Why are the diaphragms on audio speakers usually a cone with a dome in the centre? I don't know much about acoustics but my guesses would be:
- it just empirically sounds better, the design was found through trial and error
- an acoustically better shape (perhaps a flat panel or a larger dome) is not structurally rigid for vibration, the cone shape is rigid and relatively flat
- the cone/dome somehow causes interference effects that give directionality to the sound waves
Could someone shed light on the physics behind this design choice?
