How Strong are Speaker Magnets

Last Updated on January 5, 2023 by Norvan Martin

How strong are speaker magnets? Speaker magnet strength ranges from about 0.001 teslas all the way up to about 1.5 teslas (the strongest neodymium magnets).

The basic function of speaker magnets is to translate an electrical signal into an audible sound.

To achieve this functionality, speaker magnets don’t need to be extremely strong. So why do speakers have magnets anyway? They are simply designed to be strong enough to create vibrations that create sound.

But most types of speaker magnets are strong enough to pick up a handful of paperclips or stick to a metal wall and are stronger than say rare earth magnets available online.

It’s important to realize that the strength of a speaker magnet varies with the size and type.

For example, the speaker magnet in a headphone won’t be as strong as the magnets in a loudspeaker. Also, the average speaker magnets are ceramic which is not as strong as neodymium magnets.

Speaker magnet strength ranges from about 0.001 teslas all the way up to about 1.5 teslas (the strongest neodymium magnets). Now let’s dive deeper into learning more about the strength of magnets in speakers.

 

Measuring Speaker Magnetic Strength: How Strong are Speaker Magnets?

In general, the strength of a magnetic field is normally measured in either gauss or tesla units.

One tesla equals 10,000 gausses. To measure magnetic strength, scientists use magnetometers, gaussmeter, and what are called pull-testers.

Most small speaker magnets start at around 0.001 teslas.

To put that in perspective, the Earth’s magnetic field is about 0.00005 tesla and an average MRI magnet measures 1.5 tesla which is the most powerful you can get with magnets.

What Determines the Strength of Speaker Magnets?

If we are asking the question of how strong are speaker magnets, we need to also discuss what determines the strength of speaker magnets.

In general, the strength of a speaker magnet depends on what it was created for.

For instance, if it’s headphones, the magnet is going to be as strong as a kitchen magnet that is used by a fridge.

If it’s from a boombox speaker, the magnet is no doubt going to be stronger.

A magnet in itself will never produce any sound, so the movement of one would, which is why you take a coil and run a current in it to move.

The movement of electrons produces magnetism, depending on the voltage.

The coil makes inward and outward movements producing a wave, a flow of particles within a field.

The sound you hear the speaker producing is such a wave through a material; it doesn’t matter if it is gas, liquid, solid, or kryptonite, the sound will move through.

But the sound will produce a different sound depending on the density of the material and fluidity.

Another thing you should note is the voltage is dependent on the volume in decibels you want.

Why is Speaker Magnet so Significant?

Why are we asking this question of how strong are speaker magnets and why is this significant?

If you have a high power handling speaker, you need a tough cone, large voice coil, and spider to handle the heat and turn voltage into SPL the best as possible.

The downsize about that is all these add up a lot of weight. For you to get rid of this weight, you require as strong as possible magnet field.

If you get a ceramic magnet, you can achieve your plan and a speaker with a strong magnet to give you the needed sound.

In SPL, you can have an 18-inch speaker with a 2-inch voice coil, and it will provide you 98 DB’s 1w1m and only handle 200 watts.

You then could have a different 18-inch speaker with a 4-inch voice coil, and it would have the same 98 DB’s 1w1m and handle 600 watts.

Both of them would give you the same SPL up to 200 watts only that the one with 4-inch voice coil would safely continue to get louder as the wattage is increased.

It would be best if you were careful when purchasing speakers as most companies will tell you that the heavier the magnet, the better performance you will experience.

But that is not the case as it depends on many other factors as well.

In addition, if you are looking for a magnet for whatever purpose, you don’t have to get it from a speaker, many neodymium magnets are found in household items.

Can You Destroy a Speaker with a Magnet?

The chances of destroying a speaker with a magnet are very low.

That’s mainly because it depends on how strong the magnet is.

This means you would need a very strong magnet to do any damage to your speakers.

Is a Bigger Magnet on a Speaker Better?

One thing you need to note is that the bigger the magnet, the stronger the driving force of the speaker.

So, if you want loud sounds, then having a bigger magnet in your speaker is a good option.

Smaller magnets are used with little speakers and, by definition, generate “weaker sound.”

Larger magnets allow for the creation of larger speakers that can create a louder sound.

Are Neodymium Magnets Good for Speakers?

The main benefits of these magnets is their excellent weight and efficiency.

A neodymium speaker tends to weigh approximately 50 percent less than other speakers on the market. And this is without giving up power or tone.

Therefore, this makes neodymium speakers ideal for large and heavy amps – or amps with more than two speakers.

Can a Speaker Work without a Magnet?

Magnetic speakers use electromagnetism to produce sound. This means that without an external magnetic field, the speaker would not work at all.

There are other types of “speakers” such as piezoelectric and electrostatic speakers which do not rely on magnets.

However, these techniques cannot achieve the same volume levels or frequency response ranges as a standard dynamic loudspeaker can achieve using electromagnetic principles.

This simply shows that magnets are extremely important in speakers.

Conclusion

So how strong are speaker magnets? We hope we’ve answered this question for you.

Although the production of sound from a speaker depends on several things, if you choose neodymium magnets, you will like their light nature, and no doubt, they are strong.

There is no right or wrong answer about which speaker magnet over the other. Sometimes it all is determined by the manufacturer and the customer preference.

The engineers, when designing speakers, they determine the size, strength, and material required for the desired acoustical output. So how strong are speaker magnets, well it all depends.