All items in category Magazine Articles
Properly Equalized: Best Practices for Loudspeaker Equalization and Tuning
by Charlie Hughes

Properly Equalized: Best Practices for Loudspeaker Equalization and Tuning

Charlie Hughes knows about directivity control and how a loudspeaker system should sound good and measure accordingly. This article offers basic recommended guidelines that will not only help to develop good equalization and tuning practices, but also will go a long way in improving the overall sound quality, regardless of the application. This article was originally published in audioXpress, January 2022.
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Fresh From the Bench: Olive Pro Hearing and Bluetooth Earbuds
by Brent Butterworth

Fresh From the Bench: Olive Pro Hearing and Bluetooth Earbuds

The Olive Pro Hearing and Bluetooth Earbuds were brought to market by Olive Union during 2021. These are 2-in-1 true wireless earbuds and smart (FDA-Registered class II) hearing aids, featuring a modern design that was intentionally conceived to look like futuristic Bluetooth earbuds to combat the social and economic barriers of hearing loss. When the company temporarily paused its sales efforts in the US, Brent talked with the company to find out what happened and their plans to adjust and return to market. This article was originally published in audioXpress, January 2022.
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Next-Generation Rare-Earth-Free Magnets Are Coming
by Mike Klasco and Salvador Magdaleno-Adame

Next-Generation Rare-Earth-Free Magnets Are Coming

When a speaker development project is initiated, one of the first decisions is usually the magnet type — ferrite or neodymium — each one with its associated benefits, and problems. This article introduces the most promising alternative based on Iron Nitride (FeN), soon be available from Niron Magnetics, and offering the best characteristics of neo, without the supply chain drama, at a price point that rests somewhere between ferrite and neodymium. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, January 2022.
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Why Power Tubes Arc
by Edwin G. Pettis

Why Power Tubes Arc

Tube arcing is not necessarily a result of a "bad" tube or a "bad" design. It is far more likely the result of using the tube longer than you should for the application you’re using it. This interesting article, published in audioXpress, November 2004, remains a great read. At the time it also originated a response from Eric Barbour and Ed. T. Dell regarding their experience with cathode stripping.
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Patent Review: Compact Wideband Bass and Midrange Horn-Loaded Speaker System
by James Croft

Patent Review: Compact Wideband Bass and Midrange Horn-Loaded Speaker System

This patent describes, a compact high-fidelity sound reproduction system achieving high efficiency, low distortion, wide bandwidth, and extended low-frequency reach, and which can be used as a sub-bass woofer, bass woofer, mid-bass woofer, and mid-range speaker for residential or commercial large venue applications. The system includes a dynamic driver driven bass horn, a looped resonator duct (ring geometry), which can be folded, and an adjustable feedback duct allowing sound characteristics to be tailored. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, April 2016.
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Designed for Growth: Enabling Product Differentiation for TWS Development
by Raj Senguttuvan

Designed for Growth: Enabling Product Differentiation for TWS Development

Knowles announced the availability of a new development kit for true wireless stereo (TWS) earbuds, centered on the capabilities of its AISonic family of audio edge-AI processors and expanded by key partnerships in voice and audio processing algorithms for TWS products. This article details the opportunities for TWS development and helping manufacturers to differentiate their newest designs. This article was originally published in audioXpress, January 2022.
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Echo Test + Measurement - Specifically Made for Audio Testing!
by Joao Martins

Echo Test + Measurement - Specifically Made for Audio Testing!

audioXpress March 2022 Test and Measurement issue addresses the latest tools and solutions meeting real-world challenges in audio. This year's extensive Market Update report, offers a complete overview of all the audio test and measurement products and solutions released during the past 12 months. One of the major highlights was Echo Test + Measurement, with its modular, and highly cost-effective range of audio test interface solutions.
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Patent Review: Apparatus Using Missing Fundamental Frequencies to Improve Loudspeaker Sound Focusing
by James Croft

Patent Review: Apparatus Using Missing Fundamental Frequencies to Improve Loudspeaker Sound Focusing

This review discusses an invention that promises to successfully process an audio signal to focus an acoustic signal by an arrangement of a plurality of loudspeakers, using a frequency analyzer, a signal processor, and a signal output interface. The frequency analyzer is configured to determine a fundamental frequency and the signal processor configured to adapt an overtone of the fundamental frequency. An approach that can work quite well, even though there are well-known drawbacks that the patent intends to resolve.
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Directivity Measurement of In-Wall Loudspeakers
by Christian Bellmann, Ruben Hauschild, and Mattia Cobianchi

Directivity Measurement of In-Wall Loudspeakers

In this article, the authors share their research on new requirements for the measurement of in-wall installation speakers. The directional characteristics are an especially important factor, because the direction in which a loudspeaker emits sound highly affects the interaction with the listening room and the listening experience. The authors' research addressed the requirement using holographic directivity to address the way the directional characteristics interact with the listening room. This article was originally published in audioXpress, December 2021.
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R&D Stories: The Arrival of Spatial Room Correction Technology
by Lars-Johan Brannmark

R&D Stories: The Arrival of Spatial Room Correction Technology

In this exclusive article for audioXpress, Lars-Johan Brännmark (Chief Scientist, Dirac Research AB) describes an approach to the challenge of applying DSP room correction to complex multichannel setups, intended for immersive audio reproduction. Instead of one filter applied to a single channel, he proposes a solution where all speakers work to optimize the reproduction of each input channel in an optimal way. This article was originally published in audioXpress, December 2021.
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