Weighting

Often times when laboratory measurements are taken of audio gear, the literal, “true” figures obtained do not reflect the anomalies introduced by human perception. In these cases, the specs obtained may be mathematically modified, or “weighted” to take into account the way our ears work. A good example is “A-weighting”, a curve applied to sound pressure levels to more accurately reflect our loudness perception. Other types of weighting compensate for the ear’s frequency response, etc.