MartinLogan Sequel II - Manual (Page 24)

Page 24 Sequel II User's Manual
Glossary
AC AC AC AC AC. Abbreviation for alternating
current.
Active crossover Active crossover Active crossover Active crossover Active crossover. Uses active
devices (transistors, IC’s,
tubes) and some form of power
supply to operate.
Amplitude Amplitude Amplitude Amplitude Amplitude. The extreme range of a
signal. Usually measured from the
average to the extreme.
Arc Arc Arc Arc Arc. The visible sparks generated by
an electrical discharge.
Bass Bass Bass Bass Bass. The lowest frequencies of
sound.
Bi-Amplification Bi-Amplification Bi-Amplification Bi-Amplification Bi-Amplification. Uses an electronic
crossover or line-level passive
crossover and separate power
amplifiers for the high and low
frequency loudspeaker drivers.
Capacitance Capacitance Capacitance Capacitance Capacitance. That property of a
capacitor which determines how
much charge can be stored in it
for a given potential difference
between its terminals, measured
in farads, by the ratio of the
charge stored to the potential
difference.
Capacitor Capacitor Capacitor Capacitor Capacitor. A device consisting of
two or more conducting plates
separated from one another by
an insulating material and used
for storing an electrical charge.
Sometimes called a condenser.
Clipping Clipping Clipping Clipping Clipping. Distortion of a signal by its
being chopped off. An overload
problem caused by pushing an
amplifier beyond its capabilities.
The flat-topped signal has high
levels of harmonic distortion
which creates heat in a loud-
speaker and is the major cause
of loudspeaker component
failure.
Crossover Crossover Crossover Crossover Crossover. An electrical circuit that
divides a full bandwidth signal
into the desired frequency bands
for the loudspeaker components.
dB (decibel) dB (decibel) dB (decibel) dB (decibel) dB (decibel). A numerical expres-
sion of the relative loudness of a
sound. The difference in decibels
between two sounds is ten times
the common logarithm of the ratio
of their power levels.
DC DC DC DC DC. Abbreviation for direct current.
Diffraction Diffraction Diffraction Diffraction Diffraction. The breaking up of a
sound wave caused by some
type of mechanical interference
such as a cabinet edge, grill
frame, or other similar object.
Diaphragm Diaphragm Diaphragm Diaphragm Diaphragm. A thin flexible mem-
brane or cone that vibrates in
response to electrical signals to
produce sound waves.
Distortion Distortion Distortion Distortion Distortion. Usually referred to in terms of
total harmonic distortion (THD)
which is the percentage of
unwanted harmonics of the drive
signal present with the wanted
signal. Generally used to mean
any unwanted change introduced
by the device under question.
Driver Driver Driver Driver Driver. See transducer.
Dynamic Range Dynamic Range Dynamic Range Dynamic Range Dynamic Range. The range
between the quietest and the
loudest sounds a device can
handle (often quoted in dB).
Efficiency Efficiency Efficiency Efficiency Efficiency. The acoustic power
delivered for a given electrical
input. Often expressed as
decibels/watt/meter (dB/w/m).
ESL ESL ESL ESL ESL. Abbreviation for electrostatic
loudspeaker.
Headroom Headroom Headroom Headroom Headroom. The difference, in
decibels, between the peak and
RMS levels in program material.
Hybrid Hybrid Hybrid Hybrid Hybrid. A product created by the
marriage of two different tech-
nologies. Meant here as the
combination of a dynamic
woofer with an electrostatic
transducer.
Hz (Hertz) Hz (Hertz) Hz (Hertz) Hz (Hertz) Hz (Hertz). Unit of frequency equiva-
lent to the number of cycles per
second.
Imaging Imaging Imaging Imaging Imaging. To make a representation
or imitation of the original sonic
event.
Impedance Impedance Impedance Impedance Impedance. The total opposition
offered by an electric circuit to
the flow of an alternating current
of a single frequency. It is a
combination of resistance and
reactance and is measured in
ohms. Remember that a speaker’s
impedance changes with
frequency, it is not a constant
value.