be reproduced cleanly, and there is no chance that high-powered low frequencies can damage the tweeter.

Potentiometer P1 is used to adjust the output level of the tweeter to a level similar to that of the other driver. This is done because small speakers are generally much more efficient in this regard than large speakers. Removing the potentiometer could cause the tweeter to sound too loud.

Yamaha NS 2000 tweeter

Parts list to add a tweeter to a one-speaker baffle

1 4 to 6 ohm tweeter with a diameter of two to three inches. A cone tweeter may be used.
1 Potentiometer of 50 ohms, 2 watts, wound resistor type (R1).
2 22 uF (microfarad) / 50 volt electrolytic capacitors (C1, C2).

Notes:

The tweeter is mounted in the original baffle. Drill a hole in the baffle with the same diameter as the tweeter to be mounted.
The 2 capacitors and the potentiometer can be soldered directly to each other without using a PCB.