Auracast: Leave No User Behind While Streamlining the Experience

In a future where one envisions being able to pop in and out of Auracast experiences as one goes about their day, the method of doing so must be as easy as possible. From assistive listening to mainstream audio experiences, from hearing aid telecoils and TV streamers, Andy Bellavia explains how to make Auracast work better for everyone.

Or why not all grounds are created equal. How to mitigate grounding issues in audio equipment, understanding resistance, inductance, and capacitance of ground wiring, and voltage differences between points. Also, how not add to the construction complexity.

Mike Klasco writes about Niron Magnetics' first commercial pilot plant in Minnesota. The opening of this 70,000 square-foot Minneapolis facility took place in October 2024 and is a key milestone in Niron Magnetics's path to scaled production of its Clean Earth Magnet technology and the company’s ability to bridge the acute supply and demand gap for permanent magnets. A significant step forward in the company's mission to produce sustainable, rare-earth-free permanent magnets.

Notes from the AES Convention in New York. After three days of the annual flagship event of the Audio Engineering Society, there was an evening haze settling along the city skyline, with starlight behind the Javits Center and the Hudson River. Yet the last night in Manhattan turned into a clear one. Registrations were reportedly up this year for the AES Show, with the opening ceremony on Day 1 at full capacity, occupying all 300 theater seats, and upwards of 6,000 visitors to the convention during the three days.

If we have a vehicle we value, at one point we have the car sent over to the shop for service. The same thinking applies to golden ears, from product development teams getting the product’s tonal balance DNA sonic signature, as well as chasing down buzzes and resonances. Cleaning out your ears is a sensible procedure before critical listening. This article explores self-assessment tailored to the user’s sound profile, hearing enhancement solutions, and newly available solutions for ear hygiene and visual ear care tools, such as the Bebird EarVision package.

After a five-year gap for in-person conferences from COMSOL, the 2024 event in Boston, MA - part of a planned series now expanding to Europe (Florence, Italy) and Asia (Shanghai, China) - was a very successful return. audioXpress was invited to attend, as more and more audio developers and manufacturers use COMSOL's Acoustics Module, Structural Mechanics Module, and the AC/DC Module, among others integrated in the leading Multiphysics modeling and simulation software.

Let’s address the stigma "thing." Is it "awkward" to wear standard consumer earbuds (e.g., AirPods) to compensate for hearing loss? Are standard hearing aids a visible sign to informs others that a person has a disability? Are we supposed to have to explain that "these things are actually hearing aids"? This article discusses product design, hearing aids, the stigma associated with its use, and how that could complicate the ongoing convergence with consumer-oriented hearing assistance and enhancement.

With the launch of the latest AirPods 4 with ANC, Apple just proved that Active Noise Cancellation, Transparency, and Adaptive Audio can be done effectively in an open design. Thanks to the H2 chip, now both the AirPods 4 ANC and the existing AirPods Pro 2 in-ears support the same level features. This is a big deal and it changes everything in this competitive product segment, about to enter the age of hearables.

Following a few intense days in the extremely warm and dry environment in Berlin, attending IFA 2024 - the Big CE Supermarket as I called it in my 2015 report - it felt great to move on to Amsterdam and attend the vibrant International Broadcasting Convention (IBC). Great, if it wasn't for the sudden change in weather with unexpected rain and a sudden drastic drop in temperature. IBC 2024 was a vibrant show with historical announcements from Sennheiser and Genelec, but our report also highlights the impressive expansion of Dante audio networking in this important industry segment. And many other reasons why everyone was happy to be at IBC.

A first impressions report focused on the audio side of IFA Berlin, where there is still plenty to see. From the Auracast Experience to a vibrant B2B environment. The largest consumer electronics and home appliances marketplace where “retail” and “resellers” meet is still alive and well. Celebrating 100 years of the Internationale Funkausstellung (IFA) Berlin (International Radio Exhibition Berlin), this vibrant trade show has evolved over decades into the world’s largest appliances and consumer electronics marketplace.