For People Who Love Music On The Move - Four Masters

The Music Lover’s Guide
to Car Audio Jargon
Active – Running separate amplifiers to tweeter
and mids
Audio Joy – Joy-filled audio system for under
£1200
Audio Heaven – Heavenly audio system from
£1200 to £2500
Audio Expert – High-end audio experience for
critical listeners for over £2500
Bridged/Bridging – Connecting two or more
channels of an amplifier together
CanBUS – Controller Area Network. Automotive bus
that allows microcontrollers to communicate
Class A, AB, D – Technologies used in amplifier
design with differing sonic purity
Coaxial – Two or more-way speakers with small
cones mounted inside the perimeter of big cones
Cone – Conical surface of a speaker used to displace
air
Crosstalk – Unintentional interference of one
signal by another due to proximity
Digital Signal – Sound converted to or in the form
of 1’s and 0’s
Distortion – Any alteration of an audio signal
other than by deliberate action Door Builds –
Fabricated pods or panels for mounting speakers
Driver/Drive Unit – A speaker without enclosure
DSP - Digital Signal Processor – Sophisticated
tone control
Dynamic Range – Difference between loudest and
quietest sound that can be reproduced
Equalisation – Boost or attenuation of selected
frequencies i.e. tone control
Flat Response – Signal of the same level/
amplitude from 20Hz to 20Khz
Frequency – Pitch of a sound or note measured in
Hertz
Full Range – Range of human hearing; 20Hz to
20KHz
Impedance – Load or resistance of a device.
Impedance matching gets the best out of an
amplifier/speaker combination. Measured in Ohms
Mid’s – Middle frequency speakers
Monoblock – Mono or single channel amplifier
MOST – Media Oriented System Transport. Optical
data buss for automotive use
Rear Fill – Sound from behind – unusual for
stereo listening but increasingly popular for adding
ambience
RMS – Root Mean Squared. Scientific method for
measuring average power
Sound Curve – Plot of frequency against
amplitude used to assess performance of an audio
system
Sound Deadening – Material used to reduce
panels from flexing
Subwoofer – Very low frequency speaker
Thiele Small Parameters – Used to calculate
optimum enclosure size for a speaker
Time Alignment – Adjustment of delay of sound
from different speakers to create listening ‘sweet
spot’
Tweeter – High frequency speaker
Ultrasonic – Above audible hearing range for
humans
Voice Coil – Part of a speaker’s motor
46 Driving Sounds www.drivingsounds.co.uk
Tel: 0800 652 5125