10 audio jargons explained to help you attain audio nirvana

We all love listening to our favorite tunes on a good speaker or a pair of headphones. But if you pay enough attention then you might have noticed an array of terminology, phrases, and jargon related to audio and audio devices. More often than not, these just go straight over our heads. While it’s not mandatory, knowing about these jargons will tremendously help you improve your listening experience. So, let’s take a look at some of the audio jargons you should definitely know about.

1. Amp: Amp or Amplifier is a device that amplifies or increases the strength of incoming audio signals to make them louder and more audible. It can be a separate piece of equipment or an integrated circuit contained within another device.

2. Subwoofer: This is a device that produces lower-frequency sounds that the woofer can’t produce. These low-pitched audio frequencies are known as bass and sub-bass. Generally, subwoofers are made up of one or more woofers mounted in a loudspeaker enclosure.

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3. Equalisation: Simply referred to as EQ, equalisation is simply adjusting different frequencies within an audio signal to make it sound better. The device, equipment, and circuitry used to achieve this is known as the equaliser.

4. Distortion: Also called the distortion factor, it simply indicates by what percentage the output signal deviates from the input signals. In other words, any unwarranted change in the audio signal resulting in the inaccurate reproduction of the original sound is distortion. A few most common types of distortion include harmonic, intermodulation, and clipping.

5. DAC: It is an acronym for Digital-to-Analog converter. As the name suggests, it is a device that converts digital audio signals into analog signals that can be amplified and played through speakers or headphones. It is one of the crucial components in modern audio systems that mostly rely on digital sources.

6. Aux: Shorthand for Auxiliary, it is an analog input method for stereo audio signals. The more common term used for it is aux jack, audio jack, headphone jack, or simply, jack. It is a male connector that is inserted into the jack, a female connector.

7. Dolby Atmos: You must have heard this everywhere nowadays. This is a surround sound technology that adds overhead channels to create a more immersive audio experience. It is developed by Dolby laboratories, and tries to give you a true 3D surround sound experience.

8. Impedance: Impedance is the electrical resistance offered by any speaker or headphone to the audio source/signal. This is the resistance factor. It impacts the audio output and quality. It is measured in Ohms.

9. Drivers: In any speaker, there are plenty of individual components working together to produce the sound that we hear. Drivers produce the sound that they hear by converting the electrical audio signal to sound waves. A typical system includes woofers, mid-range rangers, and tweeters.

10. Dynamic range: This refers to the difference between the loudest and softest sounds that an audio system is capable of producing without distortion of any kind. The dynamic range is measured in dB or decibels.