L-Pad- Attenuation network. Two resistors wired in an L shaped configuration, which converts some of the
amplifier power into heat and reduces the amount of power available to the driver.
Masking- Certain types of noise tend to cover up or mask desirable information. A common example is
when road noise( or a loud exhaust!) covers up low bass in a car audio system.
Midbass- Those frequencies from 100Hz up to 350Hz, often overlooked or not reproduced faithfully in a
car audio system.
Midrange- A critical band of frequencies from 350Hz to 5KHz which includes most of the musical informa-
tion.
Octave- One octave is either a halving or doubling of a frequency. One octave below 1KHz would be
500Hz. One octave above 1KHz would be 2KHz.
Ohm-The unit of measure of electrical resistance or impedance.
Order- In crossovers the shape of the roll off measured in dB per octave is equal to 6 times the order. For
example, a 12dB per octave rolloff is called a 2nd order. This also applies to the rolloff of a driver in a given
situation. An acoustic suspension enclosure has a 12dB per octave rolloff and is considered a 2nd order
box. It is too confusing to use orders on more complex enclosures because it is possible to derive higher
orders in different manners and by combining orders with those of the enclosure.
Passive- Any device that has no built in amplification is considered passive. A passive device will always
have some insertion loss. Crossovers used after an amplifier are called passive.
Peak- A point in a speaker’s response range where a frequency or band of frequencies are produced loud-
er than other frequencies.
Phase- A term used to describe the relative position of two sound waves in relation to one another as it
relates to the arrival time to the listener.
Pink Noise- It is a type of random noise which has a constant amount of energy in each octave band.
Plexiglass- Not fiberglass. See Translucent!
Power Compression- As the operating temperature increases around the coil the impedance of the
driver will increase. It is a good idea that when competing in an SPL contest, you refrain from running your
system hard prior to going through the lanes, this will keep your coils cool.
Power Handling- In speaker systems, the maximum amount of power that can be safely accommodated
without damage to the speaker or distortion of musical reproduction. The limiting factor in a particular
driver may be thermal or mechanical depending on the application.
Processors- Any unit in the signal path that is added with the intention of changing the existing signal is
called a processor. Equalizers, delays, and electronic crossovers are all forms of processors.
Qts- The driver’s magnification at resonance. A measure of the driver’s ability to dampen its resonance.
Resonant Frequency- (Fs). Frequency at which a driver most easily responds to an external force and
continues to vibrate after the force is removed. Measured in Hz.
Kicker Technical Tips
Page 17
Vol. 1
Dr. Koneairea’s Discussion of Terms
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