Technology / Home Audio Glossary

Insertion Loss: The loss of voltage (or power), as measured in db, resulting from placing a resistor (or some other power absorbing network or component) between a voltage or power source (amp) and its load . . . View Full Definition

Institue of High Fidelity (IHF): The premier institution for high fidelity whose standards have come to be universally recognized in application to the operation and design of sound re-enforcement and reproduction equipment.

Insulation Or Insulator: A non-conductive protective covering for electrically active parts and wire that prevents short circuits and other unwanted interference.

Interface: A device or protocol which facilitates the linking of any two devices or systems; or when used as a verb ('to interface'), the process of linking.

Intermodulation Distortion: A species of Distortion that results when one set of frequencies is superimposed on, or is modified by, another to produce a third frequency not present in the original signal. Quantifies th . . . View Full Definition

Inverse Square Law: In mathematics, the law that states that in the absence of reflective surfaces, sound pressure (or light) falls off at a rate inverse to the square of the distance from its source. In other . . . View Full Definition

Iso-Din Mounting: Refers to a receiver mounting system in which the headunit is mounted behind the dash panel with side brackets, employing factory installed trim panels.1

Isobarik: Sometimes spelled Isobaric, this is an enclosure design in which two or more Drivers are coupled together by a sealed air mass to operate as a single driver. With proper sealing and design, . . . View Full Definition

Isolation: Electrical or acoustical separation to prevent the spread of noise and the effect on the signal of unwanted elements produced by internal or external devices.

Jack: A receptical for a plug used to interconnect electronic devices.

Joule: A unit of energy equal to one watt per second.

Jumper: To provide a temporary circuit around a component or other circuit A device that anables this action

Kapton: A voice coil design in which multiple layers are used on a Kapton coated coil form to create the rotor element in the speaker driver's linear motor. This allows greater power handling, and c . . . View Full Definition

Keypad: A panel usually made of metal or plastic with numbered push-button switches (like a touch-tone telephone) designed to provide access to certain types of control functions. Security, CD chang . . . View Full Definition

Kilohertz (Khz): A frequency of one thousand (1,000) cycles per second.

Kirchoffs Current Law (KCL): A law stating that the total current entering a point or junction in a circuit must equal the sum of the current leaving that point or junction.

Kirchoffs Voltage Law (KVL): A law stating stating that the voltage supplied to a DC circuit must equal the sum of the voltage drops within the circuit .

L-Pad: A low resistance (commonly 8 ohms) potentiometer used primarily to control the input delivered to a speaker. A remote site volume control.

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