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

Pe
Driver's rated RMS power handling capability.
Tue, 14 Oct, 2014 at 2:14 PM
Peak
The maximum amplitude of a voltage or current.
Tue, 14 Oct, 2014 at 2:14 PM
Peak power rating
 Another meaningless specification unless references are given.
Tue, 14 Oct, 2014 at 2:14 PM
Peak-to-Peak power rating
 See above.Phase Coherence The relationship and timing of sounds that come from different drivers (subs, mids, tweets) mounted in different locations.
Tue, 14 Oct, 2014 at 2:15 PM
Phase
time arrival of the information. Out of phase means wave is 180 degrees shifted from the in phase (ideal) wave.
Tue, 14 Oct, 2014 at 8:57 PM
Phase Distortion
A type of audible distortion caused by time delay between various parts of the signal.
Tue, 14 Oct, 2014 at 8:58 PM
Piercing
 Strident, hard on the ears, screechy. Having sharp, narrow peaks in the response around 3 to 10 kHz.
Tue, 14 Oct, 2014 at 9:00 PM
Planar Source
Most electrostatics and magnetic planars have a large surface area. Think of a wide board dropped flat onto the water surface. The sound can be extremely co...
Tue, 14 Oct, 2014 at 9:01 PM
Point-Source
Most multi-unit loudspeakers try to approximate a point-source. Think of a pebble dropped into the water and the expanding wave pattern away from impact. Ob...
Tue, 14 Oct, 2014 at 9:01 PM
Polarity
A speaker, for example, has a positive and a negative input terminal. Connecting a battery directly to the speaker will result in the diaphragm moving outwa...
Tue, 14 Oct, 2014 at 9:02 PM