Terra Tech: Why We Use Composite Baskets for Our Jeep Speakers

We got a question/concern the other day from a customer, who surmised that our speakers using plastic baskets was “cheaper” than the metal basket on his factory speaker, thereby making our speaker “less than” the OE option. 

There are two primary reasons we selected a composite material for our particular application: The material is much less resonant than steel, which is critical given the location of the speaker, the way the speaker mounts, and the material of the cone. In other words, go tap on a piece of steel with a piece of steel; you’ll hear a distinctly metallic ringing. Now, go tap on a piece of plastic with a piece of steel; a nice, dead “thunk”. This is optimal for our application. Dead is good. There’s no coloration or indirect interference with the band of frequencies our midrange drivers are reproducing. 

Further, with 3D modeling and heat dispersion software we can design the basket (and consistently reproduce it) such that the voice coil vents optimally and allowing ample airflow around the upper side of the coil, a critical component of keeping heat to a minimum (which generates distortion, the enemy of sound quality). 

In short, on drivers of this size a vinyl-injected composite basket is optimal by every metric. We don't compromise, and we always design with purpose. 

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