Technology / Home Audio Glossary

Bass Boost: An active low pass amplifier section added to some receivers, equalizers, and amplifiers that allows as much as an 18 decibel boost to be applied to an audio signal in the low frequency 35 t . . . View Full Definition

Bass Reflex: A type of speaker enclosure that includes a 'tuned' port or passive radiator to increase and extend bass response (by releasing some of the energy created by the inward movement of the woofe . . . View Full Definition

Bbe: A signal processing circuit that provides improvements in imaging and spatial realism by altering the frequency and phase characteristics of portions of the input signal. 1 & 2 Processing

Bel: Abbr. B, B Ten decibels. ( In honor of Alexander Graham Bell.) The Bel was originally a unit measure of the amount a signal dropped in level over a one-mile distance of telephone wire. See: decibel

Bessel Alignment: A particular crossover configuration which offers superior phase coherence in exchange for slightly lower output level match.Bessel: A design that places emphasis on phase and transient resp . . . View Full Definition

Best Tuning Memory (BTM): A feature in which the tuner selects radio stations by signal strength, and assigns them to presets in numerical order, according to their frequency value.

Bi-Amping: Means that instead of driving a speaker full-range with a single channel of amplification through a single set of speaker cables, you actually connect two sets of cables, with each set carry . . . View Full Definition

Bi-Amplification: Some speaker systems with multiple drivers do not contain a crossover network, and they require a separate amplifier for each frequency range. The bi-amplified system still requires an activ . . . View Full Definition

Bi-Wiring: Involves connecting two sets of cables to your speakers, like bi-amping, but both sets of cables connect to the same set of output connectors on your receiver or amplifier. Bi-wiring doesn't . . . View Full Definition

Binding Post Terminals: Are a sturdier, more versatile type of speaker jack, often found on higher-quality speakers and receivers, and on most amplifiers. They're threaded, so you can tighten them down against the . . . View Full Definition

Bipolar Transistor: A older but still effectively used transistor type that contains two p or n junctions or diodes between two layers of opposite polarity material (emitter and collector) . In handling large p . . . View Full Definition

Bipole: A speaker design that uses two sets of drivers to generate equal amounts of sound both forward and backward, or side to side, with the two sounds being 'in phase.' In a home theater setup, b . . . View Full Definition

Bl: (measured in Tesla meters) The product of a speaker driver’s gap flux density and the length of the voice coil conductor in the gap.

Blank Skip: A cassette feature that automatically detects blank areas of the tape over a set number of seconds in length and activates Fast Forward, until either the end of the tape, or audio informatio . . . View Full Definition

Bnc: A type of high precision connection often used in instrumentation and sometimes in digital audio. BNC connectors sometimes are used for digital connections such as from a CD Transport to the . . . View Full Definition

Boomy: Usually refers to excessivly reverberant bass response, or a peak in the bass response of a recording, playback, or sound reinforcement system.

Box: Another, and common name for a standard speaker enclosure. There are many variations in type, which are basically compromises between size, power handling, cost, frequency response, and many . . . View Full Definition

Bridge Mounted (2 and 3-Way Speakers): In combined 2 and 3-way speakers, which have woofers together with a Tweeter, or a Tweeter and a Midrange Driver, the smaller drivers are attached to the woofer by either one of two standard . . . View Full Definition

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