I recently explained how speakers and microphones work to my wife. We were on a long drive and the topic of bluetooth headsets came up. I have a Plantronics 520 headset and the audio quality is pretty good. I casually mentioned that it's amazing how these tiny devices are able to create sound in such a wide range of frequencies and barely use any power. She asked me what's the big deal. I asked if she knew how speakers and microphones (dynamic) work and she said no.
Aha! For the next twenty minutes, I went over the basics of electromagnetism, diaphragms, and sound waves. I explained how so many different components work together to make sure the sound is captured and recreated exceptionally well. I felt pretty excited explaining something I had known since I was a tinkering kid to someone listening intently. After I was done, I said "Isn't that amazing?" and she said "Not as much as you" and smiled. That made my day.
That's funny, I have the same headset and consider the audio quality just barely usable. In any kind of noisy environment I have to crank the volume all the way up and jam the earpiece in, and even then it's still hard to hear and be understood.
Aha! For the next twenty minutes, I went over the basics of electromagnetism, diaphragms, and sound waves. I explained how so many different components work together to make sure the sound is captured and recreated exceptionally well. I felt pretty excited explaining something I had known since I was a tinkering kid to someone listening intently. After I was done, I said "Isn't that amazing?" and she said "Not as much as you" and smiled. That made my day.