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MP3
A file format with a sound data compression
system. MP3 is the abbreviation of Motion
Picture Experts Group 1 (or MPEG-1) Audio
Layer 3. With the MP3 format, one CD-R or
CD-RW can contain about 10 times more data
than a regular CD.
Mute
A control found on receivers, and some mixers
or signal processing units that silences (mutes) a
signal path, or output.
O
Ohm
Measure of resistance to current (impedance).
The lower the impedance of a speaker, the
harder it is to drive.
P
PCM (Pulse Code Modulation)
Pioneering form of digital recording.
R
RDS (Radio Data System)
RDS tuners can automatically tune in stations
according to the types of music (or talk) they
broadcast. RDS also enables a receiver to
display text messages and even graphics (usually
call letters and format information) that many
FM stations include on a sub-carrier signal
within their normal broadcast signal. Some RDS
equipped tuners can even override with traffic
alerts or emergency broadcasts, during playback
of other media - CD MD, or cassette. There are
other useful features too, many of which are
offered by the growing number of RDS stations.
RF (radio frequency)
An alternating current or voltage with a
frequency (or carrier wave) above about
100kHz. It is called radio frequency because
these frequencies have a capacity to be radiated
as electromagnetic waves by radio (and
television) stations.
Rip (ripping)
Using a software program that "grabs" digital
audio from a compact disc and transfers it to a
computer hard drive. The integrity of the data
is preserved, because the signal does not pass
through the computer sound card, and need
not be converted to an analog format. The
digital-to-digital transfer creates a WAV file that
can then be converted into an MP3 file.
RMS (Root Mean Square)
A formula that provides a reasonably accurate
means to measure and compare continuous
AC power. The use of this measure is preferred
when matching system components, like
amplifiers and receivers.
S
S/PDIF (SPDIF) (Sony/Philips Digital Interface)
A standard audio-file transfer-format that was
developed jointly by Sony and Philips. S/PDIF
allows the transfer of digital audio signals from
one device to another, without the need to
convert first to analog. This prevents the quality
of the digital signal degrading during transfer to
analog.
Sampling rate
The precision with which a digital file describes
the analog sound it represents. Basically, a lower
rate produces files that sound worse and take
up less drive space than those with a higher
rate. CDs have a sampling rate of 44.1kHz,
and DAT machines have a sampling rate of
48kHz. MiniDisc player/recorders with a built-in
sampling rate converter can handle both rates.
Sensitivity
Volume that a speaker offers for a specific
voltage input, expressed in decibels per watt
(dB/W).
Shuffle
A feature that plays audio files (tracks) in
random order.
EN
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