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Audio Sources/Source devices
These are the components of your HiFi system and
all other appliances, whose sound you want to hear
over the system and are thus connected to the pre-
amplifier, amplifier or receiver. This includes CD
players, DVD players, tuners (radios), cassette play-
ers, DAT recorders, personal computers, record
players, portable audio devices and many more.
Input sensitivity
Term for the smallest average (RMS) input voltage
which causes the maximum output power at the
maximum volume setting on the amplifier.
Examples: 100 mV to 500 mV (Millivolts) on line
level inputs, 2 mV to 5 mV on the phono MM input
or 0.1 mV to 0.5 mV on the phono MC input.
dB-Level
This is a way of describing any physical quantity; it
is a common measurement for signal voltages and
the volume. It is given in decibels (dB). Alternating
signal voltages below 1V (RMS) are described as
“line level“ voltages, which are suitable as music
signals for amplifier inputs. Inputs on amplifiers
(mostly represented by RCA sockets), which are
designed for signals on the CD player, tape recor-
der, DVD player etc. are also referred to as “line
level inputs“. Those signal inputs must not be confu-
sed with inputs that accept preamplified signals.
RCA
RCA is the American name for coaxial RCA connec-
tors and sockets, originally the abbreviation for
“Radio Corporation of America“, the name of a
United States company. Both the plug and cable
consist of a rod-shaped inner lead and a cylindri-
cal-shaped outer lead. This enables a mono audio
signal or a video signal to be transmitted.
Compared to the XLR plug connector, this type of
connection is also called “unbalanced signal con-
nection“.
GLOSSARY
