Glossary
and 1 comments in the glossary of HiFi Forum
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Sensitivity : In simple terms, the more efficient the speaker, the lower the power requirements of your amplifier to drive them. If sensitivity is say 94dB at 1m for 1W input, then to produce your target volume, you need an amplifier of 1W ONLY!! If your speakers are rated at say 85dB sensitivity, then your amplifier needs to be 94-87=9dB louder and needs to be much more powerful to produce the same sound level.+ Associated link: http://www.dt4u.com/dtsystems/speakertech.php
Active Hi-Fi System : In an active system an electronic crossover divides the audio spectrum into two or three separate frequency bands, depending on the loudspeaker type employed. The crossover is connected between the pre-amplifier and power amplifiers. Each power amplifier is then connected directly to the appropriate loudspeaker drive unit, and only handles one frequency band. In a 2 way speaker, you would have 2 power amps; in a 3 way speaker you would have 3 power amps. This allows better control of the drive unit resulting in more accurate music reproduction. As there is no passive crossover no amplifier power is wasted and information loss is minimised. The great potential possessed by an active system demands not only source components of the very highest quality but also for them to be perfectly matched and installed.
Active System : An active system is a term not really used as far as i know... because "Active" means "it has an amp built in", so to have active speakers it means each speaker has an amplifier built into it, which either means they run on batteries, or plug into a power socket. This is an advantage for small systems because you don't require a high-powered amplifier connected. To have an "active system" however, must mean that the speaker components of a larger system are active, because the only other part to contain an amp should be the amplifier itself!
Hi-Fi : High Fidelity - Refers to sound reproduction equipment that reproduces sound as near to the original sound as possible.
IHF : Institute of High Fidelity: Institute founded by American manufactuers of audio equipment, devoted to the improvement of audio technology, standardization of test and measuring methods, etc. "IHF" in audio specifications means that values were obtained in measurements according to IHF standards.
+ Associated link: http://www.classicaudio.com/gloss/
Boomy : The smearing of transients that makes bass reproduction sound muddled, usually because of improperly designed sealed (to small), ported (to small or tuned improperly), and bandpass enclosures, although the latter are sometimes designed this way on purpose by car audio manufacturers or install shops to be loud.
+ Associated link: http://www.caraudio.la/glossary.htm
VCR : A device that can record and play back video to and from videotapes (video cassettes). Typical tapes can hold two to 6 hours of video, depending on quality.
Receiver : Similar to an amp (you typically wouldn't have a receiver *and* an amp). The difference is that an amp receives an analog signal, and amplifies it for the loudspeakers. A receiver can take any type of signal, analog or digital, decode it (or translate it into 1 or more analog channels) and amplify it for the loudspeakers. Basically, an amplifier is just a volume control. A receiver is a home-cinema amplifier, capable of surround sound in Dolby Digital, DTS or any other format.
Dispersion : Describes the radiation pattern of sound waves from a sound source (the sound source being a speaker in terms of audio/video); definition of the amount of air all around a speaker excited by the sound waves it produces. Think of a flashlight and the light it gives off. The light angles out to the sides as it moves away from the flashlight creating a larger and larger spot of light. This is the flashlight's dispersion. A laser-beam has a very narrow dispersion (it's light is very focused and does not angle out much at all). A spotlight has a wide dispersion (its light angles out to fill a vast amount of space). Speaker dispersion operates essentially in the same way with sound waves taking the place of light beams. Dispersion in speakers is most frequently quoted as an angle in degrees from the center of the speaker related to the sound pressure levels generated at that angle. As you move farther away from the centerline of the speaker, the sound level dies off (just like how the light at the center of a flashlight's spot of light is brighter than that at its outer edges). A speaker with a wide dispersion sprays sound out in a wide angle with the sound being of a reasonable level. A speaker with a narrow dispersion is more like a laser, directing its sound in a very specific area.
+ Associated link: http://www.audiovideo101.com/dictionary/dispersion.asp
Monitor Speakers : A speaker system used to monitor the signal from an audio recording/processing system. Often intended to be listened to at close distance, and you often see band members on stage with a few in front of them. Monitors are kinda meant so you can hear one thing above everything else, like other band members or ambient noise.
