Walk the Walk: Audio and Video Terms

From AAD to Voice Coils (we don't have any "Z" terms yet), this glossary will break-down the alphabet soup and "audiophile-speak." Credit for some terms: TheWhippinpost, Aaron Miller, Audio Concepts

Digital Dolby
An encoding system that digitally compresses up to 5.1 discrete channels of audio (left front, center, right front, left surround, right surround, and LFE) ...
Tue, 14 Oct, 2014 at 6:42 AM
Dipole
An open-back speaker that radiates sound equally front and rear. The front and rear waves are out of phase and cancellation will occur when the wavelengths ...
Tue, 14 Oct, 2014 at 6:42 AM
Direct Current (DC)
 Current that moves in only one direction.
Tue, 14 Oct, 2014 at 6:43 AM
Direct View Television
Display whose image is created on the surface from which it is viewed. 
Tue, 14 Oct, 2014 at 6:44 AM
Dispersion
Horizontal, vertical - radiation pattern - how evenly the soundwave moves off to the sides and up and down.
Tue, 14 Oct, 2014 at 6:44 AM
Dispersion Modifier
Center bullet in a midrange driver in place of a conventional dust cap. It improves dispersion in the mid-frequencies, and helps to maintain the high freque...
Tue, 14 Oct, 2014 at 6:45 AM
Distortion
Anything that alters the musical signal. There are many forms of distortion, some of which are more audible than others. Distortion specs are often given fo...
Tue, 14 Oct, 2014 at 6:45 AM
Dither
The method used in digital systems to smooth out the transitions from one bit to another at low levels. Dither makes a digital recording sound and behave mo...
Tue, 14 Oct, 2014 at 6:46 AM
Diversity
A reception technique by which two antennas are utilized to eliminate dropouts that occur when multiple signals arrive at the receiver at different times. A...
Tue, 14 Oct, 2014 at 6:46 AM
DIY
 Abbreviation for Do - It - Yourself. In audio, the most common DIY is building speakers but some hobbyists build everything from pre-amps to amplifiers to ...
Tue, 14 Oct, 2014 at 6:50 AM