DALI Loudspeakers speakers manual Power and acoustic pressure

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English

Power and acoustic pressure

How loud a speaker is able to play and still sound good is completely dependent on the signal it has to reproduce. So, in practice, you cannot define an unequivocal level for use in comparing different speakers.

Obviously, lots of pure, undistorted output from a large amplifier is better than a dis- torted signal from a small amplifier stretched beyond its capacity. The signal from a distort- ing (clipping) amplifier contains much more high-frequency information than an undis- torted signal, and therefore puts a heavy strain on the treble unit. Consequently, speak- ers are most often damaged by small amplifi- ers having to work too hard - and very rarely by large amplifiers, which are practically run- ning idle.

It is worth noting that when the tone controls are turned above the neutral setting this sig- nificantly burdens both speakers and ampli- fier. On a good sound system tone controls should only be used to compensate for poor recordings and not to permanently compen- sate for weaknesses elsewhere in the system. So, DALI recommends that the tone controls generally be set to the neutral position, and you achieve your desired sound image through correct positioning of the speakers.

Ensuring that you keep the volume low enough so the sound remains clear and undistorted will minimise the strain on both speakers and amplifier.

Remember that tone controls are only intended for temporary compensation.