You Can DIY!: Revisiting The Remaking of a Champ

In this article, Mark Driedger revisits “The Remaking of a Champ,” inspired by Kirk Elliott’s original article for Glass Audio (1992). The Fender Champ is considered “the” classic tube practice amplifier and it has been remade a few times over. Driedger created his own version, including a provision to easily try different output tubes. This article was originally published in audioXpress, January 2016.

This month, the Test Bench samples came from a relatively new high-end home audio company. From high-end home audio OEM manufacturer Motus Audio, I received the UH130PW1, a 5.25” mid-bass driver, an impressive looking mid-bass transducer, with a similar feature set as several other European high-end mid-bass woofer brands. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, January 2016.

This Spotlight reference article details a simple and fast procedure for testing the diaphragm used in microspeakers, headphones, tweeters, and microphones. Meaningful information comparable to Stiffness KMS and Mechanical Resistance RMS of the Thiele-Small (T-S) parameters is the basis for tuning the production process and for communication between transducer manufacturers and soft parts suppliers. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, January 2016.

Get your agenda ready for the 2016 National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) Show in Anaheim, CA, and the Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) trade show, being held February 9–12, 2016, in Amsterdam. Read about a new transducer technology from Christianson Audio, and a great reference article on “Micro Suspension Part Measurements.” This month’s Test Bench characterizes a high-end 5.25” mid-bass driver from Motus Audio and a Pro Sound 10” woofer from MAG.

Our special January 2016 “Music Focus” issue is full of practical projects oriented toward music amplification and recording. Read the interview with Philip Graham, the founder of Ear Trumpet Labs, our Rocky Mountain Audio Fest 2015 show report, and a review of the iSEMic 725TR microphone. Learn even more about SPL measurements and audio networking.