How does one define "High level" and "Low level"? (1 Viewer)

[MikaelG]

Always wondered how one defines low level and high level? And I'm not talking about "well, low level is when you plug the signal through an RCA cable, and high level is an amplified signal which you carry with speaker cables".

I want a complete technical specification.

 

[PaulT]

In a Receiver, Pre-outs / signal level generally make between 1 and 2V AC hence the term 'low level'.

Speaker level or 'high-level' outputs of the amplifier stage could be anywhere from 3V through 20+ V AC depending on the amplifier rating.

I don't know if you will find a specific technical definition for Hi-Fi or Home Theater, as low/high level in electronics could mean different things for many different applications.

 

[MikaelG]

Great, thanx a lot!

 

[Bob McElfresh]

It's really POWER.

Power is current x voltage.

line-level signals carry almost no current which means no power (ok, in the mili-watt range: 0.001 watts).

But your speakers can be thought of as MOTORS (They convert electrical energy into mechanical). And it takes both voltage and current to do this.

DVD players, VCR's, CATV boxs, game systems, etc., provide signal, but not current. This is why nothing happens if you connect up a speaker to the RCA jacks on the back.