15th Anniversary of Meyer Sound’s Constellation Acoustic System

Meyer Sound’s Constellation acoustic system was introduced in 2006 and has been discreetly and gradually leading a revolution in variable acoustics and the design of performance spaces. Using an array of ambient sensing microphones, sophisticated digital signal processing, and loudspeakers, Constellation modifies the reverberant characteristics of a venue and redistributes sound throughout the space, ensuring a natural acoustic experience in every seat.

PerListen Audio, a new audio company founded by an experienced team of industry professionals, announced its intention to develop and bring to market a full line of THX Certified loudspeakers, bridging the gap between large home theater speakers and those used in movie theaters worldwide. All the new PerListen speakers feature state-of-the-art drivers, including beryllium tweeters, TexTreme woofers and carbon fiber midranges with advanced waveguides, all designed using advanced Comsol acoustic modeling.

I frequently learn about new products from brands large and small, which sometimes remain unnoticed for multiple reasons (and I don't mean by the press) regardless of how innovative they are. That's a topic in itself to be addressed in a separate editorial one of these days... This week, I spent some time looking at a few speakers that I think deserve a spotlight. Please note that I have not heard those speakers. I just think they are interesting products that deserve a mention.

In this very pertinent and opportune article, Jim DeGrandis discusses the important challenges of specifying acoustic materials. Specifically, his article discusses the need to update basic lab measurements and test data to improve the accuracy of the advanced design, modeling, and simulation tools that exist today. This article was originally published in audioXpress, August 2020.

From March to August 2014, in its Sound Control column dedicated to acoustics, Richard Honeycutt reviewed and wrote a series of articles on the evolution of predictive acoustics and acoustical modeling software, including a review of some of the available tools. This third article in the series discusses CATT-Acoustic, a software for room acoustics prediction, auralization, studio stereo, and surround reverberation, and one of the leading modeling programs for architectural acoustics. This article was originally published in audioXpress, May 2014.

Celestion announced a new way for users to acquire and build upon their library of Impulse Responses, the company’s authentic digitally downloadable speaker tones. The new Pick & Mix option, which is available in combinations of either 3 or 5 cabinets from the company’s full range of IRs, offers complete flexibility in the way users can choose to build their personal IR library at a significant savings compared to purchasing individual IRs.

European audio software developer Sonarworks announced the addition of more than ten new headphone models to its consumer headphone calibration software platform, True-Fi. The new headphone profiles, which have been meticulously measured and incorporated as a complimentary software upgrade for existing True-Fi users, include popular models from Audio Technica, beyerdynamuc, Sennheiser, Sony, Plantronics and even the Bose QuietComfort 35 II.

Simulation software for speaker design has been around since the 1970s. With the introduction of the IBM PC and DOS operating system in the early 1980s, Thiele-Small (T-S) simulation software for enclosure design became a must-have for speaker system designers. For the most sophisticated design efforts, there are now magnetic circuit design software and finite element analysis (FEA) cone and thermal prediction simulation software. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, March 2017.

Sennheiser's booth at CES 2016 attracted a continuous flow of visitors to its AMBEO 3D Audio Listening Experience. Inside, Sennheiser was showcasing the potential of 3D immersive audio technology, which the company intends to develop as a strategic focus, including a proprietary 9.1 upmix algorithm, a game audio rendering engine, a VR microphone and Venue Modeling software.