Exciting and Feature-Rich October 2019 Edition of audioXpress Now Available!

The October 2019 edition of audioXpress closely reflects the highly diverse and exciting areas of innovation in the audio industry. There’s a Market Update on Audio Installation, one of the highest growth and most innovative segments in the audio industry, and our report of the 2019 Midwest Audiofest Speaker Design Competition, followed by a review of Bob Cordell’s 2nd Edition book on Designing Audio Power Amplifiers, and an important insight on modern Class-D amplification. We also review the DPA d:vice MMA-A Digital Audio Interface, explain the potential of true 6DoF (six degrees of freedom) audio experiences, how Auralization allows building virtual acoustic models, and so much more!

As directly reflected in our beautiful October 2019 cover, this edition includes our Market Update on Audio Installation, titled “Integrated, Networked, and Secure.” This special feature provides an overview of product and technology trends in the audio installation market, focusing on the most cutting-edge technologies for commercial and corporate installations. After all, audio technologies and solutions for installed sound applications are not only one of the highest growth segments in the audio industry, they’re also one of the more innovative and vibrant. Read the Market Update to understand how and why.

And we know our readers will be excited to read our report of the 2019 Midwest Audiofest Speaker Design Competition, from the eyes and ears of Thomas Perazella, who was also one of the competition judges. One of the most important audio events for the speaker building and DIY audio communities, the Midwest Audiofest (MWAF) is held in Springboro, OH, in July every year. Hosted by Parts Express, this event combines several activities including a huge tent sale. Of course, the highlight of the event is the Speaker Design Competition, introducing a variety of speaker designs, which Perazella’s report details.

Many of our readers will also enjoy an extended book review by our technical editor, Jan Didden, about Bob Cordell’s Designing Audio Power Amplifiers, 2nd Edition. When Cordell published his long-awaited first edition of Audio Power Amplifier Design, it was hailed as a significant addition on the subject. Reactions of readers made it clear that Cordell hit his mark, and in this article, Didden explains why the long-awaited second edition is an essential buy.

We also have a new important insight on modern Class-D amplification from the experienced perspective of Jens Tybo Jensen - former founder of Merus Audio, and now head of Class D Audio Marketing and Applications at Infineon. In “Updating the Rules on Amplifier Metrics,” Jensen states that it may be time to rethink Class D audio design and measurement practices, and he details what multilevel Class D amplification can do for new product designs.

Next, Stuart Yaniger reviews the DPA d:vice MMA-A Digital Audio Interface, a new two-channel microphone preamp and A/D converter that allows the use of the renowned DPA microphones with any iOS device, a Mac or a PC. Apart from being an audio measurement expert, Yaniger is also an enthusiastic music recordist and this device not only fit in his pocket but he also found it to be "a slick piece of engineering and industrial design."

And as we promised diversity of topics for this edition, Piotr Szczechowiak and Tomasz Zernicki, the two founders of Zylia, explore the fascinating world of true 6DoF (six degrees of freedom) audio experiences in 3D spaces. With 6DoF technology in VR/AR, users can experience 3D audio/video content from an unlimited number of listening and vantage points, wearing an appropriate headset and headphones to plug into an immersive experience that allows them to move freely through the entire audio soundscape and visual landscape.

In his Sound Control column, Richard Honeycutt writes about Auralization - Building Virtual Acoustic Models. When most of us think of virtual reality, we conceive it in terms of computer games and similar types of entertainment. However, as early as the 1930s, acoustical virtual reality - “auralization” - was explored. Today, using computerized acoustical modeling tools, we can produce very convincing auralizations of speech and music sound sources and this article explores some fascinating examples.

And as always, this month there's a fascinating speaker building article, courtesy of Thomas Zarbo, Jr., who decided to take on the challenge of building his own pair of small-size, full-range speakers, that he dubbed the Bantams. He was so successful with the project that he continued to build more and experiment with new finishes on request from friends. Next month, he will continue with a complementary subwoofer project for the Bantams.

And finally, in Hollow-State Electronics, Richard Honeycutt explores the fascinating world of electronic music synthesizers and details how the Hammond organ paved the way for musical instruments that can sound like just about any instrument in the world, including completely new ones. Laurens Hammond’s most famous creation was an organ using an electromechanical tone generator, which can be also considered as a polyphonic music synthesizer containing electronic modules.

All this content is now available online, and on its way to those who subscribe to the print edition.

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