MartinLogan The Quest Speaker System, User Manual

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Page 24
Quest 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
equivalent 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 combina-
tion of resistance and reactance
and is measured in ohms.
Remember that a speaker’s
impedance changes with
frequency, it is not a constant
value.
Inductance Inductance Inductance Inductance Inductance. The property of an
electric circuit by which a varying
current in it produces a varying
magnetic field that introduces
voltages in the same circuit or in a
nearby circuit. It is measured in
henrys.
Inductor Inductor
Inductor Inductor
Inductor. A device designed prima-
rily to introduce inductance into
an electric circuit. Sometimes
called a choke or coil.
Linearity Linearity Linearity Linearity Linearity. The extent to which any
signal handling process is
accomplished without amplitude
distortion.