Simple Explanation

A speaker where either the loudness or timing info alone tells you everything about how it sounds.

Concise Technical Definition

A loudspeaker in which the phase response is uniquely determined by the amplitude response, meaning its full frequency behavior can be characterized from either alone.

Layman-Friendly Analogy

Like knowing a recipe just from tasting the food—no hidden steps or tricks, everything is reflected in the result.

Industry Usage Summary

Minimum-phase behavior in loudspeakers ensures time and frequency alignment, making them easier to equalize accurately and predict performance from measurements. Often referenced in DSP-based room correction systems.

Engineering Shortcut

Phase = derived from amplitude; speaker behaves like a minimum-phase system.

Full Technical Explanation

A minimum-phase loudspeaker is one whose frequency response—both amplitude and phase—is such that the phase can be mathematically derived from the amplitude response alone (and vice versa). This occurs when the system has no excess phase or delay beyond what is dictated by its magnitude response. In practice, this means the loudspeaker behaves like a minimum-phase system, which implies all of its acoustic and electrical responses are causal, stable, and have no hidden group delay anomalies. Minimum-phase behavior allows for more effective equalization, as DSP corrections based on amplitude also correct phase implicitly. This makes such speakers ideal for room correction, crossover design, and acoustic modeling, though real-world drivers and enclosures may only approximate perfect minimum-phase behavior.