All items in category Magazine Articles
Practical Test & Measurement - Measuring MEMS Microphone Arrays
by Joe Begin

Practical Test & Measurement - Measuring MEMS Microphone Arrays

This article addresses the practical approach to testing and evaluation of multichannel MEMS microphone arrays. The simultaneous acquisition and measurement of signals from a microphone array presents a variety of challenges to developers seeking to evaluate their designs. This article explains the fundamentals to address challenges in smartphones, smart speakers, and all sorts of voice-activated devices, typically using two, and up to seven or more microphones. This article was originally published in audioXpress, March 2022.
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Loudsoft FINE Suspension Nonlinear FEA Spider and Surround Design Program
by Vance Dickason

Loudsoft FINE Suspension Nonlinear FEA Spider and Surround Design Program

An overview of Loudsoft's latest FINE Suspension Nonlinear FEA Spider and Surround Design software. This new transducer engineering tool, specific to the development of speaker surrounds and spiders (dampers), allows for the simulation of different types of surrounds and spiders from imported DFX files or created from templates with parameters selected by the user, and then outputs the compliance curves similar to the Kms and Cms curves measured by Klippel DA2 or KA3 analyzers.
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Patent Review: A Speaker Device Offering Extended Bass Performance
by James Croft

Patent Review: A Speaker Device Offering Extended Bass Performance

This review discusses an intriguing speaker design patented by Walter Ka Wai Chu, from Taiwan. The design allows the speaker device to potentially improve the bass performance in the entire low-frequency band instead of being limited to only a few low-frequency points, the inventor claims. While James Croft confesses to being somewhat skeptical of whether, in its current disclosed form, the device will provide a useful advantage, he found the design sufficiently interesting to be analyzed in more detail.
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Fresh From the Bench: KEF KC62 Subwoofer with Uni-Core Driver Technology
by Oliver A.Masciarotte

Fresh From the Bench: KEF KC62 Subwoofer with Uni-Core Driver Technology

Following the review of the KEF LS50 Meta speakers for audioXpress, this article offers a detailed review of the KC62 compact subwoofer, which combines KEF's force-canceling and Uni-Core technologies in a new approach to allow maximizing bass in a minimum space. Masciarotte did the listening and spoke with Jack Sharkey, Senior Technical Engineer at GP Acoustics, about this fascinating design. The subwoofer was also measured by Peterson at Warkwyn’s facility using the Klippel measurement system.
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Patent Review: An Acoustic Device from Bose
by James Croft

Patent Review: An Acoustic Device from Bose

This patent analysis looks at an interesting wearable acoustic device, patented by five inventors on behalf of Bose Corp, and which the company would later apply in its Bose SoundWear Companion - the brand's own iteration of an around-the-neck or neckband concept, launched at the end of 2017. With a significant number of claims, the awarded patent describes “a neck loop that is constructed and arranged to be worn around the neck," with drivers located, one each, below the left and right ears of the user, and two acoustically coupled waveguides.
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Metamodal TPCDs — Next-Generation Speaker Diaphragms from Composite Sound
by Martin Turesson

Metamodal TPCDs — Next-Generation Speaker Diaphragms from Composite Sound

This article details the Composite Sound journey that led to the extensive use of TPCDs for loudspeaker applications and the company's second-generation Metamodal technology. This new engineering approach allows designing loudspeakers tailored for an intended purpose, realizing a physical representation of a TPCD computer-simulated model that is only achievable through the company's unique proprietary production process. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, February 2022.
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On the Edge: TinyML and Voice Recognition Technology Are Transforming Industries
by Vikrant Singh Tomar

On the Edge: TinyML and Voice Recognition Technology Are Transforming Industries

Rising demand for portable, light footprint voice recognition devices is fueling a growth of the tiny machine learning (TinyML) field. Offering a broader, high-level discussion specifically focused on voice recognition, Vikrant Singh Tomar, the founder and Chief Technology Officer of Fluent.ai, explains the impact for embedded voice and the overall audio industry. This article was originally published in audioXpress, February 2022.
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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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