To reproduce a wide range of frequencies, most speaker systems require more than one speaker, particularly for high fidelity (quality). Individual speakers are used to cover different frequency ranges. Subwoofers are speakers for very low frequencies; woofers, for low frequencies; mids or high-mids, for middle frequencies; tweeters, for high frequencies; and super-tweeters, for very high frequencies.

These terms for different speaker applications/ranges can differ widely depending on the application. Home theater speakers (consisting of four satellite speakers, a center channel speaker, and typically a powered subwoofer) connected to home theater amplifiers or stereos use the designation "tweeter" for high frequencies whereas professional audio systems for concerts typically designate all types of high frequency speakers simply as HF or "highs". High frequency compression speaker units are also called "horns" in cases where the professional loudspeaker's lower frequency drivers are front-loaded.

A "filter network", called a "crossover" separates the incoming signal into different frequency bands appropriate for each speaker. A speaker system with 'N' separate frequency bands is described as "N-way speakers": a 2-way system will have woofer and tweeter speakers; a 3-way system is a combination of a set of woofers, mid-range speakers, and tweeters.