Final answer:
Speakers produce mechanical waves that transfer energy through a medium, such as air, without transferring mass. These waves are longitudinal and need a material medium to propagate.
Step-by-step explanation:
Speakers transfer waves through the medium, which is energy in the form of sound. These waves are mechanical and require a medium, like air, to travel. These sound waves are longitudinal waves where the particles in the medium move parallel to the direction of the wave's travel. As they move through the medium, waves transfer energy but not matter, indicating that the correct answer to the question is that speakers transfer energy through the medium.
Mechanical waves, like those produced by speakers, transfer energy and momentum without transferring mass. These waves are governed by Basic mechanical waves and require a medium which can deform elastically. An example of a wave that does not require a medium is an electromagnetic wave, which can travel through a vacuum at the speed of light (approximately 3 × 108 m/s).