Introduction to electroacoustics - Electroacoustic transduction

The transducer is a system that transforms energy received in a given form (e.g. mechanical, thermal, light...) into energy that can be used in a different form (e.g. acoustic, electrical...).

An electroacoustic transducer transforms acoustic energy (sound wave) into electrical energy (signal).

Such a transducer is said to be linear when, for a given frequency, the quantity collected at the output terminals is proportional to the quantity acting on the input (figure 1 ).

This transducer is said to be reversible if, powered by an electrical source, it is capable of supplying acoustic energy.

This transducer is said to be reciprocal if, during its reversible operation, it constitutes a source of flow q (m ³ /s ) proportional to the excitation current i (A ) such that: q / i = u / p.

Microphones and loudspeakers are reversible electroacoustic transducers. They are reciprocal as long as they operate within their linearity limits.