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

Le
 The inductance of a driver's voice coil, typically measured at 1 kHz in millihenries (mH).
Tue, 14 Oct, 2014 at 1:57 PM
Line Level
CD players, VCRs, Laserdisc Players etc., are connected in a system at line level, usually with shielded RCA type interconnects. Line level is before power ...
Tue, 14 Oct, 2014 at 1:58 PM
Line-Source
A speaker device that is long and tall. Imagine a narrow dowel dropped flat onto the water's surface. The line-source has very limited vertical dispersi...
Tue, 14 Oct, 2014 at 1:58 PM
Linesource
tall loudspeaker with a line of drivers or diaphragms (in the case of Ribbon) all producing the same frequencies. Tall enough to put the listener in the nea...
Tue, 14 Oct, 2014 at 1:58 PM
Lobing
Any time more than one speaker device covers the same part of the frequency range there will be some unevenness in the output. (Picture the waves from one p...
Tue, 14 Oct, 2014 at 1:59 PM
Loudness
 Perceived volume.Loudness can be deceiving. For example, adding distortion will make a given volume level seem louder than it actually is. 
Tue, 14 Oct, 2014 at 1:59 PM
Low Frequency Extension
 Manufacturers, writers and salespeople toss around all kinds of numbers and terminology that can be very confusing and misleading. "This $300 shoebox ...
Tue, 14 Oct, 2014 at 1:59 PM
Low Level Detail
 The quietest sounds in a recording.
Tue, 14 Oct, 2014 at 2:00 PM
Low Mids
 The midrange between 250Hz and 2000Hz contains the low order harmonics of most musical instruments and can introduce a telephone-like quality to the music ...
Tue, 14 Oct, 2014 at 2:00 PM
Low-Pass Filter
A circuit that allows low frequencies to pass but rolls off the high frequencies. Most subwoofers have low-pass filters built in and many surround sound dec...
Tue, 14 Oct, 2014 at 2:00 PM