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Geoff the Grey geek - Helping you connect your AV equipment
Geoff the Grey geek - Helping you connect your AV equipment
Geoff the Grey geek - Helping you connect your AV equipment
  • Home
  • Understanding Audio
    • Understanding Audio

      Understanding Amplifier Power

      Amplifier power is probably the most misunderstood and abused parameter of amplifiers and speakers. Yet, it is often the first (and possibly only) parameter...
      Understanding Audio

      Understanding Speaker Sensitivity

      Speaker sensitivity is a measurement of how well a speaker converts the amplifier power to to acoustic energy. In others words, how loud the...
      Understanding Audio

      How Multiple Speakers Share Power

      Often people are wanting to add speakers to their amplifier to increase power. However, in most cases, adding speakers will reduce the power in...
      Understanding Audio

      Speaker Impedance Changes Amplifier Power

      Speaker impedance changes amplifier power output. In fact, your amplifier power could be nearly half or double its capacity - depending on the impedance...
      Home Speakers

      Understanding Speaker Impedance

      Speaker impedance is often presented as a complex subject and therefore is either ignored or misunderstood. A basic understanding of speaker impedance is not...
      Understanding Audio

      Understanding Distributed Speaker Systems

      Distributed speaker systems are also known as "100 volt line" or "70 volt line" speaker systems. They are used extensively where multiple speakers are...
      Understanding Audio

      Double amplifier power does not double the volume

      This article logically shows the relationship between amplifier power, SPL and loudness. It includes a level difference exercise and a gain calculator.
      Understanding Audio

      Understanding Acoustic Feedback

      Acoustic feedback it that annoying loud continuous tone you get when the sound system is not set up or operated properly. Acoustic feedback can...
      Understanding Audio

      Understanding Audio Frequency

      Every sound we hear is at a certain frequency. When we say someone has a deep voice, we are describing a voice producing low...
      Understanding Audio

      Understanding Decibels (part 2)

      In the first article we saw that a decibel is not a fixed unit, rather, it is a ratio between two levels.  A decibel...
      Understanding Audio

      Understanding Decibels (part 1)

      Decibels are widely used in audio, and often misunderstood. These articles give a practical understanding on using decibels in audio work.  But first, some...
      Understanding Audio

      Understanding Audio Levels

      A basic understanding of the general audio levels mentioned in this article will help you avoid the common mistakes often made when connecting audio...
      Understanding Audio

      Understanding Microphone Sensitivity

      What do you understand about microphone sensitivity? Of late I have seen a number of people miss-interpret the specifications of microphones, especially when it...
  • Home Speakers
    • Home Speakers

      Connecting Speakers FAQs

      After answering nearly 1000 questions on connecting speakers on this website, some common themes have emerged. Please read the answers to these Frequently Asked Questions...
      Home Speakers

      Speaker Selector Switch Simulators

      The speaker selector switch simulators presented here demonstrate how speaker selectors deal with speaker impedance and power distribution. Speaker selector switches are used to...
      Home Speakers

      Understanding Speaker Impedance

      Speaker impedance is often presented as a complex subject and therefore is either ignored or misunderstood. A basic understanding of speaker impedance is not...
      Home Speakers

      How to Connect 2 Speakers to 1 Amplifier

      In this article we look at how and when to connect 2 speakers in parallel or series. Both the theory and practical points on...
      Home Speakers

      Speaker Selector Switch Summary

      Speaker selector switches are the most common item bought from Amazon through this website (with over 800 units sold). Therefore I thought it is...
      Calculators

      Speakers in Parallel Calculator

      Jump Straight to Calculator The calculator below is useful in determining the total impedance of speakers in parallel. It also calculates how the power is...
      Home Speakers

      How to wire Four Speakers to One Amplifier

      In an earlier article we looked at the issues involved in connecting multiple speakers to one amplifier. In this article we look at some...
      Home Speakers

      How do I Connect Multiple Speakers to my HiFi Amplifier

      I am often asked "How do I connect multiple speakers to my amplifier?" Before I answer, let's define what we mean by the word...
  • Home Connections
    • Home Connections

      How do I connect a VCR to a Flat Screen TV

      You may still have many video tapes that you like to play but find it hard to connect a VCR to your new flat...
      Home Connections

      Reflections on the TV Remote Control

      The recent passing of Eugene Polley, the man known for inventing the remote control, has given me cause to reflect on the development of...
      Home Connections

      How do I connect a PVR to a flat screen TV

      PVR is an acronym for Personal Video Recorder. A PVR is the new video cassette recorder (VCR). It works similarly to a VCR, but...
      Home Connections

      Video Signals & Cables: Summary

      This is the summary of the previous five articles looking at the different video signals and connectors commonly used in Home AV. Previously we...
      Home Connections

      How do I connect my Flat Screen TV

      Connecting your TV is not as hard as it looks. All the sockets on the back and up the side of a flat screen...
      Home Connections

      Video Signals & Cables: HDMI

      In this article, we look at HDMI: what it is, where it is used, and what cables are used for HDMI. This is the...
      Home Connections

      Video Signals & Cables: Component Video

      In this article, we look at component video signal: what it is, where it is used, and what cables are used for component video....
      Home Connections

      Video Signals & Cables: RGB video

      In this article we look at RGB video signal: what it is, where it is used, what cables to use and the problems with...
      Home Connections

      Video Signals & Cables: S-Video

      In this article we look at S-video signal: what it is, what cables to use, where S-video is used and the problems with it. ...
      Home Connections

      Phone & Ipod Chargers

        Do phone chargers and Ipod chargers draw power when not connected to their device? The answer is: it depends on the type of charger. There...
      Home Connections

      The Cost of Standby Power

      In the popular press there have been a number of reports along the lines of "households wasting hundred of dollars on standby power". Being an inquisitive...
      Home Connections

      Video Signals & Cables: Composite Video

      In this article, we look at composite video signal: what it is, what cables to use, where composite video is used and the problems...
  • Calculators
    • Calculators

      Speakers in Series/Parallel Calculator

      Jump Straight to Calculator This calculator for speakers in series/parallel is a combination of my popular Speakers in Parallel Calculator and my recent Speakers in...
      Calculators

      Speakers in Series Calculator

      Jump Straight to Calculator The calculator below is useful in determining the total impedance of speakers in series. It also calculates how the power is...
      Calculators

      Amplifier Power, Voltage and Current Calculator

      This calculator for amplifier power, voltage and current has little significance but is rather interesting. In the specifications for an amplifier, it might say...
      Calculators

      Distributed Speaker System SPL Calculator

      This distributed speaker system SPL calculator takes the guess work out of which speaker tap to use. It will tell you the correct power...
      Calculators

      Distributed Speaker System Cable Loss Calculator

      Jump Straight to Calculator This calculator will help you determine the cable losses in distributed speaker systems (also known as 100-volt or 70-volt speaker systems)....
      Calculators

      Speakers in Parallel Calculator

      Jump Straight to Calculator The calculator below is useful in determining the total impedance of speakers in parallel. It also calculates how the power is...
      Calculators

      Decibel Calculator for Audio (voltage)

      If you don't like formulas then you definitely won't like the formula for calculating voltage ratios expressed in decibels. So, use the following calculators to...
      Calculators

      Ohm’s Law Calculator

      Here is a simple calculator for power, current, voltage and resistance (actually there are 6 different calculators, use the one relevant to the values...
      Calculators

      Power Usage Calculator

      Knowing the cost of running an electrical appliance is useful, and easy with this power usage calculator. You need to know three things: 1. Cost of...
      Calculators

      Amplifier, Speaker & SPL Calculator

      These calculators will find how loud an amplifier and speaker combination will be, or what size amplifier you need to make a speaker a...
      Calculators

      Lighting Costs Comparision Calculator

      Energy efficient LED lamps for lighting are very popular. They certainly cost less to run than conventional lamps. But how much do you really...
      Calculators

      Speaker Dispersion Calculator

      If you look at the specifications of speaker boxes, you should see something like Dispersion (H x V): 90 x 50. This is stating...
      Calculators

      Increase Amplifier Power and Volume Calculator

      How much do you need to increase the gain of an amplifier to make it sound twice as loud: 3dB, 6db or 10 dB? This...
      Calculators

      Maximum Noise (Decibels) and Time Exposure Calculator

      Most countries have a stated maximum continuous noise level over a continuous 8 hour period (a working day). This is normally agreed to being...
  • Fundamentals
    • Fundamentals

      Using a Multimeter

      This article introduces the basic concepts of multimeters and explains how to use them for basic measurements. Multimeters are one of the most useful...
      Fundamentals

      AC and DC

      This article looks at some basic concepts and misconceptions of AC and DC electrical circuits. There are no formulas involved, just explanations to some...
      Fundamentals

      The Dreaded Ohms Law

      In a previous article we looked at the power formula, and discussed the relationship between power, voltage and current. Having looked at the power...
      Fundamentals

      What is Electrical Power?

      What is electrical power? What is the formula for electrical power? What is watts, volts and amps? This article introduces and illustrates these electrical...
  • Home
  • Understanding Audio
    • Understanding Amplifier Power

      Understanding Audio
      Amplifier power is probably the most misunderstood and abused parameter of amplifiers and speakers. Yet, it is often the first (and possibly only) parameter...

      Understanding Speaker Sensitivity

      Understanding Audio
      Speaker sensitivity is a measurement of how well a speaker converts the amplifier power to to acoustic energy. In others words, how loud the...

      How Multiple Speakers Share Power

      Understanding Audio
      Often people are wanting to add speakers to their amplifier to increase power. However, in most cases, adding speakers will reduce the power in...

      Speaker Impedance Changes Amplifier Power

      Understanding Audio
      Speaker impedance changes amplifier power output. In fact, your amplifier power could be nearly half or double its capacity - depending on the impedance...

      Understanding Speaker Impedance

      Home Speakers
      Speaker impedance is often presented as a complex subject and therefore is either ignored or misunderstood. A basic understanding of speaker impedance is not...

      Understanding Distributed Speaker Systems

      Understanding Audio
      Distributed speaker systems are also known as "100 volt line" or "70 volt line" speaker systems. They are used extensively where multiple speakers are...

      Double amplifier power does not double the volume

      Understanding Audio
      This article logically shows the relationship between amplifier power, SPL and loudness. It includes a level difference exercise and a gain calculator.

      Understanding Acoustic Feedback

      Understanding Audio
      Acoustic feedback it that annoying loud continuous tone you get when the sound system is not set up or operated properly. Acoustic feedback can...

      Understanding Audio Frequency

      Understanding Audio
      Every sound we hear is at a certain frequency. When we say someone has a deep voice, we are describing a voice producing low...

      Understanding Decibels (part 2)

      Understanding Audio
      In the first article we saw that a decibel is not a fixed unit, rather, it is a ratio between two levels.  A decibel...

      Understanding Decibels (part 1)

      Understanding Audio
      Decibels are widely used in audio, and often misunderstood. These articles give a practical understanding on using decibels in audio work.  But first, some...

      Understanding Audio Levels

      Understanding Audio
      A basic understanding of the general audio levels mentioned in this article will help you avoid the common mistakes often made when connecting audio...

      Understanding Microphone Sensitivity

      Understanding Audio
      What do you understand about microphone sensitivity? Of late I have seen a number of people miss-interpret the specifications of microphones, especially when it...
  • Home Speakers
    • Connecting Speakers FAQs

      Home Speakers
      After answering nearly 1000 questions on connecting speakers on this website, some common themes have emerged. Please read the answers to these Frequently Asked Questions...

      Speaker Selector Switch Simulators

      Home Speakers
      The speaker selector switch simulators presented here demonstrate how speaker selectors deal with speaker impedance and power distribution. Speaker selector switches are used to...

      Understanding Speaker Impedance

      Home Speakers
      Speaker impedance is often presented as a complex subject and therefore is either ignored or misunderstood. A basic understanding of speaker impedance is not...

      How to Connect 2 Speakers to 1 Amplifier

      Home Speakers
      In this article we look at how and when to connect 2 speakers in parallel or series. Both the theory and practical points on...

      Speaker Selector Switch Summary

      Home Speakers
      Speaker selector switches are the most common item bought from Amazon through this website (with over 800 units sold). Therefore I thought it is...

      Speakers in Parallel Calculator

      Calculators
      Jump Straight to Calculator The calculator below is useful in determining the total impedance of speakers in parallel. It also calculates how the power is...

      How to wire Four Speakers to One Amplifier

      Home Speakers
      In an earlier article we looked at the issues involved in connecting multiple speakers to one amplifier. In this article we look at some...

      How do I Connect Multiple Speakers to my HiFi Amplifier

      Home Speakers
      I am often asked "How do I connect multiple speakers to my amplifier?" Before I answer, let's define what we mean by the word...
  • Home Connections
    • How do I connect a VCR to a Flat Screen TV

      Home Connections
      You may still have many video tapes that you like to play but find it hard to connect a VCR to your new flat...

      Reflections on the TV Remote Control

      Home Connections
      The recent passing of Eugene Polley, the man known for inventing the remote control, has given me cause to reflect on the development of...

      How do I connect a PVR to a flat screen TV

      Home Connections
      PVR is an acronym for Personal Video Recorder. A PVR is the new video cassette recorder (VCR). It works similarly to a VCR, but...

      Video Signals & Cables: Summary

      Home Connections
      This is the summary of the previous five articles looking at the different video signals and connectors commonly used in Home AV. Previously we...

      How do I connect my Flat Screen TV

      Home Connections
      Connecting your TV is not as hard as it looks. All the sockets on the back and up the side of a flat screen...

      Video Signals & Cables: HDMI

      Home Connections
      In this article, we look at HDMI: what it is, where it is used, and what cables are used for HDMI. This is the...

      Video Signals & Cables: Component Video

      Home Connections
      In this article, we look at component video signal: what it is, where it is used, and what cables are used for component video....

      Video Signals & Cables: RGB video

      Home Connections
      In this article we look at RGB video signal: what it is, where it is used, what cables to use and the problems with...

      Video Signals & Cables: S-Video

      Home Connections
      In this article we look at S-video signal: what it is, what cables to use, where S-video is used and the problems with it. ...

      Phone & Ipod Chargers

      Home Connections
        Do phone chargers and Ipod chargers draw power when not connected to their device? The answer is: it depends on the type of charger. There...

      The Cost of Standby Power

      Home Connections
      In the popular press there have been a number of reports along the lines of "households wasting hundred of dollars on standby power". Being an inquisitive...

      Video Signals & Cables: Composite Video

      Home Connections
      In this article, we look at composite video signal: what it is, what cables to use, where composite video is used and the problems...
  • Calculators