Smart Speakers: Audio Design Rules for Voice-Enabled Devices

Because every R&D department in the planet is currently looking at implementing voice, and everyone's looking at audioXpress for guidance on how to design a smart speaker, in this edition Kevin Connor, shares his insider knowledge on the topic. Connor, a Cirrus Logic engineer, explains how to provide audio and voice solutions, and design products that sound great and respond reliably to voice commands, regardless of backend service. This article was originally published in audioXpress, January 2018.

In this article Scott Dorsey tells us how to repair Switching Mode power supplies. As he explains, "there are a lot of books and articles out there about how to design a switching supply, but not many on fixing them. As switching supplies become ubiquitous in electronic devices today, it becomes that much more important to understand how they work and just as importantly how they fail." This article was originally published in audioXpress, January 2018.

For this month's Test Bench, Dickason characterizes a new 12” coaxial pro audio driver from B&C Speakers, a design typically applied in stage monitors, studio monitors, or distributed audio in large venues. B&C Speakers 12CXN88 is unique in that it uses a single neodymium magnet assembly for both the 12” woofer and the 1.3” throat exit compression driver. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, January 2018.

During the AXPONA 2017 show in Chicago, IL, Stuart Yaniger visited the Vanatoo room and was greatly impressed with the small and inexpensive proposition of the Transparent Zero powered speakers. After getting a pair into his lab for extended listening and measurement, in January 2018, audioXpress published an extensive and detailed review, because, as Yaniger writes, "I think the engineering is enough to merit the high ratio of words to price."

Voice Coil is gearing up for another exciting edition of the NAMM Show in Anaheim, CA, and this January 2018 edition features one of our most exciting Voice Coil directories, focusing on recent announcements about Headphone Measurement solutions. James Croft discusses a patent for an innovative flat speaker concept from Pioneer, while Vance Dickason characterizes a new 12” coaxial pro audio design from B&C Speakers. Download your Voice Coil now!

A great first 2018 issue of audioXpress is now available to download! audioXpress January 2018 reviews the surprising Vanatoo Transparent Zero powered, wireless, and inexpensive speakers. We report on what sounded good at the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest (RMAF) 2017 show, and Robert Nance Dee returns with the 6922 tube hybrid amplifier, a complete design in his series on buffered preamps... and much more!