What's the rating of these speakers?

Specs

I'm sorry Joe, no idea.  I tried finding answers on-line, but came up short.  FWIW, I'm using them with Tsunamis, which normally require an 8 ohm speaker.

Spec

Measuring across the leads on one of mine, I read 9.1 Ohms.

Measuring across the leads of a DSM-8 I get 8.6 Ohms.

Which one

I have been on ebay and looked for iPhone 4s speakers. There appear to be 2. One is a small cube shaped speaker for the earpiece and the other is a longer looking unit that often talks about the antenna. Does this whole thing need to be installed or can the speaker be taken out, assuming it is the correct one.

This one...

My apologies

I'm sorry Greg, I should have been more specific in my initial post - and should have included a photo.  Thanks to Bill for including the pic, that also shows the two prongs I mentioned that the speaker wires are soldered to.  I updated my original post to clarify that I'm referring to the 4s loud speaker.

How about an eBay link?

Ebay link

I originally wanted to avoid doing so since I haven't actually received or tried those I ordered on Ebay - only the original Apple speaker I scavenged from my retired 4s - but here's what I bought -  http ://www.ebay.com/itm/131544209544?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

As soon as they arrive, ​I'll try to install one and report back.  Until then, let the buyer beware.  I'm assuming these are NOT factory equipment, so I can't vouch for their quality or sound just yet.

I will bet...

a couple of days after you get them and post a video they're gonna wonder what the heck is up with all the speaker sales...

We should call it the Atkinson Effect...

Atkinson Effect

Ha!  At least then I'd be effective at something. 

Thanks

Another question that has no real importance, but why a 4S speaker? Why not from another version? BTW I am ordering one now for my first steam sound install. 

Buyer Beware

At that price if it is a total disaster, I'm not out much. Less than a large at Tim Horton's.

Why 4s?

That's just one that Bill was testing in his original thread, so that's what got me started down this path.  I'm certainly no pioneer on this front!   Also, since these generally fit across the bottom of the phone, as you move to newer iPhone models, I'm assuming the loud speakers get wider (or longer, as they're generally oriented in our models) - not necessarily a desirable trait for our purposes.  The 4s speaker fit in the P2K Geep body with just enough room to clear the decoder, so I didn't have a lot of wiggle room to try anything larger.

4s Loudspeaker

the 4s loudspeaker is intriguing because it has it's own baffle that is not part of the phone housing. Given what these are made for, and how they are intended to be used, I figure Apple probably went to a lot of trouble to make them sound good from 4ft away. They looked like a ready to go solution to me.

I also have some 5s speakers that I have not really tried out yet.

Peter Thorne

Does anyone remember the model railroad books put out by Peter Thorne? As we discuss miniature speakers I can't help recall in one of his books he detailed how to cut down a speaker to fit in an HO locomotive. He would have a field day today with all the innovations. His books taught me a lot about electronics before I ever went to school for electronics. Even in the brief 10 years I have been away from it, a lot has changed. 

Speaking as an audiophile

The 4s was the pinnacle of iPhone speakers. That funny shape was designed to use every last bit of available space for a waveguide. (Similar to the horn on a Victrola, but tiny.) So you get some semblance of low end. The 5 and later models are just too thin for the speaker designers to work with. All they can do is squeak.

< Lecture mode> We don't really get measurable bass (ie < 200 hz) from any of these tiny speakers. All that we hear is what our brain makes up from analyzing the pattern of harmonics that are audible-- the famous missing fundamental phenomenon. (It's the same skill that we use to recognize a face from a nose, eye and bit of an ear.) A 100 hz tone will have harmonics at 200 and 300 hz and above (in steps of 100), so if we hear 200 and 300 hz together, we infer a 100 hz fundamental.   The trouble is, the newer phones are really limited to the old ma Bell standard of 300 and above, and the 400 hz component of a 100 hz tone is likely to be too weak for the process to work. Add in the fact that the frequencies we really want (what you get in the cab) are more like 50 hz, and you get an idea of what we are up against.

The problem is exactly the same that makes us favor an SD70 over a 44 tonner- the amount of work that has to be done. Low frequency sounds require more air movement than high frequency sound of equivalent loudness (those close together wiggles mean nothing is moving very far.) No matter what you do, the smaller the speaker, the less air you can move. < /lecture mode>

pqe

Speakers and Enclosures

My first profession was electronic technician. For a long while I was the go to guy in our shop for speaker repair. I also had experience with Cerwin Vega speakers which are known for their bass response. Cerwin Vega speakers used to come with instructions on placing the speaker in the room to get the best sound possible. 

The key to getting the best bass from a speaker (besides it's size) is to have a tuned box. Knowing the proper specs of the speaker, you can determine the optimum size of box and also the length and placement of the port. The port being the part where there is a hole in the box and a tube of a specific length. 

We had a computer program (this was back in the 90s) That calculated the dimensions and port size if you wanted a ported box or other dimensions if you wanted a sealed box. An example of which is online here:

http://www.diyaudioandvideo.com/Calculator/Box/

I have often wondered about these miniature speakers and the idea of putting them in a box (referred to as baffle) to get the optimum bass response. I am wondering if anyone has done this with these miniature speakers and I assume that's what gives the 4s speaker the best bass, the enclosure is tuned to the speaker. 

pqe notes that the 4s speaker enclosure has a wave guide which is exactly what Bose does with their wave radio to get that room filling bass from small speakers.

What are the dimensions of

What are the dimensions of this speaker? Could it possibly be used for a N scale install?

dimensions

52mm x 15mm x 4mm

Thanks Bill, that's pretty

Thanks Bill, that's pretty big and will not fit into a N scale locomotive !

$0.99 Ebay speakers

The speakers from the above purchase arrived in just four days, and I finally got two of them installed tonight.  I'm happy to report that they sound every bit as good as the factory iPhone 4s loud speakers I mentioned earlier in this thread.  Great price for a really outstanding speaker.

You guys are amazing. Pelsea

You guys are amazing. Pelsea thanks for telling us why it works and confirming that it is likely the best choice, you likely saved a lot of failed experiments right there. I now have a choice for speakers that should be used in the future thanks for your great ideas everyone.

Video

I shot some video for another thread yesterday, and the first one at  https://forum.mrhmag.com/post/sound-yes-or-no-12201101 features the test bed unit for my iPhone 4s loud speaker experiment, IAIS GP10 403, the middle unit in that consist.  I thought it might be of interest to some here as well.

I picked up mine

I ordered some of these speakers and I agree that these are great!  With these speakers and the newly released Econami decoders makes adding sound a little easier on my wallet....although the Econami are still not exactly cheap.

Question:  Is it possible to cut away some of the plastic on these speakers to make them even smaller?  It looks like the actual speaker is only on the side with the leads and the other side just helps position the assembly into the phone.  I may try sectioning it down to see.....if I screw it up it will only cost me 99 cents!.