Glossary

A unit of measure of the electrical power delivered by an amplifier to a speaker. Very simply stated, the formula for power is: P (power in wa...

Refers to how faithfully an audio system reproduces recordings. An audio system is said to be transparent if it reproduces recordings without ...

A mechanical device that converts an electrical audio signal into physical vibrations or vice versa. A speaker driver is a tran...

In the realm of loudspeakers, tonality refers to a speaker’s overall signature sound quality based on how it was enginee...

Refers to the tonal quality or tone color of a sound that arises from its spectral characteristics (frequencies and strengths o...

A measurement of how much an input signal is distorted by an electronic or acoustical device at its output. Basically, THD ...

The location within the listening area that sounds the best. Also, the location in the listening area that is along the centerl...

A speaker placed in one of the surround positions of a surround-sound system. These positions include the sides and back of the listening area...

A term that generally describes sound recordings with multiple channels and audio systems with multiple speakers placed around the listening a...

An electronic device that provides an audio (and possibly video) signal to an A/V system. Examples include turntables, CD playe...