The Victor-Victrola Page
Glossary of Terms
These terms are used in the Technical Articles
section, and throughout this website.
Absorption: The process of dissipation of sound or vibrational energy
Acceleration: The rate of change of velocity, measured in "g's"
Accelerometer: A sensor used to measure the motion of a vibrating structure
Acoustic: Having to do with sound or the transmission of sound
Acoustic Impedance: A measure of "resistance" of a medium or area to the movement or transmission of a sound wave, defined as the ratio of the sound
pressure to particle velocity.
Acoustic Phonograph: A phonograph which reproduces sounds without the use of electronic amplification.
Airborne: Energy (sound or vibration) which travels through air
Amplitude: The maximum value of a sinusoidal signal
Analyzer: A computerized device which processes vibration or acoustic signals
Averaging: The process of taking the average value of a signal over time
A-Weighted Sound Level: A sound pressure measurement which has been modified to correspond to the frequency response of the human ear. A weighted
measurement provides better correlation to subjective sound volume.
Band: A segment of the frequency spectrum or range
Bandpass Filter: A filter which allows a selected range of frequencies to pass, and which attenuates all others above and below preset values
Complex Waveform: A wave consisting of sinusoidal components of different frequencies
Compliance: The inverse of stiffness. A measurement of how a structure bends or deforms to an input force.
Cycle: One complete interval of a sinusoidal waveform from zero to positive through zero through negative and back to zero.
Cycles per Second (CPS): The numbers of cycles of a wave which occur in one second. More commonly called Hertz
Damping: Dissipation of energy in a system, either through time or distance
Decibel (dB): A unit of amplitude which is the logarithmic ratio between two quantities. For most sound pressure measurements, dB = 20 log [ Sound
Pressure (measured) / 20 uPa]. The decibel corresponds well to human hearing, as a subjective doubling of sound level is equal to a 10 dB increase.
Diaphragm: The flat membrane which, when coupled to the vibrations of the stylus, vibrates to produce the planar soundwaves in the tonearm
Diffracted Soundwave: A wave which has encountered an obstacle in its path, and has changed direction in some way other than reflection
Direct Sound: Sound which reaches a location in a direct line from the source
Displacement: The movement of an object measured in units of distance
Distortion: Unwanted modification or changes to a signal.
Dynamic: Relating to forces which are constantly changing or in motion.
Dynamic Stiffness: A measurement of the rigidity of a structure to vibrational energy. Most structures become less stiff at higher frequencies, and tend to
couple less energy through them. Measured as deflection per unit input force vs. input frequency
Exponential: A quantity that grows as a power of a number, for example 20...21...
22 ...23... = 1...2...4...8...etc.
External Horn Phonograph: A phonograph wherein the horn is located outside of the base or cabinet
Filter: A device for separating components of a signal on the basis of frequency
Frequency: The number of times a signal repeats itself in one second. Measured in Hertz (Hz.)
Fundamental Frequency: The lowest frequency component of an instrument or sound generating mechanism.
Goose-Neck: The curved pivot mechanism for the soundbox
Harmonic: A sinusoid whose frequency is a whole number multiple of the fundamental frequency.
Harmonic Distortion: The adding of unwanted harmonics to a signal due to the flexing of a structure or component
Hertz (Hz.): Unit of Frequency. Same as Cycles per Second
Horn: The gradually expanding hollow structure in a phonograph which routes the soundwaves from the tonearm, and provides the final impedance match to
the listening room.
Horn Elbow: The connecting "tube" between the tonearm and the horn of a phonograph
Impact: A collision of a mass in motion with a second mass
Internal Horn Phonograph: A phonograph wherein the horn is located inside the cabinet or base
Laser Vibrometer: A sensing system which uses laser beams to measure the motion of a vibrating surface
Lateral Cut: A technique of cutting records wherein the stylus vibrates from side-to-side when the record is played
Linear (Linearity): Having a response directly proportional to the amount of excitation or stimulus at all amplitudes or frequencies
Loud-Tone Stylus: A thick stylus which tends to reproduce records with an increased volume
Loudness: The subjective volume of a sound
Masking: Noise which tends to "cover" a sound or sounds
Microphone: A sensor which measures the magnitude of a sound pressure wave
Natural Frequency: The frequency at which a structure will naturally vibrate when stuck or excited
Noise: Any disagreeable sound or sounds or unwanted acoustic disturbance
Octave: The interval between two sounds whose frequency ratio is 2
Octave Band: The amount of sound or vibrational energy within a band one octave in width
Offset: The lateral distance from the center point of a tonearm's pivot point to the outer diameter of the turntable.
Orthophonic: Any of a series of acoustic phonograph models manufactured by the Victor Company in the mid to late 1920's which utilized higher efficiency
acoustic techniques to reproduce sound
Particle Velocity: The speed at which an air molecule vibrates when excited in a sound wave
Pascal (Pa): The basic unit of sound pressure. 1 Pascal = 1 Newton/meter2 or 0.000145
lbs./in2
Peak Sound Level: The highest instantaneous value of a sound pressure measurement
Peak-to-Peak Value: The magnitude of the extreme maximum and minimum values of a sinusoid. The peak-to-peak value of a sinusoid is twice its amplitude.
Period: The duration (in time) of one cycle of a sinusoid
Phase: A measurement of the "offset" between two sine waves, usually specified in degrees. One complete sine wave cycle encompasses 360 degrees.
Pitch: The subjective perception of frequency
Pivot: The fulcrum point in the stylus support structure which supports the structure in the vertical direction and permits lateral vibration movement
Planewaves (Plane Progressive Waves): Soundwaves which are flat and straight (planar) in the
front most section.
Pure Tone: A soundwave which is a simple sinusoidal (no harmonics)
Reflected Sound: That portion of a soundwave which bounces off a surface and reverses direction
Reproducer: Another term for the Soundbox
Resonance: A phenomena wherein an excitation force (sound or vibration) coincides with the natural frequency of the system, resulting in large and unstable
responses.
Root Mean Square (RMS) Measurements: A measurement representing the "average" effective power content in a waveform. For simple sine waves, the
RMS value is 0.707 times the peak amplitude
Scattering: The irregular diffraction and reflection of sound waves in many directions.
Soft-Tone Stylus: A thin stylus which tends to reproduce records with reduced volume
Sound: The hearing sensation caused by a physical disturbance in the surrounding air
Soundbox: The structure of a phonograph which contains the stylus, stylus bar and diaphragm
Soundbox Tube: The tube connecting the soundbox to the tonearm
Sound Power: The amount of total power of a sound generating source, measured as the rate per unit time at which the total sound energy is radiated from the
source.
Sound Pressure: Measurement of the average sound wave pressure variations as the sound wave passes by a fixed point
Sound Pressure Level: The sound pressure, calculated in dB's as: dB = 20 log [ Sound Pressure (measured) / 20 uPA].
Speed of Sound: The speed at which the sound wave passes a fixed point. This is due to the transfer of energy from molecule-to-molecule in the listening
area. In air, the speed of sound is 944 feet/second.
Spindle: The "axle" of the turntable motor, and center support of the turntable itself
Stylus: The needle of a phonograph
Spectra (or Spectrum): A plot of a waveform as a function of Amplitude vs. Frequency
Standing Waves: Sound waves which do not "move" through a space due to interference and reflection effects.
Static: Relating to forces which are unchanging or steady
Static Stiffness: A measurement of the rigidity of a structure to a constant force, defined as the deflection per unit force of input. Most structures maintain a
constant static stiffness until they reach their yielding point and begin to deform
Structureborne: Energy (sound or vibration) which travels through a structure
Stiffness: A measurement of the resistance of a structure to bending or deformation with an input force
Stylus Bar: The metal bar which connects the stylus to the soundbox diaphragm
Stylus Control Springs: Springs which hold the stylus assembly in place to the soundbox pivot, and still allow it to vibrate to reproduce the recording
Taper: The gradually expanding area inside a tonearm or horn
Thumbscrew: The screw which holds the stylus in place
Tone Arm: The hollow tube which directs soundwaves from the soundbox to the horn of a phonograph
Tracking: The ability of a tonearm or stylus to dynamically conform to the grooves of a record
Tone Arm Elbow: The connecting tube between the tonearm and the horn of a phonograph (sometimes called horn elbow)
Transducer: A sensor which converts physical measurements into a voltage signal for analysis
Transmission Loss: The amount of energy that is lost as it travels through a structure or medium into another structure or medium
Transient: A "burst" or sudden change in a signal
Turntable: The rotating plate of a phonograph on which the record is placed
Vertical Cut: A technique of cutting records wherein the stylus vibrates up and down when the record is played
Vibration: An oscillatory motion of a structure or object
Wave: A disturbance propagated through a medium such as air, where the amount of disturbance can be measured as a function of time
Wavelength: The distance across one complete period of a wave as it travels through a medium
