All items in category Magazine Articles
Enhancing Loudspeaker Efficiency and Bl(x) Symmetry with Virtual Voice Coil, Part 1
by Dario Cinanni

Enhancing Loudspeaker Efficiency and Bl(x) Symmetry with Virtual Voice Coil, Part 1

This first article in a two-part series details the design and simulation possibilities of the SpeakerLAB software for speaker designers. In this article, the author explores its Virtual Voice Coil (VVC) module, for designing voice coils and predicting audio transducer parameters with maximum accuracy. The detailed analysis also explains one of the keys that allow the accuracy of VVC prediction, given by a complete temperature management involved in loudspeaker calculus.
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Unlocking the Future of Wireless Audio: An In-Depth Look at WMAS
by Nick Wood

Unlocking the Future of Wireless Audio: An In-Depth Look at WMAS

Meeting the pressing needs for professional wireless microphone applications, struggling with RF challenges, regulatory constraints, and the scarcity of frequency spectrum, 2024 was the year of the first product announcements leveraging Wireless Multichannel Audio Systems (WMAS) technology. In this article Nick Wood (Shure) provides a unique perspective of the WMAS technology, its future in the industry, and its regulatory framework for professional audio applications.
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Outboard DSP: miniDSP Flex
by Vance Dickason

Outboard DSP: miniDSP Flex

The fourth in a series of product reviews of outboard DSP hardware, this article explores the miniDSP Flex digital signal processing (DSP) unit. The Flex is a two channels in/four channels out, Sharc-based audio processor that offers a more cost-effective model than the previously featured miniDSP processors in the series, with a retail price of $570 for the TRS balanced IO model. Besides the competitive price, the review confirms how the miniDSP Flex manages to measure and impress.
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Fresh From the Bench: mh acoustics Eigenmike em64, Sixth-Order Ambisonics Microphone and Software Suite
by Philipp Paul Klose

Fresh From the Bench: mh acoustics Eigenmike em64, Sixth-Order Ambisonics Microphone and Software Suite

A unique insight into the future of microphone technology, this article reviews the Eigenmike em64, a sixth-order Ambisonics microphone with Dante connectivity, extended with a comprehensive recording and decoding software suite. Updating its previous Eigenmike em32 model, the company introduced a state-of-the-art higher order Ambisonics capture tool to the market. The patented design combines microphone programmable gain preamplifiers, 24-bit A/D conversion and microphone calibration, all integrated.
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Innovative Wi-Fi Streaming for High-End Headphones
by Christoph Apel

Innovative Wi-Fi Streaming for High-End Headphones

As digital integration deepens across all aspects of life, consumers increasingly seek audio experiences that blend seamlessly with wireless connectivity. As a leading developer in the audio streaming sector, StreamUnlimited is continuously pushing the boundaries to transform traditional audio systems into smart, connected devices without sacrificing sound quality. Recognizing this trend, StreamUnlimited developed an innovative Wi-Fi solution tailored for both high-end and mainstream headphones, redefining the wireless listening experience.
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Book Review: Zoran M. Dukic’s High End Tube Amplifiers Designer Tool Box
by Jan Didden

Book Review: Zoran M. Dukic’s High End Tube Amplifiers Designer Tool Box

This extensive, 428-page, self-published hardcover book, is much more than another publication on tube amplifiers. As Jan Didden discovered, this book contains all the knowledge needed to check how an input low-pass filter must be dimensioned, how to investigate the different resistor types and their properties, capacitor types, which tubes to use, how to bias them, and construct the load lines, and even how to design low-noise power supplies. A one-stop resource for tube-based audio power amplifiers, and clearly a work of love!
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Fresh From the Bench: Sony MDR-M1 Closed Monitor Professional Headphones
by Brent Butterworth

Fresh From the Bench: Sony MDR-M1 Closed Monitor Professional Headphones

Intended to become a new studio stalwart replacing Sony's MDR-7506 headphones, which have been a fixture in recording and radio studios for decades, the new MDR-M1 headphones retail for two and a half times the price. Sony reexamined and improved upon all aspects in the new MDR-M1 headphones and added a few improvements according to today’s high-resolution standards for mixing and mastering. Brent Butterworth compares the new MDR-M1 to the MDR-7506 and the AKG K371.
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Spikes & Isolation: The Art of Speaker Decoupling for Optimal Audio Performance
by Dave Morrison

Spikes & Isolation: The Art of Speaker Decoupling for Optimal Audio Performance

This contributed article by IsoAcoustics' founder and president is an interesting piece that sums up his vast experience in the field, working with professional audio engineers, loudspeaker designers, and music lovers all over the world. The article explores how speakers physically interact with their supporting surfaces, the key factors that affect speaker decoupling, and the pros and cons of many common isolation approaches.
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Getting Out of the Ear: The Evolution of ANC Technology in Hearables
by Alex Bonnet and Eric Benhaim

Getting Out of the Ear: The Evolution of ANC Technology in Hearables

This deep dive article from Alex Bonnet and Eric Benhaim - Orosound’s acoustics technical lead and chief technology officer, respectively - offers a unique perspective of the challenges associated with the increasingly popular open ear form factors. Extensively familiar with product implementation challenges, the two authors address the specificities of loose-fit and open-ear designs, and the potential of AI-based ANC technology for the future of hearables.
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Modern Op-Amp Distortion Tests: Part 2 — A Few More BJT Types and JFET Devices
by Douglas Self

Modern Op-Amp Distortion Tests: Part 2 — A Few More BJT Types and JFET Devices

Many new op-amp types have appeared in the last decade, and Douglas Self thought it was time to evaluate those for distortion performance. In Part 1 of his article, he measured BJT-input devices using a similar protocol for five different loads and testing for basic op-amp distortion in favorable circumstances. In this second article, the measurement of BJT types is concluded, and he moves the JFET types to the test bench.
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