Dual 2.5" FCD^TM cone drivers with cast aluminum baskets and high-efficiency neodymium magnets and a 1" silk dome tweeter put out a much fuller and wider soundstage than anything in its class. When combined with a powered subwoofer (we recommend our Level TWO Powered Subwoofer), you get full range performance that rivals larger speakers and makes a typical micro-speaker sound like a toy.

FCD stands for Fabric, Ceramic, Doping. A lightweight fabric is used to create the cone's shape. A ceramic coating is then hand applied, heated, and hardened to give the cone its stiffness. Finally, a slightly sticky polymer coating (doping) is also hand applied that helps increase bass response and add warmth to the overall tone. Bottom line: it provides the best sounding mid-range drivers we've ever produced.

Why the Middy is better than a micro speaker:
HTD Middies were designed with the smallest cabinet possible that could, in combination with the best small drivers available, still extend down to 100 Hz. The 1" silk dome tweeter produces crystal clear vocals at low volumes without sounding harsh at high volumes. In contrast, most micro speakers consist of a single driver and a plastic or particle board cabinet. This combination creates two problems when it comes to home theater:

First Problem- Frequency information between 100 Hz and 250 Hz (or higher!) is often lost. Micro systems typically cannot extend down below 250Hz in a meaningful way. In contrast, most home theater receivers send only the frequencies below 100 Hz to the LFE or powered subwoofer channel when you indicate the speakers you are using are "small". This is because the typical bookshelf speaker can extend to 100 Hz. But because most micro speakers cannot, you end up losing everything 100 Hz and higher that the micro-speaker can't reproduce. HTD Middies were designed with the smallest cabinet possible that could, in combination with the best small drivers available, still extend to 100 Hz.

100 Hz is also a key frequency because the human ear and brain can localize frequencies above 100 Hz (i.e. you can identify the point from which the sound eminates) but most people cannot localize frequencies below 100 Hz. That is why a subwoofer can generally be positioned anywhere in the room and why a small speaker still sounds big and full whenever a subwoofer is present.

Second Problem- So-called small "full range" drivers can produce mid-range frequencies but do not perform well in the high and low frequency ranges. The result is a speaker that sounds muddy at low volumes and harsh at high volumes. Plastic cabinets tend to resonate in the mid-frequency range which enhances this effect. In contrast, HTD Middies are constructed of dense MDF wood which virtually eliminates cabinet resonance. Middies include dual doped cone drivers (not just one) and a tuned port for better bass extension. High-efficiency neodymium magnets provide powerful performance despite a limited space. And many micro speakers don't even include a tweeter, much less one as nice as our 1" silk dome.

A complex 2nd order crossover and gold-plated 5-way binding post connections complete this awesome sounding speaker in a compact size. If you've checked out, or already own, a micro-speaker system, try out the HTD Middy risk free for 30-days and hear what you've been missing.