All items in category Magazine Articles
Hollow-State Electronics: The Orange Valve Tester MKII
by Richard Honeycutt

Hollow-State Electronics: The Orange Valve Tester MKII

The Orange Valve Tester MKII is a new microprocessor-controlled testing system from the famous British guitar amplification manufacturer. Featuring greatly improved algorithms with an updated database containing the test results of literally hundreds of new, used, and faulty valves, this MKII tester requires no knowledge of valve theory. A user simply inserts a valve into the correct socket, selects the valve type from the list, and presses the ‘OK’ button. The status of the valve under test is quickly revealed.
Read more...
Fresh From the Bench: WiiM Amp Integrated Amplifier and Multiroom Audio Streamer
by Oliver A.Masciarotte

Fresh From the Bench: WiiM Amp Integrated Amplifier and Multiroom Audio Streamer

In 2023, audioXpress had the chance to review the "low cost and feature packed" WiiM Pro music streamer and was positively impressed. Never one to sit on their hands, this year the folks at Linkplay have gone one step further with an integrated power amplifier. Expanding its series of best-selling audio streamers, the WiiM Amp is a still-affordable design that combines a TI 3255 Class-D audio amplifier and ESS Sabre premium 32-bit DAC and simplifies the whole audio system setup.
Read more...
Fresh From the Bench: IK Multimedia ARC Studio
by Philipp Paul Klose

Fresh From the Bench: IK Multimedia ARC Studio

With the ARC Studio, IK Multimedia introduced a new DSP market contender for room and speaker correction. The solution combines a processor bundled with the company's ARC MEMS microphone and new ARC 4 software. Although ARC Studio was designed essentially for the home studio, the market served by the Italian company, this review also explores the possibilities for stereo system users, seeking playback chain improvements.
Read more...
ICEpower – An Audio Company That Also Does Amplifiers
by Jan Didden

ICEpower – An Audio Company That Also Does Amplifiers

Europe’s Nordic countries have long been the birthplace for high-quality and innovative audio products, particularly excelling at speakers and amplifiers. Located near Copenhagen, ICEpower has traditionally been known as a purveyor of high-performance Class-D amplifiers and associated switch-mode power supplies. The company continues to provide innovative Class-D solutions today, but its scope is now much broader than that, as this report discloses.
Read more...
Diamond Coatings for Speakers, IEMs, and Headphones
by Mike Klasco

Diamond Coatings for Speakers, IEMs, and Headphones

This article explores a fascinating topic that is recurrent in the loudspeaker industry: diamond coatings. As speaker designers look to refine their products' sound quality through diaphragm treatments, there are benefits to be explored from diamond coatings, or more specifically diamond-like-coatings (DLC), which is a process that matured over the last half-century. The industry has now reached a stage where this technology becomes available and viable, particularly for microspeakers.
Read more...
For the Love of Music: Loudness Normalization
by Thomas Lund

For the Love of Music: Loudness Normalization

Wild theories about level normalization "destroying sound" continue to reappear, as if decades of loudness normalization efforts have been for nothing. This article hopes to set the facts straight regarding loudness concepts, standards, and implementation. Loudness normalization not only tremendously improves the listening experience for consumers, but it is also an element in control of sound exposure and prevention of hearing loss.
Read more...
The Secret Life of Loudspeaker Flex Wire
by Mike Klasco

The Secret Life of Loudspeaker Flex Wire

This valuable tutorial on speaker lead-out flex wire by Mike Klasco revisits the fundamentals, from the trailing ends of the voice coil winding to speaker terminals. How to avoid flex wire whipping, fracturing of lead-out conductors, thermal issues, and corrosion of the solder joints. What types of flex wire and wire gauges are available, what are the advantages of textile fibers and wire testing, are some of the topics addressed. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, April 2024.
Read more...
R&D Stories: The Neurochrome Story
by Tom Christiansen

R&D Stories: The Neurochrome Story

A personal account of a professional journey that led to the creation of Neurochrome, a company successfully serving audio enthusiasts all over the world with a complete range of power amplifiers kits and circuits, all well-engineered, thoroughly tested, and well-documented. Neurochrome is a small, highly dedicated audio company, providing inspiration, or perhaps a forewarning, for those wishing to venture into the audio business.
Read more...
R&D Stories: Using Multiphysics Simulation for an Electrovibroacoustic Analysis of a Balanced Armature Transducer 
by Jinlan Huang

R&D Stories: Using Multiphysics Simulation for an Electrovibroacoustic Analysis of a Balanced Armature Transducer 

This article explains how multiphysics modeling and simulation can be used to analyze electroacoustic transducers. Using a balanced armature transducer as example, the analysis combines the electromagnetic field with structural vibrations and acoustic radiation using multiphysics coupling features. A moving mesh is also used to model the back Electromotive Force (EMF).
Read more...
SPL Graph Data: Let’s Get Back to a Level Playing Field
by Tom James

SPL Graph Data: Let’s Get Back to a Level Playing Field

This excellent thought piece by loudspeaker industry veteran Tom James, addresses the often disregarded topic of speaker measurements and the corresponding variables of SPL Graph Data. In his short essay James explores the impact of ignoring or intentionally manipulating the rules established in the "Scales and Sizes for Plotting Frequency Characteristics and Polar Diagrams," defined in the IEC-602632 standard, originally from 1982 and updated in 2020.
Read more...