Simple Explanation

In a speaker, it’s the part that moves back and forth to create the air vibrations we hear as sound—usually shaped like a cone or dome.

Concise Technical Definition

The radiating surface of a compression driver or loudspeaker; it vibrates to emit sound waves, driven by the voice coil.

Layman-Friendly Analogy

Like the skin of a drum that moves to make sound, a diaphragm vibrates to push air and create what we hear.

Industry Usage Summary

In speaker and microphone design, the diaphragm is a key moving part that converts electrical signals into sound (or vice versa in mics). Its material, shape, and stiffness affect sound quality and frequency response.

Engineering Shortcut

Diaphragm = moving surface in a driver or mic that vibrates to produce or detect sound.

Full Technical Explanation

In loudspeakers and microphones, the diaphragm is a thin, flexible membrane that vibrates in response to an electrical signal (or acoustic signal, in reverse). In a speaker, it is typically driven by a voice coil and is responsible for generating air pressure variations (sound waves). Diaphragm materials (e.g., paper, polymer, metal) and geometry (e.g., cone, dome, ribbon) are critical to the device’s frequency response, efficiency, and distortion characteristics. In compression drivers, the diaphragm works with a phase plug to deliver sound through a horn or waveguide.