Dynamic Headroom


Could someone explain this in realtive laymans terms, and also what the numbers assigned to it means?

Cheers!
grimace

Showing 1 response by mlsstl

In addition to Al's comments, the other problem with "peak" power is there is no standard definition of how to measure it. One amp may be measured at the power level that can be sustained for 1 second while another amp may measured for 20 milliseconds.

That makes comparing the true performance of one amp to another based on that number unreliable.

Still another issue is that music does not follow any set rules as to what constitutes a peak. The peak power that may be helpful for a drum strike that has a peak duration that is a fraction of a second long is going to be useless for a sustained organ peddle note.

If you need a certain amount of power to reach a certain volume, the only way to make sure it is there is to have an amp that is capable of sustained output at the desired level.

This is without getting into the issue of what is actually on most recordings in terms of dynamic range. (Most people think the dynamic range in recordings is much greater that what is typically present.)