Sensitivity
Speaker sensitivity.
This characteristic is indicated on the basis of how loud the acoustics are capable of producing when a signal of a certain standard power is applied to it. Simply put, the higher the sensitivity of the speaker, the louder it will sound at the same output power of the amplifier. Thus, sensitive acoustics can be effectively used even in combination with relatively low-power "amplifiers". On the other hand, low sensitivity also has its advantages: it allows you to achieve a more uniform frequency response and reduces the likelihood of overloading the amplifier. In the least sensitive modern speakers, this indicator
does not exceed 84 dB, in the most sensitive it is
95 – 96 dB or
more.
Note that in fact, you have to pay attention to this parameter when acoustics are planned to be used with a separately selected power amplifier. Therefore, for active systems (see "Type"), sensitivity is purely a reference value, and, usually, it can be ignored when choosing.
Impedance
Impedance is the nominal electrical impedance of a speaker system. Nowadays, a set of standard impedance values are used; the most widely used speakers are
4 ohms,
6 ohms,
8 ohms and
16 ohms.
This parameter is of primary importance for passive acoustics (see "Type"). When connecting such speakers to a power amplifier, it is highly desirable that their impedance matches the speaker impedance for which the amplifier is designed; in case of a mismatch, either overload and distortion in sound (if the speaker impedance is below optimal), or a decrease in power (in the opposite case), are possible.
As for active acoustics, here the impedance is mainly of reference value — the speakers in such systems are initially selected for the corresponding amplifiers. However there is an opinion that a higher resistance reduces the level of interference and has a positive effect on the purity of the sound; however, the difference in impedance between different models is usually not so great that this effect is noticeable against the background of other factors that determine sound quality.
Crossover frequency
The frequency of the crossover provided in the speaker design.
The crossover is installed exclusively in the model with several stripes (see "Number of stripes"). This is an electronic filter that separates the incoming audio signal into separate frequency bands and directs each band to its "own" set of speakers. And the crossover frequency shows where the border between these ranges passes. If there are more than two bands, then there will be several similar boundaries: for example, for a four-band system, “0.15 / 0.8 / 2.8 kHz” or “0.12 / 1 / 3.8” may be indicated.
In most cases, this parameter is mainly of reference value: the built-in crossover frequencies are selected according to the performance of the speakers installed in the speaker.
Woofer size (LF/MF)
The diameter of the woofer or combined woofer/midrange speaker(s). The larger the speaker, the lower its operating frequencies and the more sound power it can provide. Therefore, you should pay special attention to this parameter if you want to get high-quality rich bass - especially if we are talking about an audio system without a subwoofer. More detailed information about speaker sizes can be found in special sources.
Weight
The total weight of all components of the speaker system.
