As most tech products are getting more compact in size, the use of more synthetics for housing has also become widespread. This is largely due to the fact that traditional materials that have been used to encase electronics are generally heavier and more cumbersome than the actual components that make up the devices. However, the delicate tech parts still need to be encapsulated in some form of protective casing, so finding the right balance between weight and density can be key to generating product that are durable and practical. The use of carbon fiber in many tech products has helped to facilitate this shift into compact devices that still offer full sized benefits. This substance is used in everything from computers and tablets to speakers, and gives tech developers a lighter option for housings that still has a porous quality which aids airflow. As a result, even electronics that are known for throwing heat can still operate on a smaller scale without concern for burning out processors or components.

What Is Carbon Fiber?

Understanding why this substance has caused such a shift in technological devices can come back to having a better sense of the nature and qualities of carbon fiber. As the name suggests, carbon fiber is thin strands of carbon that have been spun into thread. While the fiber has a certain amount of flexibility that is inherent due to the form of the strands, it is also highly tensile and is stronger than steel. Unlike steel, however, carbon fiber is light and can be manipulated into more manageable fabrics in a range of thicknesses. Most commonly, carbon fiber is used as a textile, since the strands are woven into sheets of fabric which can then be utilized in a number of electronics. The carbon cloth can be molded into a variety of shapes for different housings, and is often further coated with a resin in order to reinforce the strength and the durability of the cloth. The result is a very lightweight form that is also very dense in terms of physical qualities.

How Does Carbon Fiber Affect Speakers?

Although the carbon fiber cloth is strong enough to be used in the automotive industry for car bodies, it also has a widespread application in other sectors of technology. Most commonly, it is being used for speaker arrays, which may be a part of bigger device such as a tablet or smart phone, or just in speakers on their own. This has greatly affected the ability to design more compact sound projection units that can still broadcast rich tones without distortion. Traditionally, speakers of all sizes have been housed in wooden cabinets, since this medium is dense enough to reduce vibrations and buzzing that can come from high bass, but also has a breathability that contributes to the resonance of the sound. However, wooden housings also mean that developing compact speakers is somewhat limited by physical properties of the cabinets. Other materials such as metal and plastic have been used to facilitate the miniaturization of sound components, but these can have varying impacts on the quality of sound. Some of the major issues that metal and plastic in speakers produce include:

• Distortion and echo due to sound waves bouncing off the flat surface of the housing

• Buzzing from vibration within the housing

• Limited range of volume, since more powerful sound waves contribute to feedback distortion within the housing

• Flat or dampened sound, due to the lack of resonance from the cabinet materials

Although some small scale speakers can work well with alternative housing materials, these will generally not have the power or range as a traditional set of speakers.

The use of carbon fiber cloth in speaker construction has helped to eliminate many of the problems that miniaturization and lighter casing materials can cause. This is because the cloth can be fully molded into a miniature cabinet that is dense and resonant at the same time. Even if this carbon fiber cabinet is further housed in metal or plastic exterior, the cloth still promotes rich sounds without buzzing or dampening.

Better Sound With Carbon Fiber

The use of carbon fiber cloth for speakers also means that smaller sized components can be used to project more sound. With the Qube speakers, this is both a function of the carbon fiber casing and the high quality electronic components. The miniaturized technology has the same capacity as modern computers for operating at high speeds with high power, but using compact circuitry to allow for the same function on a smaller scale.

When the carbon fiber cloth is further added as a housing, it allows for the power and clarity of the sound to be projected in a true form, since the weight of the cloth replicates many of the physical qualities of wood, but without the bulk. The result is a pocket sized speaker that has the same ability and tonality as a full stack.

The resin coating that is used to further strengthen the carbon fiber and help it to maintain shape also contributes to the greater sound quality. This is because resin adds to the organic quality that wood gives to sound waves, by allowing the material to vibrate enough to project richness of sound, but not vibrating so much that it begins to rattle as the volume is turned up. Since carbon fiber cloth is dense, this quality keeps the speakers balanced.

Another important aspect about the Qube speakers is that the carbon fiber housing for the components keeps the sound from echoing unnaturally within the outer aluminum casing. The projected sound is thus staying true to form, since the audio waves are not causing interference with one another. As a result, very big and very rich sound can be generated from the lightweight and compact design of the Qube. This presents people with a viable option for high quality sound that is also infinitely portable.