PHONO STAGE Turntable/Record Player cartridges output signals at a much lower levels than CD Players etc. Many Amplifiers have extra Amplification Built-in to compensate for this low input signal (Phono Input) . Many Modern Amplifiers and Digital Surround Receivers don’t have ‘Phono’ Inputs so an Offboard Phono Preamplifier is required (see Line Level).

PLASMA Currently the Dominant type of large, flat screen Television. Plasmas use Neon/Xenon gas Sandwiched between to thin plates of Glass. Electrical Impulses are passed through the Gas at Specific points as required. This causes the Gas to React, which creates a ‘Pixel’. There are more than 1 Million Pixels (and steadily increasing with Technology) in a Plasma Display Panel.

PMPO Stands for Peak Music Power Output. Extremely Vague real world power output Indicator to say the least. Usually found on Mini Systems, Computer Speakers and Ghetto-Blasters to make them appear more Powerful than they Actually are.

POWER HANDLING The highest Safe Power for Speakers. But it is far easier to Damage Speakers with an Amplifier of too little Power driven beyond its Capabilities, than with an Amplifier with too much Power used with Discretion.

PROGRESSIVE SCAN Technology that creates DVD Images in one continuous Scan. Gives clearer, flicker free Images than the Conventional Interlaced System, which creates Images using Rapidly refreshed Horizontal lines.

REVERBERATION TIME The time it takes for Reflected Sound to Dissipate to an inaudible level. Some Reverberation in the listening room is desirable, but too much will create echoes, making the music sound confused and untidy. The bathroom is a good example of a highly reverberant room, because of its many hard and reflective surfaces and little if any Sound Absorbing surfaces. A good method of Gauging the Reverberation Time of a particular room is the simple hand clap, to see how much Echo there is after the Initial Clap.

SACD Super Audio CD. Developed by Sony and Philips, SACD uses 1 Bit Direct Stream Digital (DSD) Technology. Most discs are Dual Layered, with a Standard CD Layer which will Playback on Regular CD Players and an SACD Layer for better Performance when played on an SACD capable Machine.

SAMPLING RATE How fast a Digital Recorder or Player samples a Signal. CD and Mini Disc use a rate of 44.1kHz which is 44,100 samples per second.

SENSITIVITY Refers to the Output of a Speaker given a Specified amount of Power. Measured in dB’s and at a distance of usually 1 meter. A Sensitive Speaker fed with 1 Watt of Power and Producing a 90dB output, would be twice as loud as an Insensitive Speaker given the same amount of Power but only Producing 80dB.

SIGNAL TO NOISE RATIO The difference between the level of the Audio Signal and the level of unwanted noise in that Signal. The higher the Figure, which is Measured in dB, the lower the unwanted noise in that Signal. Eg- S/N Ratio of 105dB is better than S/N Ratio of 93dB.

SOUND STAGE While listening to good Quality recording, you should be able to close your eyes and Pinpoint the location of each Performer and Instrument within an Imaginary Sound Stage, as if the Performance was taking place right in front of you.

SPL Sound Pressure Level. Usually measured in dB’s with a Sound Pressure Meter.

STANDING WAVES  Excessive Sound Pressure Level of a particular Frequency, that is Dependant upon the Dimensions of a Resonant room. Sound Wave upon Sound Wave building up together to exaggerate a particular Frequency.

SUBWOOFER A separate Woofer Box dedicated to Reproducing the Low Bass Signals found in Music and Movie Soundtracks. Gives most Systems a Significant boost in Scale and Authority.

TONAL BALANCE Enthusiastic speakers may impress you initially, but unrealistically shrill highs and boomy lows won't be very satisfying to live with. Quality Speakers will have an even Tonal Balance across the entire Audio Spectrum.

TONE CONTROLS Any device that alter the Original Audio Signal. Bass, treble, loudness and Bass Boosts are all forms of Tone Controls.

THX Developed by Lucas Films. A set of Standards for Dolby Pro-Logic Systems that ensures a certain Quality for Home Theatre Sound systems. Needs Equipment made to Exacting Specifications.

THX SURROUND EX Decoding system for Dolby Digital Surround EX Software. Mode can also be applied to DTS-EX Software.

TRANSIENTS Short and Sudden events in Music such as a Cymbal crash or the crack of a stick on a Snare Drum. Transients are difficult to Reproduce with great Accuracy.

TREBLE Highest Frequencies in the Audio Spectrum (5kHz-20kHz). When the Treble is Splashy, instruments like Cymbals sound over enthusiastic and Incoherent. A Quality Treble should have a Sting and Crispness to the Sound and be in Balance with rest of the Frequency Spectrum.

TWEETER The small drive unit in a Speaker that handles all the Treble Frequencies.

VIDEO OUTPUT Allows Video Signals to be sent from a Device to a TV or other Display. Composite Video Output provides the lowest Quality, while S-Video splits the Signal into Chrominance (Colour) and Luminance (Brightness) improving the Image even further. But the Best Video Quality is obtained via the Component Video Outputs (Y, Pb, Pr).

WATT Unit of Power. More Watts means more Power, how loud a System sounds also depends on Speaker Sensitivity and room size. It requires a Factor of 10 to Double the actual Output Volume of an Amplifier. For example if you have a 50 Watt Amplifier and want an Amplifier that is Twice as Loud you will need an Amplifier capable of 500 Watts. (see also Sensitivity)

WAVELENGTH The length of a Soundwave, For example , sound at 50Hz in air has a Wavelength of around 6.9m.

WIDESCREEN More and more TV Programmes and nearly all DVD’s are shown in the Widescreen Format. Widescreen TV’s have a screen Ratio of 16:9, while Conventional TV’s have a screen Ratio of 4:3. Most DVD’s and Digital TV Broadcasts shown on a Widescreen TV eliminate the black bars that you get on Conventional TV.