IM Distortion

An abbreviation for “intermodulation distortion,” this is the interaction of two or more frequencies in a signal that results in the generation of new frequency components not present in the original signal. These new components have frequencies equal to the sum and difference of the frequencies of the original signals, and integral multiples thereof. IM distortion is often a major issue in loudspeaker design due to the varying permutations of issues that arise as a speaker cone moves back and forth.