Acoustic Suspension- The support that a calculated amount of trapped air gives to the motion of a
driver. Acoustic suspension woofers are designed for use in relatively small sealed enclosures. Dr. Koneairea
says, “The air inside of the box acts as a viscus brake for the woofer”.
Active Crossover- Crossover networks designed to be placed before the amplifier in the signal path of
an audio system. Electronic crossovers are designed to have the ability to vary the crossover frequencies.
Attenuate- To reduce the level of a signal. Commonly used to match the output of one driver to another.
Dr. Koneairea likes to keep cousin Bernie attenuated at all times to keep him from saying inappropriate
things.
Baffle- A panel that a driver is mounted to. Either one part of an enclosure or in the case of a freeair
mounting its the panel that separates the front wave from the back wave, eliminating cancellations.
Bandpass- That which results in only a certain band of frequencies being reproduced- either an enclosure
or a crossover network.
Bandwidth- Those frequencies that a system or a driver reproduces. Usually measured with some refer-
ence to deviation: such as 20 to 20 kHz + or - 1.0dB.
Bass Reflex- A subwoofer enclosure design that utilizes a port or vent to augment the woofer output at
or about the tuning frequency. From a trademark of the Jensen Co. in the 1930’s.
Boomy- In reference to the sound quality of a subwoofer system, boomy refers to an increase in output
at upper bass frequencies ( 80 to 100Hz). The lower bass, if present, is covered up by the undesirable upper
bass and lacks good damping.
Butterworth- We do not use it to cover our pancakes in the morning. It is used to define the roll off
characteristic of a crossover or a woofer system. Named after the engineer who first mathematically
described the response of that shape which has a Q of .707.
Channel Separation- Refers to the crosstalk (the leaking of signal from one channel to another)
between the channels of a stereo system.
Clipping- A situation that occurs when an audio signal is made larger than the power supply that supports
it. When this happens the top and the bottom portion of the wave form is ‘clipped’ off, creating a very dis-
torted signal. Clipping can occur at line levels or at the output of an amplifier and will usually damage
speakers.
Compliance- A measurement of the main restoring force for a speaker. Generally indicates the springiness
of the suspension.
Cycles per Second- See Hz
Damping Factor- It is the ability of the amplifier to control the motion of the speaker’s cone after the
signal disappears.
dB- Decibel. The unit of measure for acoustic intensity level. It is a ratio of two sound intensities in logarith-
mic form. The smallest change in loudness that a human can detect is defined as one decibel.
Directionality- Determined by the angle into which a speaker radiates its sound. A speaker with a narrow
angle of dispersion is very directional, while a wide angle of dispersion is more nondirectional.
Dr. Koneairea’s Discussion of Terms
Kicker Technical Tips
Page 15
Vol. 1
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