L-Pad (Driver Attenuation Circuit) Designer / Calculator Help

  L-Pads (Loss Pads) are used to decrease the output level of a driver. This is useful in a multiple driver system where the drivers do not have the same sensitivity. A L-Pad, or driver attenuation circuit, can be used to decrease the output levels of the louder driver to match, or attenuate, the sensitivity of the less sensitive driver.
  A L-Pad is simply 2 resistors, one in series (R1), and one in parallel (R2) with the driver.

Z = Total Driver Impedance in Ohms A = Required Attenuation in -db

  Example: Say you have a two way system with a 8 Ohm horn tweeter with a sensitivity of 97 db and 100 Watt power handling and a mid with a sensitivity of 91 db. You need to lower the output of the horn by 97 - 91 = 6 db. Using the above formulas where Z = 8 Ohms and A = -6 db you get results of R1 = 3.99 Ohms and R2 = 8.04 Ohms.
  Important: Please read the end of the RCL electronics page for information on required wattage ratings of resistors.