All items tagged with Brent Butterworth (14)

Fresh From the Bench: Sony MDR-M1 Closed Monitor Professional Headphones

May 1, 2025 by Brent Butterworth

Fresh From the Bench: Sony MDR-M1 Closed Monitor Professional Headphones

Intended to become a new studio stalwart replacing Sony's MDR-7506 headphones, which have been a fixture in recording and radio studios for decades, the new MDR-M1 headphones retail for two and a half times the price. Sony reexamined and improved upon all aspects in the new MDR-M1 headphones and added a few improvements according to today’s high-resolution standards for mixing and mastering. Brent Butterworth compares the new MDR-M1 to the MDR-7506 and the AKG K371.

New Ways to Measure Noise Cancelling, Transparency, and Other Modes in Headphones and Earphones

January 24, 2024 by Brent Butterworth

New Ways to Measure Noise Cancelling, Transparency, and Other Modes in Headphones and Earphones

Now that headphones and earphones are adding situational awareness, hearing protection and hearing enhancement features, HEAD acoustics created new test methods to evaluate these functions, faithfully simulating environments that a consumer might typically encounter when using products with these features. As an experienced reviewer in this category, Brent Butterworth was invited to visit HEAD acoustics' US headquarters in Brighton, MI, to learn about all the solutions the company has developed for this purpose, based on measurement techniques outlined in ETSI standards.

Everything That's Audio in audioXpress December 2023

November 14, 2023 by audioXpress Staff

Everything That's Audio in audioXpress December 2023

audioXpress December 2023 includes a market overview of multiroom audio, Brent Butterworth writes about new ways to measure ANC earbuds, and Stuart Yaniger measured the new Axign and GaN Systems Class-D audio amplifier board. Richard Honeycutt writes about tubes, BJTs, JFETs, MOSFETs, and ICs, and Dimitri Danyuk, discusses JFETs in audio circuits. Douglas Self explains how to optimize variable-frequency tone controls, and Jan Didden shares his eDD direct-drive amplifier project.

Fresh From the Bench: Knowles KN2 True Wireless Reference Design and Franklin 2 Developer Kit

October 12, 2023 by Brent Butterworth

Fresh From the Bench: Knowles KN2 True Wireless Reference Design and Franklin 2 Developer Kit

In this valuable review for product developers, Brent Butterworth shares what he learned about two evaluation solutions intended for designers of true wireless earbuds, the fastest growing product category in the audio industry. With this reference design and developer kit, Knowles made it easier for companies to add sophisticated true wireless earphones to their lines — whether they develop their own design or adopt one that’s ready to go. audioXpress tried out both options.

Product Development, Speakers, and Acoustic Analysis in audioXpress September 2023

August 11, 2023 by audioXpress Staff

Product Development, Speakers, and Acoustic Analysis in audioXpress September 2023

audioXpress September 2023 is a rich issue in the amount of audio topics explored and depth of analysis. Learn about the latest sound meters and acoustical simulation tools, what immersive audio really is, and what is possible with the development kits for true wireless earbuds from Knowles. Roger Shively does a full analysis of the Dinaburg C2S Concentric Coplanar Stabilizer speaker technology, Charlie Laub explains how to build a Minimally Baffled Dipole Loudspeaker, and Gary Gesellchen reveals viable bass reflex speaker designs.

audioXpress June 2022 Now Available and Driving Audio Innovations

May 11, 2022 by audioXpress Staff

audioXpress June 2022 Now Available and Driving Audio Innovations

Get the latest market intelligence and expert perspectives on automotive audio in the June 2022 issue of audioXpress. Hans Gierlich (HEAD acoustics) explains ANC headset testing, and Dana Helmink (Widex) writes about signal processing and filter bank design for hearing aids. Read Brent Butterworth's detailed review of Røde's NTH-100 Headphones, and enjoy another chapter of Ethan Winer's hands-on journey an analog guitar-controlled synthesizer modules.

Fresh From the Bench: Olive Pro Hearing and Bluetooth Earbuds

April 21, 2022 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.

Fresh From the Bench: USound Megaclite 4.0 UH-R2040 MEMS Earphones

January 11, 2022 by Brent Butterworth

Fresh From the Bench: USound Megaclite 4.0 UH-R2040 MEMS Earphones

The Megaclite 4.0 UH-R2040 is a reference design based on USound's Achelous UT-P2018 MEMS drivers, comparable in length and width to smaller balanced armatures, but thinner. They’re SMT reflow-compatible, so easy to incorporate into automatic assembly processes. Brent Butterworth listened, measured, and compared the performance of this new design against conventional in-ear products using established driver technologies. This article was originally published in audioXpress, October 2021.

audioXpress January 2022 Looks Ahead at Speaker Technology Developments

December 13, 2021 by audioXpress Staff

audioXpress January 2022 Looks Ahead at Speaker Technology Developments

Great articles, practical projects, reviews, and audio technology previews start the year in full force! That's what our readers will find in audioXpress January 2022, starting with an update on new materials and engineering approaches for loudspeakers, and articles by Charlie Hughes, Scott Dorsey, Frans de Wit, Ken Bird and Mike Harkins. Brent Butterworth reviews the Olive Pro earbuds, while Raj Senguttuvan from Knowles discusses differentiation for True Wireless Stereo (TWS) design and development.

audioXpress October 2021 Home Theater Edition Now Available

September 13, 2021 by audioXpress Staff

audioXpress October 2021 Home Theater Edition Now Available

The October 2021 edition of audioXpress is now available in print and digital. This edition offers a balanced mix of content, starting with our annual market update report on home theater, and associated residential technologies. Brent Butterworth reviews a MEMS earphone design from USound, Geoff Hill completes his Tetrahedral Test Chamber Story, and Bruce Heran writes about refurbishing Altec Lansing Vintage Speakers. Diving into audio electronics, Morgan Jones writes about Ultra-Linear Design; Morty Tarr discusses Cascodes and Folded Cascodes; and Richard Honeycutt talks about the Effects of Negative Feedback. Jump right in!

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