Welcome to ONE GOOD EAR!

ONE GOOD EAR
HOME
PRODUCTS 🔊
  • The PRODUCTS
  • the FUN starts HERE! 😆
  • 📰 NEWS & REVIEWS 📰
  • Visiting Manufacturers
WHERE CAN YOU BUY?
2X HD recordings
CONTACT
ONE GOOD EAR
HOME
PRODUCTS 🔊
  • The PRODUCTS
  • the FUN starts HERE! 😆
  • 📰 NEWS & REVIEWS 📰
  • Visiting Manufacturers
WHERE CAN YOU BUY?
2X HD recordings
CONTACT
More
  • HOME
  • PRODUCTS 🔊
    • The PRODUCTS
    • the FUN starts HERE! 😆
    • 📰 NEWS & REVIEWS 📰
    • Visiting Manufacturers
  • WHERE CAN YOU BUY?
  • 2X HD recordings
  • CONTACT
  • HOME
  • PRODUCTS 🔊
    • The PRODUCTS
    • the FUN starts HERE! 😆
    • 📰 NEWS & REVIEWS 📰
    • Visiting Manufacturers
  • WHERE CAN YOU BUY?
  • 2X HD recordings
  • CONTACT

AUDIO 101

This is simply meant to answer the basic question:  “What in the world do all of these words mean?”


I prefer to warn you, there are many terms…it may get a bit tedious…
In this section, I would like to put on my "teacher's hat" (or Lab Coat!) and give BASIC definitions of terms often used when discussing Audio products...
I promise there won't be any tests at the end of this!  


If you have any questions or comments:

Contact ONE GOOD EAR

Speaker Terminology

A loudspeaker is a device which converts an electrical audio signal into a corresponding sound.  When an alternating current electrical audio signal is applied to its voice coil, a coil of wire suspended in a circular gap between the poles of a permanent magnet, the coil is forced to move rapidly back and forth due to Faraday's law of induction, which causes a diaphragm (usually conically shaped) attached to the coil to move back and forth, pushing on the air to create sound waves.  

  • Audio frequency - the acoustic spectrum of human hearing, generally regarded to be between 20 Hz and 20 kHz.
  • Highs (or High end, Top end, Treble, or Air) – The section of the frequency spectrum above 8kHz. 
  • Lows (or Low end, Bass, or Sub-bass) – The section of the frequency spectrum between 60Hz-200Hz.
  • Mids – The section of the frequency spectrum between 600Hz-3kHz.

  • Cone - the conical diaphragm of a speaker attached to the voice coil which produces pulsation's of air that the ear detects as sound.
  • Crossover Network (Filter) - an electric circuit or network that splits the audio frequencies into different bands for application to individual speakers.
  • Diaphragm - the part of a dynamic loudspeaker attached to the voice coil that moves and produces the sound. It usually has the shape of a cone or dome.
  • Driver - a loudspeaker unit, consisting of the electromagnetic components of a speaker, typically a magnet and voice coil.


  • Dome Tweeter - a high frequency speaker driver with a dome-shaped diaphragm usually made of metal or silk.
  • Spider - the flexible material that supports the former, voice coil, and inside portion of the cone within the speaker frame.
  • Surround (suspension) - the outer suspension of a speaker cone; holds the diaphragm in place but allows it to move when activated. Usually made of foam or rubber.
  • Voice coil - the wire wound around the speaker former. The former is mechanically connected to the speaker cone and causes the cone to vibrate in response to the audio current in the voice coil.


  • Dispersion - the spreading of sound waves as it leaves a speaker.
  • Efficiency: Another very important characteristic, it is the ratio between the output power and power consumed.
  • Efficiency rating - the loudspeaker parameter that shows the level of sound output when measured at a prescribed distance with a standard level of electrical energy fed into the speaker. However, a driver with a high efficiency rating needs a larger box to play a lower frequency than a driver with a lower efficiency rating.

  • Electronic Crossover - uses active circuitry in addition to passive to filter unwanted signals for each driver. Usually active filters are employed as LPF(Low Pass Filters) for subwoofers or for the sub out of a preamp / receiver.
  • Enclosure - a box that contains the driver(s).
  • Full-range - a speaker designed to reproduce all or most of the sound spectrum within human hearing (20Hz - 20KHz)


  • Treble (highs) - the upper end of the audio spectrum reproduced by tweeters, usually 3 - 4 kHz and up.
  • Tweeter - a speaker designed to reproduce the high or treble range of the sound spectrum.
  • Subwoofer - a loudspeaker designed to reproduce bass frequencies.
  • Woofer - a loudspeaker transducer designed to reproduce low-frequency sounds.

SPEAKER DESIGNS:

  • Two-way - a type of speaker system composed of two ranges of speakers, usually a woofer and tweeter.
  • Three-way - a type of speaker system composed of three ranges of speakers, specifically a woofer, midrange, and tweeter.


  • Monitors – This refers to speakers that are used for mixing.
  • Standing wave - a buildup of sound level at a particular frequency that is dependent upon the dimensions of a resonant room, car interior, or enclosure. It occurs when the rate of energy loss equals the rate of energy input into the system. This is what you hear when you listen into a sea shell.

  • Horn - a speaker design using its own funnel shaped conduit to amplify, disperse, or modify the sounds generated by the internal diaphragm of the speaker.
  • Imaging - it is the speakers ability to localize different instruments playing simultaneously
  • Timbre - The quality of a sound related to its harmonic structure. Timbre is what gives a voice or instrument its sonic signature -- why a trumpet and a saxophone sound different when they play the same note.


Sound Stage - the sound systems ability recreate an imaginary stage. A good speaker will faithfully make the stage seem close to the actual height, width and depth of the actual performance stage where recorded. Imaging is similar, but the speaker must be able to place each instrument or voice in the correct location on the soundstage. The reproduction of the way the music would sound if you were actually watching the musicians play in front of you. The stage should always appear to be in front of you, with a proper "image" of where each musician is playing on the imaginary soundstage.


Videos from Audio Excellence Canada 🇨🇦

Audio Excellence

Adrian, Ceci, Lewis and Gerry discuss audio lingo in these very entertaining videos


well done guys!

Ambience – Background noise added to a musical recording to give the impression that it was recorded live. Often done using short room reverbs.

Bandwidth – The amount of space on the frequency spectrum that the sounds of an  instrument are being produced at. For example, an average electric  guitar has a bandwidth of 80Hz-5kHz, as the instrument cannot produce  sounds above or below those frequencies. 

Decibel (or dB) – the main unit of volume measurement. A dB is relative, as there are  several different “scales” of dB’s that are used in audio (dB-FS being  the most common, along with dB-VU, dB-RMS, and dB-LUFS). Each dB scale  has a certain function in audio.

Dynamics (or dynamic range) – The loud and soft points of a sound over time. The higher the range,  the more difference there is between the loudest point and the softest  point.

Decay – How fast a sound fades from a certain loudness.

Distortion – The result of a sound source overloading an amplifier or sound  processor. Basically, new frequencies are added where there were none  before. This can be pleasing or very harsh. The nature of the distortion  depends on the equipment that is being distorted.

Feedback – When a signal is sent through an amplifier and into a microphone,  which picks up the sound and sends it back through the amplifier, and so  on. The loop of sound creates high pitched whines. Also refers to the  parameter on a delay that adds more repetitions of the sound.

Listener fatigue – The natural degradation of the accuracy of the human ear over several  hours of listening. The ear is like a muscle – when it is used a lot,  it gets tired. When a mixer reaches the point of listener fatigue, he or  she needs to rest their ears, or they will start to make poor mixing  choices as their ears are no longer accurate.

Phase – The nature of the location of two similar waveforms in relation to  each other. If two similar waveforms are “in-phase,” then the peaks and  troughs of the waves are lined up with each other. If the waveforms are  “out-of-phase,” then the peaks are in line with the troughs. This causes  low and low-mid frequencies to get lost. Ultimately, out-of-phase  waveforms sound bad.

Home theatre Speakers

  • Voice-matched - Speakers that are "voice-matched" have a similar timbre or tonal quality. Voice-matched speakers in a home theater system will result in more seamless, consistent, convincing wraparound sound.


Types of Amplifiers

An integrated amplifier simply combines a power amplifier and  pre-amplifier in a single box. This is the 'beating heart' of your hifi  system, linking your sources (turntable, cd player, streamer etc.) and  driving your speakers.

An integrated amplifier typically takes up far less space, simplifies  your system and can save you some serious money. 

  • Amplifier (or Amp) – an electrical circuit designed to increase the current or voltage of an applied signal.
  • Transistor Amplifiers: A well known type of  amplifier, especially to engineering students, a transistor amplifier is a  multi configuration high output amplifier that uses transistors as the  working base.

Class A Power Amplifier

 This class of amplifiers offers low signal  distortion levels. It has its fair share of disadvantages though, and is  generally not used in high power applications. Some of its  characteristics are:

  • Low signal distortion levels
  • Simple design
  • The device is always conducting due to amplifying element bias
  • No turn on time or charge storage problems
  • Quite stable
  • Highest linearity
  • Low efficiency due to being on all the time, around the vicinity of 25-50%
  • High heat output during operation

Class B Power Amplifier

Class B Power Amplifiers, unlike Class A, work for only half of each  nput cycle, which means they have a conducting angle of 180 degrees. In  simple words, these amplifiers amplify only half of the input cycle.  On  paper that probably sounds unusable, but in reality, it’s quite  different. Class B amplifiers consist of a positive and negative  transistor, which run alternatively, amplifying the positive and  negative cycle respectively, which in the end is combined to form a full output cycle. It’s a more efficient design, and has its own set of  advantages and disadvantages compared to the Class A power amplifier.  It’s characterized by:

  • Uses 2 complementary transistors, one each for the positive and negative cycle
  • Much higher efficiency, around 75-78.5%
  • Lesser heat output
  • Stable and reliable
  • Requires at least 0.7 V to start conducting, which means anything  under it doesn’t register, so cannot be used for precise applications

Class AB Power Amplifiers

A Class AB Power Amplifier is, as the name suggests, a mix of Class A  and Class B power amplifiers. Like the Class B amplifier, it also uses 2  conducting elements (transistors), but they both run at the same time.  This eliminates the ‘dead zone’ from -0.7 V to + 0.7 V seen in the Class  B power amplifier. But in this case, while each transistor conducts for  more than a half cycle, they conduct less than a full cycle completely.  So the conduction angle is somewhere around 180 degrees and 360  degrees, commonly shown as 270 degrees in some cases. Here are it’s  characteristics:

  • Uses 2 transistors that work together
  • Each transistor is active for slightly less than a full cycle but more than a half cycle
  • Combines Class A and Class B characteristics
  • No crossover distortion
  • Fairly efficient, at around 50-60%
  • Most common audio amplifier design

Class D Power Amplifier

Class D Power Amplifiers, which sometimes aren’t  considered among the 3 mentioned above. It’s a non-linear switching  amplifier in which the two transistors function as switches instead of  linear gain devices. 

Class-D amplifiers  theoretically can reach 100% efficiency, as there is no period during a  cycle were the voltage and current waveforms overlap as current is drawn  only through the transistor that is on.

It converts the analog signal into digital via  pulse width modulation, pulse density modulation or something similar  before being amplified. The end result is a cycled output with high  efficiency and gain, without too much distortion.  Contrary to popular belief, the ‘D’ in the name doesn’t stand for  digital, because the converted signal is pulse width modulated analog,  and not pulse width modulated digital. It is characterized by:

  • High efficiency, can theoretically be 100%
  • Low power dissipation
  • Low power consumption
  • More complex than other types of power amplifiers
  • Precise and accurate output

there are other classes: 

  • Class F, G (Arcam for instance), I, S and T Amplifiers but these are not as common.
     

Tube Amplifiers

  • Valve (or) Vacuum Tube Amplifiers: An amplifier that uses vacuum tubes to provide an increased power or voltage output  is known as a valve (or) vacuum tube amplifier. In high power  applications, they’re still in use because of their cost effectiveness  and output quality. 


Amplifiers: Characteritics

  • Bandwidth: The frequency range at which the amplifier can operate.
  • Gain: Perhaps the most important, the ratio between the magnitudes of input and output signals.
  • Linearity: The degree of proportionality between input and output signals.
  • Noise: The amount of unwanted extra information included in the output.
  • Stability: The ability to provide constant and reliable output.
  • Output Dynamic Range: Ratio between the largest and smallest useful output levels.

  • Capacitor - a charge storage device made up of two metallic plates separated by a dielectric, with equal but opposite charges. The AC impedance of a Capacitor is (1 / jWL) and acts as an open circuit in DC applications.
  • Circuit - a complete path that allows electrical current from one terminal of a voltage source to the other terminal.

What's a Watt?

  • The watt (abbreviated W) is the International System of Units' (SI) standard unit of power (energy per unit time), the equivalent of one joule per second. The watt is used to specify the rate at which electrical energy is dissipated, or the rate at which electromagnetic energy is radiated,  absorbed, or dissipated.
  • Hertz (Hz) - a measurement of the frequency of sound vibration. One hertz is equal to one cycle per second. The hertz is named for H.R. Hertz, a German physicist.
  • Kilohertz (or kHz) – 1000x the unit of measurement for frequencies. 1 kHz = 1,000 Hz.
  • Volt - a unit of measurement used to measure how much "pressure" is used to force electricity through a circuit.

Click here if you thought this was funny...

DAC's

DAC - digital-to-analogue converter, turning on/off pulses into analogue sound. CD players have DACs built in. Separate DACs can upgrade a CDplayer or other digital player/ recorder, or can be used with dedicated CD transports.

Cables: What are audio connectors?

Audio encompasses a large number of interfaces including digital and  analog. These are used in a number of applications from home theater and  portable use to the pro audio mixing boards that DJ's and other audio  professionals use. 

RCA connectors

Audio cables are often referred to as accessories. However, an audio system cannot make sound without cables installed which implies that they are essential components. 

Much like the other components in the system, cables must be chosen with the  same research that one would perform in choosing an amplifier, a speaker or a turntable. 

Characteristics such as colouration, distortion and  other anomalies must be minimized in order for the system to perform at  its optimum. 

Too often, audiophiles and music lovers treat these  essential components as after thoughts and end up compromising the  performance of their carefully chosen audio gear.    

RCA connectors

RCA connectors

RCA connectors

The RCA connector is used in several audio applications. Stereo RCA Cables connect two analog audio components together. They are found on most  types of A/V gear. 

S/PDIF (Sony®/Philips  Digital Interface) is the "red book" standard for digital audio signal  transfer. A S/PDIF coaxial cable can carry linear PCM or multi-channel  Dolby® AC-3/DTS® digital content. 

For dual channel stereo audio, two RCA connectors deliver the analog composite audio  signal to the left and right channels of audio. In home theater, RCA can be used as a powered sub-woofer connection.

LFE (Low Frequency Effects)

Home  theater receivers use a single RCA output for the sub-woofer connection -  that's the ".1" in a 5.1 system. This output is often labeled LFE. It  sends bass information to a powered sub-woofer. 

RCA connectors

 Headphone connections (1/4" and 1/8")

Stereo  headphone connections come in two sizes: full-size (1/4") and mini (1/8"). 

Home A/V components like CD players, receivers, and headphone  amplifiers use the 1/4" connection. 

Smartphones, tablets, and computers  use the smaller 1/8" jack.

Headphones with 1/4" plugs can be stepped down to 1/8" to plug into a mobile device. 

Headphones that use a 1/8" plug can be stepped up to 1/4" to fit equipment that uses a full-sized connection.

RCA connectors

Speaker Wire:

Speaker Wire connects a non-powered speaker to an amplifier or receiver. Speaker wire has two leads: one for the positive signal, and one for the  negative. Usually speaker wire is marked (+) and (-) to help distinguish  between the two.

Wire thickness is identified by its American Wire Gauge (AWG) number. The lower the gauge number, the  thicker the wire.  Thicker wire presents less resistance to current flow.

Thick wire (12 or 14 gauge) is recommended for long wire runs, high power applications, and low-impedance speakers (4 or 6 ohms).

What gauge do you need?

For  relatively short runs (less than 50 feet) to 8 ohm speakers, 16 gauge  wire will usually do just fine. It’s cost-effective and easy to work  with.



Speaker Wire Connectors:

Add speaker wire connectors to bare wire for additional connection options. 

Banana Plugs:

If  you have binding post terminals on your speakers and/or receiver,  banana plugs are a great choice. The flexible metal collar of a banana  plug is slightly wider than the center hole of a binding post.  It compresses to fit when you plug it in, resulting in a very solid connection.

Spade Connectors:

Spade connectors feature a forked piece of metal that hugs the collar of a  5-way binding post terminal. The spade is then secured by tightening the  binding post's cap.  Spade connectors give you very secure contact.

Pin connectors:

Pin connectors may either be straight or angled. They work with spring clip speaker terminals, as well as with binding posts.

Power cables (C7 and IEC)

Many home A/V components feature a detachable power cord.  There are two common plug types: a 3-pole IEC connector, and a 2-pole C7 connector. Replacing the stock power cord can improve  audio and video performance.  

Longer cord lengths also provide flexible  placement options.


Audience

XLR – primarily found on professional audio equipment.  XLR Cables pass an analog signal between compatible audio components.  They're  commonly used with high-performance two-channel systems, as well as with microphones.

An  XLR connector has three pins - a positive conductor, a negative  conductor, and a ground. The presence of the ground wire makes XLR  cables known as "balanced" cables. It helps reduce electronic noise throughout the cable. 

A clasp built into the round XLR plug locks it  tightly into the receiving socket, ensuring a secure connection.

Digital Cables:

USB (Universal Serial Bus)

USB is a digital interface that  connects compatible devices together. It's used to transfer audio,  video, and other digital information. Originally designed for computers, USB cables are now used for data transfer and charging in a wide range of components.  USB inputs can be  found on computers, TVs, home theater receivers and car stereos. 

The  standard USB connection is considered Type A - that's the one that plugs into your computer. Type B USB plugs are commonly used with  printers. 

Micro USB plugs are found on smartphones and other portable  devices.

HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface) - This digital video interface allows high definition video and audio to be transmitted over a single cable. 

Cables can be made of copper (limited to ~30 feet without  electronic signal boost and equalization) or fiber optic, with the  latter able to reach almost unlimited distances.

An HDMI cable is today's go-to connection for high-definition audio  and video transmission. It's used with TVs, gaming systems, home theater  receivers, computers, and HD monitors. 

The standard HDMI cable has an  identical plug on each end. Inside there are 19 individual wires. They  carry audio and video data along with control signals, low-voltage  power, Ethernet, and copy protection.

Standard-size HDMI cables are called Type A. Compact devices like smartphones, cameras, and  camcorders use mini HDMI (Type C), or micro HDMI (type D) because of  their small form factor.

TOSLINK is the name of an optical interface for digital audio signals.  The interface was developed by Toshiba, and TOSLINK is their registered  trademark. The TOSLINK (also known as EIAJ optical) connector is a  small, round optical conductor housed in a squarish connector body.  Originally intended for use solely with Toshiba CD players, it has been  adopted by many other manufacturers and is standard equipment on many  A/V sources, receivers and surround sound equipment. Even though TOSLINK  uses fiber optic cable, it is limited to a maximum cable length of  about 5 meters, due to the low power of the LEDs used in transceivers.

Coaxial digital cable

A coaxial digital cable transmits a digital audio signal between two devices. It's commonly  used with home theater receivers, music streaming devices, and disc players.  Coaxial digital cables look virtually identical to single analog RCA cables. But they are specially designed to handle the wide frequency bandwidth of digital signals. 

A single cable is used to transmit the entire  digital signal.  Coaxial digital connection ports are typically orange.

A Word About My Job...

What is a "Brand Ambassador" /sales representative/sales agent?

  • It is my goal to bring dedicated and passionate representation to manufacturers, and resellers. 
  • A large part of my job is to educate and inform consumers and store employees on the various NEW products and technologies currently available or on the horizon.  This is where attending various trade shows is crucial in my opinion.
  • Although I do not sell directly to end users; I am available to assist potential buyers to guide them toward appropriate and dependable retailers.
  • Honesty and integrity are & always will be my best policies! 
  • My clients have grown to know me as someone who tries his best to assist them in their efforts.                           
  • In my "past lives"; I was an home automation expert, a multi-room audio designer and  a Home Theatre designer; I worked & managed retail stores in Montreal and Toronto, and even owned and operated my own custom design company for a while.  

Stores I Visit

Great Teachers who Are No Longer With Us...

Daniel Fragman

Daniel Fragman

Daniel Fragman

My dad who was the person who got me "hooked" onto this industry...

He passed away on July 5th, 1998

We worked together at numerous audio/video stores:  Atlantique Image et Son, Laval Audio, Le Marché de l'Electronique, Aventure and La Boutique Electronique.  


George Tordai

Daniel Fragman

Daniel Fragman

May 29, 1946 -  May 28, 2020 

George's store; Audio Oasis was located in Toronto.  The last time I saw him he was more than happy to share how much he was enjoying a well deserved retirement.

Art Dudley

Daniel Fragman

Ron Simek: Altronics Stereo 2000 November 22, 2021

A true gentleman...

Art was a writer at Stereophile magazine.

"Art was quiet, funny, and self-effacing, but in his own way he was—that  word again—fierce in everything he did. He was my partner and my friend." -Michael Fremer 

Analog Planet article Apr. 14, 2020

Ron Simek: Altronics Stereo 2000 November 22, 2021

Ron Simek: Altronics Stereo 2000 November 22, 2021

Ron Simek: Altronics Stereo 2000 November 22, 2021

The first time I visited Ron at his store; Altronics Stereo 2000, I was thrown back by how it reminded me of stores I had worked in back in the 70’s… Ron and his brother Rob then told me of this amusing story of another sales rep who had visited them and… well… had sort of insulted them as he had walked into their store with a briefcase 💼 which he plopped down only to announce that apparently he was “stuck with them” as dealers for a brand he was now representing…

Ron threw him out of the store and told him never to come back…

Got a good chuckle out of the story…

Upon my next visit; I brought a briefcase of my own and plopped it down… well we all got a good laugh out of that one!!


Years went by and Ron became a good client of mine… His passion and knowledge for the industry was unparalleled.  


Sadly, I was just informed this morning by my good friend Terry that we lost Ron who had been battling cancer for about a year now… the Toronto audio retailer scene got a bit dimmer today.


May he Rest In Peace 😞

Peter Lau (March 2021)

Ron Simek: Altronics Stereo 2000 November 22, 2021

Andy Lenton from G&G Electronics & JVC January 2021

Peter worked in a few audio stores in the GTA:  I had the pleasure of dealing with him at Kromer Radio and Update TV.  


Andy Lenton from G&G Electronics & JVC January 2021

Ron Simek: Altronics Stereo 2000 November 22, 2021

Andy Lenton from G&G Electronics & JVC January 2021

Andy was a staple at G&G Electronic… he was a friendly person who was always ready to assist clients.  An integral part of the G&G team/family for over 20 years.


Unless otherwise stated, all content available on this website is copyrighted by One Good Ear®. All rights reserved.


Sauf indication contraire, tout le contenu disponible sur ce site Web est protégé par les droits d'auteur de One Good Ear®. Tous les droits sont réservés.

Soutenu par GoDaddy Website Builder

  • HOME
  • The PRODUCTS
  • AUDEZE 🎧
  • AUDIO NOTE 🎵
  • BRINKMANN AUDIO
  • AUDIENCE
  • iFi Audio Zen Air Series
  • STENHEIM 🔊
  • WHERE CAN YOU BUY?
  • 2X HD recordings
  • MOTET DISTRIBUTION
  • SELECTIVE DESIGN
  • TRI-CELL Enterprises
  • VANA Ltd.
  • MORE PRODUCT INFO
  • a word about HEADPHONES
  • CONTACT