Audio/Video | 2012 - 2013 Product Catalog Speaker specifications, what do they mean?
Have you ever looked at the specifications on a speaker and wondered what they meant? Do those numbers actually have any importance? How can the specifications help me choose the correct model? The following is a brief explanation of some of the most commonly listed specs and how they can affect your choice of loudspeaker.
Nominal Impedance: Typically, you will see impedance measured in “ohms”. Ohms are a unit of measure that will describe the electrical resistance of a circuit. Think of a garden hose, with the water flowing through it representing current.
different response patterns. This spec matters as it is a good indication of how that speaker “should” sound. An example would be speaker “A” which has a response of 30Hz-17 KHz compared to speaker “B” which is the same size yet has a response of 50Hz-12KHz. Based on specs speaker “A” should feature better “Highs” and “Lows”.
If you cover the end of the hose
slightly you are impeding the flow of water and creating resistance. The lower the impedance the lower the resistance, and conversely, higher impedance means higher resistance. Essentially the lower the impedance, the more power will be pushed to a speaker. The most common impedances for speakers are 4 ohm and 8 ohm. You will generally find home audio speakers to be listed at 8 ohm. (though not always)
This is important to pay attention to as connecting the wrong speaker impedance to your amplifier could cause damage. Please verify what impedance loads your amplifier can support first!
Sensitivity: Sensitivity is a measure of a speakers output with a specific amount of power applied. Generally this is measured at 1 meter with 1 Watt of power. This is a spec that matters as the higher a speaker’s sensitivity rating the less power it will require. For example a speaker that has a sensitivity rating of 85dB will take twice the power to achieve the same output as a speaker rated at 88dB!
Frequency Response: Frequency response is a specification that describes the range of sound a speaker can reproduce.
process is 20Hz – 20 KHz. being very high frequencies)
It is widely accepted that the range of sound the human ear can (20Hz represents very low bass tones with 20 KHz In a perfect world a speaker would be able to faithfully
reproduce this entire range with a flat response. In reality, different speakers produce
Recommended Amplifier Power: This will give you a good idea of the power range a manufacturer has tested the speaker with. Usually any amplifier within this power range will provide “good” sound. Don’t assume a speaker needs 150 Watts if it lists 150 Watts as a “maximum” power handling.
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