How do earbuds deliver deep bass frequencies with such tiny drivers?

Question

Usually when you have a smaller speaker, you sacrifice the low end, but earbuds seem to manage to deliver substantial bass nonetheless. I assume the proximity to the eardrum helps, but I don’t fully understand how.

In: 2000

Answer 1

Resonant frequency depends on mass of the driver (as you imply), but it also depends on stiffness. So there are not one but two ways of tailoring the bass. A tiny headphone can reach low frequencies as long as it is loose enough.