All items in category Magazine Articles
A Review of Hafler’s PH50 and PH60 Phono Preamps and the PH44 Moving Coil Step-Up Transformer
by Gary Galo

A Review of Hafler’s PH50 and PH60 Phono Preamps and the PH44 Moving Coil Step-Up Transformer

To understand more about the Hafler revival, we delve into some of Hafler’s history and the companies associated with it. In this article, Gary Galo reviews the new Hafler PH50 (designed for moving magnet cartridges) and the PH60 (moving coil) Phono Preamps, as well as the Hafler PH44 Moving Coil Step-Up Transformer. All products come from Radial Engineering, the owner of Jensen Transformers and the Hafler and Dynaco brands, which it bought in 2014. This article was originally published in audioXpress, April 2017.
Read more...
A Platform for Expanded Possibilities: The New Klippel Analyzer 3
by Manuel Spehr

A Platform for Expanded Possibilities: The New Klippel Analyzer 3

Klippel GmbH is celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2017. To celebrate, Klippel launched its new Klippel Analyzer 3 (KA3). The Klippel Analyzer 3 is an hardware platform for R&D modules and Quality Control (QC) tasks that performs the data acquisition and real time processing. It is connected to a Host-PC / dB-Lab via USB 2.0, and accepts a series of KA3-Frame and Cards to plug in. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, September 2017.
Read more...
R&D Stories: Even’s EarPrint Technology - Precision Listening for Earphones and Headphones
by Mike Klasco

R&D Stories: Even’s EarPrint Technology - Precision Listening for Earphones and Headphones

Even is reinventing personal audio with technology that tunes sound to each listener’s unique hearing with its patent-pending Even EarPrint process. A veteran group of sound designers, acoustic engineers, mastering technicians, and audiologists have perfected a personalization process for headphones and earphones that measures the user’s reactions to a series of eight different frequencies in each ear in only 90 seconds. This article was originally published in audioXpress, June 2017.
Read more...
MEMS Microphones - Vesper Delivers New MEMS Microphone Technology
by Mike Klasco

MEMS Microphones - Vesper Delivers New MEMS Microphone Technology

Since 2009, Vesper has built a broad and deep patent portfolio around its proprietary MEMS piezoelectric technology, which works quite differently from conventional capacitive MEMS microphones. As Matt Crowley, CEO of Vesper, says during an interview with Voice Coil, “We are just beginning to realize the potential of piezoelectric MEMS microphones.” This article was originally published in Voice Coil, December 2016.
Read more...
Fresh From the Bench: Benchmark DAC3 HGC Stereo D/A Converter
by Gary Galo

Fresh From the Bench: Benchmark DAC3 HGC Stereo D/A Converter

Benchmark Media Systems' DAC series of high performance digital-to-analog converters (DACs) have earned the respect of audio enthusiasts and professional users alike for their state-of-the-art performance, including exceptional audio transparency and vanishingly-low levels of noise and distortion. Now Benchmark has made its DAC3 even better with the upgrade to ESS Technology’s new ES9028PRO DAC chip. The DAC3 HGC, reviewed here, combines an analog preamplifier with the DAC. This article was originally published in audioXpress, July 2017.
Read more...
Fresh From the Bench: Earthworks M50 Omnidirectional Measurement Microphone
by Stuart Yaniger

Fresh From the Bench: Earthworks M50 Omnidirectional Measurement Microphone

Stuart Yaniger reviews the Earthworks M50 Omnidirectional Measurement Microphone. Earthworks, a well-regarded brand based in the US, manufactures the M series microphones, targeted at the middle of the market, and ranging in price from $500 to $1300 per microphone. The Earthworks M50 under review ($1299 retail price) is the top entry of the M series, which mainly differs in high-frequency cutoff between models. This article was originally published in audioXpress, July 2017.
Read more...
Fresh From the Bench: CEntrance DACportable High-Resolution USB DAC and Headphone Amplifier
by Oliver A.Masciarotte

Fresh From the Bench: CEntrance DACportable High-Resolution USB DAC and Headphone Amplifier

In this Fresh From the Bench article, audioXpress reviews the CEntrance DACportable High Resolution USB DAC and Headphone Amplifier, which Oliver A. Masciarotte experimented with during several days. And to confirm Masciarotte’s positive impressions from this Chicago-based company, Stuart Yaniger does the full bench measurements of the CEntrance DACportable. This article was originally published in audioXpress, April 2017.
Read more...
Practical Test & Measurement: Sound Cards for Data Acquisition in Audio Measurements (Part 7) - Pitting the CLIO Pocket Against a Sound Card
by Stuart Yaniger

Practical Test & Measurement: Sound Cards for Data Acquisition in Audio Measurements (Part 7) - Pitting the CLIO Pocket Against a Sound Card

In this article of a series on how to create a low-cost system for lab-grade audio electronics measurements, Stuart Yaniger decided to do a comparison experiment between a dedicated but very affordable measurement solution - the Audiomatica CLIO Pocket - and its own sound-card based system described previously. This article was originally published in audioXpress, December 2015.
Read more...
Practical Test & Measurement: Sound Cards for Data Acquisition in Audio Measurements (Part 6) - Measurement Examples
by Stuart Yaniger

Practical Test & Measurement: Sound Cards for Data Acquisition in Audio Measurements (Part 6) - Measurement Examples

Stuart Yaniger continues to examine ways to create a low-cost system for lab-grade audio electronics measurements. In this article, a few measurement examples are used to illustrate the power and the versatility of sound-card-based measurements. To illustrate the usefulness of measurements in the design process, Yaniger also explores the effects of load on power supply noise for a common IC regulator circuit. This article was originally published in audioXpress, November 2015.
Read more...
Practical Test & Measurement: Sound Cards for Data Acquisition in Audio Measurements (Part 5) - The User
by Stuart Yaniger

Practical Test & Measurement: Sound Cards for Data Acquisition in Audio Measurements (Part 5) - The User

In this article series, Stuart Yaniger examines ways to create a low-cost system for lab-grade audio electronics measurements. The first four articles in the series looked at the hardware and software bits of the sound-card based measurement system. The last remaining piece is the user and the need to choose the right measurement parameters. This article was originally published in audioXpress, October 2015.
Read more...