Table of Contents
Advertisement
for which they were made, so their response is
limited, but still a necessary point to consider
when designing a complete sound system.
H
Hi-Fi (High Fidelity)
A method of sound reproduction that
emphasizes the highest possible adherence to
the exact character of the original sound. This
is a principal that must be paramount in every
stage of the recording, transportation, and
recreation of the signal to be fully operational. It
is usually the listener's equipment wherein this
objective is most seriously compromised.
Hz (Hertz)
Cycles per second, named after Heinrich Hertz.
I
Impedance
The resistance to the flow of an electric current
in a circuit. This is effectively the electrical load
that a loudspeaker presents to the amplifier
which drives it and is measured in ohms.
Incredible Surround Sound (Incr.Surr.)
An improved system that creates realistic, three-
dimensional sound fields. These sound fields are
usually achieved with multiple speakers that are
arranged around the listener.
Input sensitivity
SPL (sound pressure level) a speaker produces,
given one watt of power, measured from a
one-meter distance at a typical input frequency
(usually 1kHz unless otherwise noted on the
speaker).
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.
K
Kbps
EN
34
Kilobits per second. A digital-data-rate
measurement system which is often used with
highly compressed formats such as AAC, DAB,
MP3 etc. The higher the amount, the better the
quality generally is.
K
kHz (kilo Hertz)
1000Hz or 1000 cycles per second.
L
LCD (Liquid Crystal Display)
Probably the most common way to show
visual information on non-computer electronic
equipment.
Lossless compression
A system for reducing the number of data bits
(density) in a musical signal without corrupting
the original.
M
M4A
The audio file format used by Apple in their
iTunes Music Store often appears on your
system with the '.m4a' filename extension. M4A
can produce better audio quality than MP3
using less physical space for the files.
MHz (Mega Hertz)
One million cycles per second.
Midrange
The middle three octaves (more or less) of the
audio band, where the ear is most sensitive,
usually between 160Hz-3kHz.
Mono (monaural)
The operation of an amplifier in one channel
for both input and output. Can refer to an
amplifier with only one channel of amplification
or operating in bridged mode. For low-
frequency amplification applications, it provides
better phase coherence and less distortion than
stereo operation.
Advertisement
Table of Contents
