Technology / Home Audio Glossary

A-B Test: A test by which an observor subjectively compares the performance of two components of the same type; for example, a test between two different speakiers. For the test to be scientifically v . . . View Full Definition

Abx Comparator: A device that randomly selects between two components being tested. The listener doesn't know which device is selected.

Ac-3: (audio coding 3) Dolby's digital audio data compression algorithm adopted for HDTV transmission and used in dvds, laserdiscs and cds for 5.1 multichannel home theater use and automotive surr . . . View Full Definition

Acoustic Coupling: The interaction between two or more speakers stacked together in an audio system which may produce a sound different from (and often better than) the sound produced by the individual speakers.

Acoustic Feedback: A phenomenon where the sound from a loudspeaker is picked up by the microphone or other transducer, like a phono cartridge feeding it, and re-amplifys it through the same loudspeaker only to . . . View Full Definition

Acoustic Suspension: A type of speaker enclosure that uses a sealed box to provide tight, accurate bass response. It gives up some efficiency to provide bass that is more accurate and controlled, so compared to . . . View Full Definition

Acoustic Suspension (Enclosure): A Sealed box system that uses the resistance of the internal air of a sealed enclosure to control the motion of the cone. Sometimes known as an infinite baffle type.

Acoustics: Sound is simply vibrating air. How fast, how much, and when the air is vibrated, determines what we will ultimately hear as sound. The science of this process is called acoustics. When a spe . . . View Full Definition

Active: A word prefacing certain circuits in which the processing is performed by use of transistor or tube juctions, rather than passive componenets such as resistors, capacitors, and coils. Such i . . . View Full Definition

Active Display: A special feature for front panel receiver displays that generates animated patterns for both segmented and dot matrix lcds that proceed the sequential display of information such as clock, . . . View Full Definition

Adaptive Reception: A circuit that provides adjustable delay such that the time at which a sound wave is produced from various signal channels can be changed. This allows synchronization for each channel of a m . . . View Full Definition

Adaptive Trasformation Acoustic Coding (ATRAC): The process used in minidisc that utilizes psychoacoustic principles to limit quantization noise and reduce the data quantity from 16 bits to 4 bits by using non-uniform frequency and time division.

Aiff: Short for Audio Interchange File Format, a file format for storing and transmitting sampled sound. It was developed by Apple Computer and is the standard audio format for Macintosh computers . . . View Full Definition

Air Gap: In a speaker's motor section, the space between the top plate and the pole piece. This is where the magnetic flux field is concentrated and where the voice coil interacts with it.

Alternating Current: Electricity which flows in opposite directions, alternating at a certain rate (Hz). As supplied by power companies, AC in the United States alternates 60 times per second and is deemed as 60 . . . View Full Definition

Alternator Whine: A siren-like whining that appears as the rotational speed of an engine increases. The noise is usually the result of a voltage differential created by more than one ground path or a poor gro . . . View Full Definition

American Wire Gauge (AWG): A standard for measuring the diameter of wire commonly used in electrical circuits. The higher the AWG number, the smaller the thickness of the conductor. For power carrying, choose lower nu . . . View Full Definition

Amperes (A): Ampere is a unit measurement of current of electrical energy equal to one coulomb of charge per second. Most DC applications refer to positive current - current which flows from a positive p . . . View Full Definition

Amplification Classes: All sound is a sinosoidial waveform. It has alternating peaks and valleys. The center point of each wave is the zero, or switching point that separates the positive (top) from the negative ( . . . View Full Definition

Amplifier: A device, either a single stage or a large scale circuit with mutiple stages for creating gain, ie. Making small signals larger.

Amplitude: The strength or intensity of an AC signal applied by the amplifiers output to a speaker's input. Also, a measure of the relative power of any variable recurring phenomenon. Typically, measur . . . View Full Definition

Amplitude Modulation (AM): In radio broadcasting, amethod of modulation in which the amplitude of the carrier voltage is varied in proportion to the changing frequency value of an applied (audio) voltage.

Analog: An electrical signal in which the frequency and level vary continuously in direct relationship to the original acoustical sound waves. Analog may also refer to a control or circuit which con . . . View Full Definition

Analog Switch: A hardware-oriented switch that only passes signals that are faithful analogs of transducer parameters.

Anechoic Chamber: A special room that is constructed without acoustically reflective surfaces, such that it is without echoes, or an-echo-ic. This experimental setup enables engineers to more precisely measur . . . View Full Definition

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