High-fidelity (Hi-Fi) stereo systems have long been designed to deliver the most lifelike audio experiences, reproducing sound from concert halls, studios, and festivals with remarkable clarity and high sound pressure levels (SPL). These traditional systems, powered directly from the electrical grid, benefit from virtually unlimited energy and large speaker enclosures, allowing them to achieve exceptional loudness without compromise.

In contrast, today’s portable audio devices—ranging from mobile phones and wearable speakers to compact sound boxes—face stringent limitations in power, space, and speaker size. Achieving high loudness and SPL within these small, battery-powered devices is a significant engineering challenge.

This white paper explores the tools and technologies that enable optimal audio performance in such constrained devices. It covers techniques such as loudness functions, soft clipping, and signal compression, culminating in the concept of Smart Amps. By intelligently monitoring speaker parameters in real time, Smart Amps maximize perceived loudness while protecting the speaker from thermal and mechanical stress, ensuring both performance and long-term reliability.

To read the full paper, you can download it here.