Owner's Manual
Signal-To-Noise:
An
Up
and Coming Rock Group?
Your systems signal-to-noise (SIN) ratio is the measurement between
your audio signal level, which contains music, and your system's noise
floor, which contains hiss, pops, buzzes, and whines.
If
you
are listening
to your buddies car audio systems and it has all
of
the above obnoxious
sounds ... even when the music is playing,
we
call that
LOW
signal-to-
noise. On the other hand
if
you have your volume control cranked up
on quiet songs, and you hear almost ZERO background noise, that is
considered a HIGH signal-to-noise ratio. Most serious sound-off competi-
tors have high signal-to-noise ratios (at least the ones that take home the
trophies).
When you talk about signal-to-noise ratios, the higher the signal, the
better. Since you really
can't
reduce the noise floor, signal-to-noise ratio
can
be
readily improved
by
raising the signal level with a component like
the Matrix Plus.
Level
Matching
Level Matching is about making sure
you
run
just
the right amount
of
signal into an audio component. Since all AudioControl products are
capable
of
high-voltage input and output, it is important that you MATCH
the input voltage
of
your components. Most crossovers and amplifiers can
handle
up
to about 4 volts before they clip. AudioControl signal processors
can all produce at least 7
.5
volts RMS, and can accept anywhere from 5 to
9 volts RMS. LED voltage indicators
on
many
of
our products (like this
one!) make it a snap to set levels!