piezoelectric speaker
A piezoelectric speaker (also known as a piezo bender due to its mode of operation, and sometimes colloquially called a "piezo", buzzer, crystal loudspeaker, or beep speaker) is a loudspeaker that uses the piezoelectric effect for generating sound. The initial mechanical motion is created by applying a voltage to a piezoelectric material, and this motion is typically converted into audible sound using diaphragms and resonators. The prefix piezo- is Greek for 'press' or 'squeeze'. • Illustration — This piezoelectric buzzer uses a white ceramic piezoelectric material sandwiched between two metal diaphragms. • Illustration — When fixed to a metallic diaphragm and excited with an alternating voltage, the diameter of the disc varies by a small amount, which causes dishing of the diaphragm and produces a much louder sound. • Illustration — This ruggedized signal at a pedestrian crossing incorporates a piezo speaker to produce audible sound, as well as a piezo switch for durability.
Also recorded as piezoelectric loudspeaker
piezoelectric speaker
Raimond Spekking · © Raimond Spekking / CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons) · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Field
- loudspeaker
Reference Check
Propose documentary evidence for piezoelectric speaker. A contribution is never written directly as fact: identity, source, rights and evidence gates still decide.
Sign in to contribute
World of VALÉORINE
Documentary connections
Only confirmed graph relationships appear here. Images are shown only when their identity and reuse rights both pass the documentary gate.
Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
wikidata · Q1407964 · wikipedia · Piezoelectric speaker
In this article
Usage
Piezoelectric speakers are frequently used to generate sound in digital quartz watches and other electronic devices, and are sometimes used as tweeters in less-expensive speaker systems, such as computer speakers and portable radios. They are also used for producing ultrasound in sonar systems. Compared to other speaker designs, piezoelectric speakers are relatively easy to drive; for example they can be connected directly to TTL outputs, although more complex drivers can produce greater sound intensity. Typically, they operate well in the range of 1–5 kHz and up to 100 kHz in ultrasound applications. Piezoelectric speakers have several advantages over conventional loudspeakers: they are resistant to overloads that would normally destroy most high frequency drivers, and they can be used without a crossover due to their electrical properties. Piezo speakers can also be robustly constructed, and made to withstand heavy usage, neglect, weathering, and vandalism. There are also disadvantages: some amplifiers can oscillate when driving capacitive loads like most piezoelectrics, which results in distortion or damage to the amplifier. Additionally, piezo speaker frequency response in most cases is inferior to that of other technologies, especially with regards to bass and midrange. This is why they are usually used in applications where volume and high pitch are more important than sound quality. Piezoelectric speakers can have extended high frequency output, and this is useful in some specialized circumstances; for instance, sonar applications in which piezoelectric variants are used as both output devices (generating underwater sound) and as input devices (acting as the sensing components of underwater microphones). They have advantages in these applications, not the least of which is simple and solid state construction that resists seawater better than a ribbon or voice coil based device.
Text attribution
Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Piezoelectric speaker, revision 1334128533 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Platt, Charles. Encyclopedia of electronic components. Volume 1, [Power sources & conversion : resistors, capacitors, inductors, switches, encoders, relays, transistors]. O'Reilly/Make. 258. 2012. 978-1-4493-3387-4.
- 2.Tressler, James. Piezoelectric and Acoustic Materials for Transducer Applications. Springer. 217–239. 2008. 978-0-387-76540-2.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Collectables
20,755 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- PiedmontOrganisation
- PieperOrganisation
- Pierce-ArrowOrganisation
- Pierce-RacineOrganisation
- pifferoTerminology
- pifilcaTerminology
- PiganinoTerminology
- PigginsOrganisation
Best supported in this field
For owners
Own an object connected with piezoelectric speaker?
A specialist will read what you send and tell you what the house can establish, what it cannot, and whether the object is suited to sale. There is no charge and no obligation. The object stays with you throughout; nothing is shipped to us unless it is arranged in writing beforehand.