The Joy of Vinyl
"Audiophile" Glossary

A-B Test: A comparison experiment between two audio components (like two different pre-amps) or environments. For the results to be scientifically fair, the volume levels of both must be perfectly matched so one doesn't sound "better" just because it's louder.

Absorption: The acoustic equivalent of a sponge. This refers to materials (such as foam, rugs, or specialized panels) that absorb sound energy rather than reflecting it back into the room. This turns sound energy into minute amounts of heat.

Acoustics: The "personality" of a room. It is the science of how sound waves behave in a space – how they reflect, absorb, and transmit. A room with "good acoustics" preserves the clarity and detail of the music.

Active Speaker: A loudspeaker that doesn't need an external amplifier because it has one built directly into the cabinet. You just plug it into power and a source.

Airy: A listening term used to describe a sense of limitless space and openness in the music, usually associated with high-frequency detail and open-back headphones. It feels like the instruments have room to breathe.

Ambience: The atmospheric "vibe" or background character of a recording. It allows you to hear the specific acoustic fingerprint of the space where the recording was made, such as a concert hall or a small jazz club.

Amplifier (Amp): The muscle of your system. This device takes the weak electrical signal from your source (like a turntable or DAC) and boosts it significantly so it is powerful enough to move the drivers in your speakers.

Amplitude: The scientific measure of a sound wave's strength. In listening terms, we experience this as loudness or volume. Bigger waves equal louder sound.

Analog: A continuous, flowing signal that mirrors the original sound wave (like the grooves on a record or magnetic patterns on tape), rather than chopping it up into the 1s and 0s of digital code. Many enthusiasts find it sounds more "natural."

Analytical: A sound signature that is hyper-detailed, acting like a microscope for audio. It reveals every nuance (and flaw) in a recording. While impressive, some find it "cold" or "clinical" compared to a "warm" sound.

Anechoic: Literally meaning "without echo." An anechoic chamber is a room treated to have zero sound reflections, typically used by engineers to test speakers without the room interfering.

Anti-Skating: A mechanical adjustment on a turntable tonearm. It applies a small outward force to counteract the natural tendency of the tonearm to skate inward toward the center of the record, ensuring the stylus sits perfectly in the center of the groove.

Artifacts: Unwanted sonic "garbage" that wasn't in the original performance. This can include digital glitches, clicks, hiss, or distortion added by equipment or poor compression.

Attack: The initial, percussive "snap" or start of a sound. A system with good "attack" makes a snare drum hit feel crisp and immediate rather than soft or sluggish.

Audiophile: A person who is deeply passionate about the pursuit of high-quality sound reproduction. They often invest significant time, money, and emotion into gear, room treatment, and high-quality recordings to get closer to the music. (Sometimes jokingly described as someone who listens to their equipment rather than the music).

Baffle: The front face of a speaker cabinet where the drivers are mounted. Its job is to prevent the sound waves from the back of the driver from canceling out the sound waves coming from the front.

Balanced (Connection): A type of cable connection (usually using 3-pin XLR plugs) that cancels out electrical noise and interference. It helps reduce noise in long cables.

Bandwidth: The specific range of frequencies a device can handle, from low bass to high treble.

Bass: The low-frequency of music, typically ranging from 0Hz up to about 200Hz. It provides the rhythm, weight, and physical punch.

Bass Reflex (Ported): A speaker design that uses a hole (port) in the cabinet to tune the airflow from the back of the woofer, effectively boosting the volume of bass frequencies.

Bass Trap: A specialized acoustic absorber designed to catch low-frequency energy. Placing these in the corners of a room prevents "boomy" bass buildup and lets you hear individual bass notes clearly.

Belt-Drive: A turntable design where an elastic belt connects the motor to the platter. This isolates the record from motor vibrations, which is why it is often preferred in high-end audiophile decks.

Bi-amping: The practice of using two separate amplifiers to power one speaker – one amp for the high frequencies (tweeter) and one for the lows (woofer).

Bit Depth: In digital audio, this controls the dynamic range. Standard CD is 16-bit; "High-Res" is usually 24-bit. More bits generally mean a more precise recording.

Bloat: A negative term for bass that is too heavy, loose, or resonant, spilling over and muddying up the midrange vocals.

Bloom: A positive term describing a sense of air and expansiveness around instruments; often associated with the "breathing" quality of tube amplifiers.

Boomy: Bass that is loud but undefined, usually hanging in the air too long due to bad room acoustics or poor speaker design.

Bright: A sound signature with emphasized treble (high frequencies). It creates a sense of detail but can become harsh or fatiguing if overdone.

Burn-in: The period of time used to "break in" new audio gear (especially speakers and tubes) by playing music through them, allowing mechanical parts to loosen up and reach their optimal sound.

Cartridge (Phono): The small device at the end of a turntable's tonearm that holds the stylus (needle). It converts the physical vibrations from the record groove into an electrical signal.

Class A Amplifier: An amp design where power flows constantly to the transistors. It is very inefficient and runs hot, but is prized by audiophiles for having the purest, most distortion-free sound.

Clipping: A nasty form of distortion that happens when you ask an amplifier for more power than it can give. The sound wave gets "chopped" off at the top, sounding harsh and potentially damaging speakers.

Coherence: When the bass, mids, and treble integrate perfectly, so the music sounds like it is coming from a single, unified source rather than separate speaker cones.

Coloration: Any deviation from the original "neutral" sound. For example, a speaker that adds extra bass or a tube amp that adds warmth is "colored." While technically inaccurate, many people find coloration enjoyable.

Compression: The act of squashing the dynamic range of a recording, making the quiet parts louder and the loud parts quieter. It is often used in radio to make songs sound "punchy," but too much ruins the musical emotion.

Critical Listening: The act of listening to the system and the recording quality, focusing on details, flaws, and nuances, rather than just enjoying the song.

Crossover: The traffic director inside a speaker. It is a circuit that splits the signal, sending high notes to the tweeter and low notes to the woofer so they don't try to play frequencies they can't handle.

Crosstalk: When the signal from the Left channel leaks into the Right channel (or vice versa). High crosstalk collapses the stereo image; low crosstalk keeps the stereo effect wide and clear.

DAC (Digital-to-Analog Converter): A device that translates the 1s and 0s of a digital music file into the analog electricity that speakers need to create sound.

Damping Factor: A measure of an amplifier's ability to control the motion of a speaker cone – specifically, stopping the woofer from wobbling after a bass note hits. Higher damping usually means "tighter" bass.

Dark: A sound signature where the treble is rolled off or recessed, making the music sound distant, thick, or overly smooth. The opposite of "Bright."

Decay: How long a sound hangs in the air before fading into silence. Good systems reveal the long, delicate decay of a piano note or a cymbal crash.

Decibel (dB): The logarithmic unit used to measure sound intensity (loudness). A conversation is about 60dB; a rock concert can be 110dB+.

Depth: The illusion of 3D distance in a stereo image, where some instruments sound like they are physically behind others on the stage.

Direct Drive: A turntable design where the motor is placed directly under the platter. Famous for durability and speed stability (like the Technics SL-1200), though some audiophiles worry about motor noise transferring to the record.

Distortion: Any alteration or deformation of the original audio signal. While usually bad (crackling, fuzz), "Harmonic Distortion" in tube amps is often considered pleasant warmth.

Driver: The actual vibrating engine of a speaker – the round cones (woofers) and domes (tweeters) that push the air.

DSD (Direct Stream Digital): A high-resolution digital audio format used for SACDs. It uses a different coding method than standard CDs (PCM) and is loved by purists for its "analog-like" smoothness.

Dynamic Range: The contrast between the quietest whisper and the loudest explosion a system (or recording) can reproduce. A system with good dynamic range can startle you with its impact.

Efficiency (Sensitivity): A measurement of how loud a speaker gets with a specific amount of power. High-efficiency speakers (like horns) can be driven by low-power tube amps; low-efficiency speakers need more power, often provided by solid-state amplifiers.

Electrostatic: A type of speaker or headphone driver that uses a thin, electrically charged film suspended between metal plates. They are famous for incredible speed and detail, but often lack deep bass.

Equalizer (EQ): A tool that allows you to boost or cut specific frequencies (like bass or treble) to tailor the sound to your room or preference.

Extension: How far a system can play into the extreme highs and lows. "Good bass extension" means it plays very low notes without dropping in volume.

Fatigue: A physical or mental tiredness caused by listening to a system that is distorted, harsh, or overly bright for too long.

Feedback: The howling sound created when a microphone (or turntable stylus) picks up the sound from the speakers and re-amplifies it in a loop.

Flat Response: The theoretical ideal where a system plays all frequencies (low, mid, high) at the exact same volume, adding no color of its own.

Frequency Response: The range of sound a device can reproduce, usually measured in Hertz (e.g., 20Hz – 20,000Hz).

Gain: The amount of amplification applied to a signal. It is distinct from volume; gain is the input sensitivity, volume is the output level.

Grain: A texturing or roughness in the sound, similar to the grain in a photograph. It obscures the clarity of the background.

Harmonic Distortion: Distortion that adds overtones to the music. Even-order harmonics (produced by tubes) sound warm and musical; odd-order harmonics (solid state clipping) sound harsh and dissonant.

Headroom: The safety margin an amplifier has before it distorts. If you are listening at 10 watts but your amp can do 100 watts, you have plenty of headroom for sudden loud peaks.

Hertz (Hz): The unit of measurement as it pertains to frequency (pitch). One Hz is one cycle per second. Low numbers represent bass, and high numbers represent treble.

High-Resolution Audio (Hi-Res): Digital audio files that offer better-than-CD quality (usually 24-bit/96kHz or higher) sound.

Hiss: High-frequency background noise, often sounding like steam escaping. Common in tape recordings or noisy electronics.

Holographic: A term for exceptional imaging where the soundstage is so realistic you feel you could walk among the instruments.

Horn: A trumpet-shaped structure placed in front of a driver to increase its efficiency and direct the sound. Famous for being very dynamic and "live" sounding.

Imaging: The ability of a stereo system to create an illusion of where instruments are placed left-to-right. An example would be a system that places the singer dead center and the guitar clearly to the side.

Impedance: Measured in Ohms, this is the resistance a speaker presents to an amplifier. It's like the water pressure in a hose; lower impedance draws more current (water) and is harder for weak amps to drive.

Interconnects: The cables that connect your source components (turntable, CD player) to your amplifier.

Isolation: Keeping outside noise (or vibrations) from affecting the sound. This applies to headphones (blocking street noise) and turntables (blocking footfalls).

Jitter: Timing errors in the transmission of digital signals. If the 1s and 0s don't arrive at the perfect microsecond, it blurs the sound and reduces clarity.

Listening Fatigue: See Fatigue.

Listening Position: The physical spot where you sit. Ideally, this forms an equilateral triangle with your two speakers for the best stereo image.

Lossless: A digital file format (like FLAC or ALAC) that compresses the file size without throwing away any musical information. It unzips to be mathematically identical to the original.

Lossy: A compression format (like MP3) that permanently deletes audio data to save space, based on what the computer thinks you won't hear.

Lush: A sound that is rich, warm, and liquid. Often associated with the "romantic" sound of vintage tube gear.

Mastering: The final artistic step in post-production, where the overall levels, tone, and balance of an album are polished before it is pressed to vinyl or released digitally.

Microphonics: Mechanical noise picked up by audio cables or vacuum tubes when they are physically touched or tapped, which is then amplified through the speakers.

Midrange: The frequency band where the human voice and most instruments live (approx 200Hz to 4kHz). If a system gets this wrong, nothing else matters.

Mono: Single-channel sound. Even if played through two speakers, the same signal comes out of both, creating an image centered directly between them.

Moving Magnet (MM) / Moving Coil (MC): The two main types of turntable cartridges. MM is robust, has high output, and is affordable. MC is lighter, more detailed, and delicate, but requires specialized, expensive pre-amps.

Muddy: Unclear, muffled sound where instruments bleed into each other, usually caused by excessive, uncontrolled bass.

Neutral: A sound that is honest and uncolored. It adds no warmth or brightness, playing the recording exactly as it is.

Noise Floor: The level of background silence in a system. A "low noise floor" means silence is pitch-black, allowing tiny details to emerge. A "high noise floor" is characterized by audible hiss or hum.

Open-Back: Headphones with vented ear cups that allow air and sound to pass through. They sound spacious and natural but offer no isolation from outside noise.

Oversampling: A digital technique used in DACs to push noise out of the audible range, resulting in a smoother, cleaner analog signal.

Passive: Equipment that requires an external power source to operate.

Phono Preamp (Phono Stage): A specialized amplifier needed for turntables. It boosts the cartridge's tiny signal and applies the RIAA equalization curve to restore bass and treble balance.

Planar Magnetic: A type of driver (often in headphones) that uses a flat diaphragm with wires embedded in it, suspended in a magnetic field. Known for low distortion and excellent bass texture.

Platter: The heavy spinning disc on a turntable that supports the record. Heavier platters (like thick acrylic or metal) act as a flywheel for better speed stability.

Plinth: The base or chassis of a turntable. A heavy, dense plinth helps absorb vibrations and prevents them from reaching the stylus.

Polarity: The direction of the electrical signal (+ or -). If your speaker cables are swapped (out of polarity/phase), the bass will disappear, and the sound will be thin.

Resonance: The tendency of an object (like a turntable chassis or speaker cabinet) to vibrate at a specific frequency. In audio gear, resonance adds unwanted coloration and mud to the sound.

Reverb (Reverberation): The collection of reflected sounds in a room that creates a sense of space. Too much reverb makes a room sound like a gymnasium; too little makes it sound unnatural and dead.

RMS (Root Mean Square): The scientifically accurate way to measure continuous power output. Many trust RMS wattage ratings over "Peak" or "Max" power ratings.

Roll-off: The gradual reduction in volume at the extremes of the frequency range. A "rolled-off treble" sounds soft and gentle.

Sample Rate: The number of "snapshots" of audio taken per second in a digital recording. CD is 44.1kHz (44,100 snapshots); High-Res can go up to 192kHz or more.

Sibilance: The harsh, hissing sound that occurs on "S" and "T" vocal sounds. It is often a sign of a poor recording, a misaligned cartridge, or overly bright speakers.

Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR): A measurement comparing the music signal to the background noise of the electronics. Higher numbers are better; you want more signal, less noise.

Soundstage: The imaginary 3D space created by your speakers. In a great setup, you can close your eyes and point to where the drummer, bassist, and singer are standing.

Source: The origin of your audio signal, such as the turntable, streamer, CD player, or computer. The sound can never be better than the quality of the source.

Standing Wave: An acoustic problem in rooms where low-frequency bass waves bounce back and forth between parallel walls, creating spots where the bass booms and spots where it disappears.

Subwoofer: A speaker designed solely to reproduce the very lowest frequencies (sub-bass) that normal speakers can't reach.

Sweet Spot: The specific seat in your room (usually centered between the speakers) where the soundstage snaps into focus.

Synergy: The magic that happens when components work well together. A bright speaker paired with a warm tube amp may create synergy. Pairing the same speaker with a bright, solid-state amp might be painful over an extended listening period.

THD (Total Harmonic Distortion): A measurement of how much the equipment distorts the signal. Generally, lower is better, though tube amps have high THD that sounds pleasing (see Harmonic Distortion).

Timbre: Pronounced "TAM-ber." It is the tonal fingerprint of a sound. It is what allows you to distinguish a saxophone from a trumpet, even if they are playing the exact same note.

Tonearm: The pivoting wand on a turntable that holds the cartridge. It must be lightweight and rigid enough to track the groove accurately without adding its own vibrations.

Transient: A short burst of sound, like a snare drum hit or a guitar pluck. A great system reproduces transients cleanly; a "slow" system smears them.

Transparency: A quality where the speakers seem to disappear, offering a perfectly clear, unobstructed window into the recording.

Treble: The high-frequency range (cymbals, flute, soprano vocals). It provides the detail, air, and sparkle in music.

Tube (Valve): An older electronic component used to amplify signals. Audiophiles love them for their "holographic" imaging and rich, warm harmonic distortion, despite their lower accuracy compared to transistors.

Tweeter: The small driver in a speaker cabinet dedicated to reproducing high frequencies.

Warmth: A listening term for sound that has a slight boost in the lower-midrange and upper-bass. It makes vocals sound rich and intimate, avoiding any harshness.

Watt: The unit of electrical power. While important, "more watts" doesn't always mean "better sound" or even "louder sound" (see Efficiency).

Woofer: The large driver in a speaker cabinet dedicated to reproducing low and mid-low frequencies.

XLR: A robust, 3-pin professional connector used for Balanced audio connections. It locks in place and rejects noise.