In our Industry News & Developments, Vance Dickason gives us his first impressions on the new Hill Acoustics Tetrahedral Test Chamber (TTC) 350, a mini anechoic chamber that is said to produce consistently accurate results.
This month’s Test Bench is dedicated to two compression drivers from Radian Audio Engineering and a Tweeter from Wavecor. This is the first time Vance Dickason features a product from the highly respected Radian Audio Engineering. Test Bench reviews the 950PB and the 760NEOPB, two of the company’s flagship compression drivers. The new Wavecor TW030WA11 and TW030WA12 are most recent editions to Wavecor’s 30-mm tweeter lineup. The TW030WA11 is the 4-Ω version and is the one which Voice Coil focused.
On Acoustic Patents, James Croft (Croft Acoustical) reviews US Patent Number 8,820,471, filed by Yamaha Corp. in December 12, 2012, and granted September 2, The patent describes a speaker that has the sound source fixed to the baffle plate of the casing.
A main feature on this edition is the Microphone Technology Update by Mike Klasco and Steve Tatarunis. As they comment, “microphone capsules are built by the billions each year. Considering that there will be more than 1.6 billion cell phones made this year (50% of which will be smartphones that typically have two microphones each) the amount of transducers being built is enormous. Also, when you consider all the microphone capsule’s other applications (e.g., in tablets, laptops, intercoms, Bluetooth, hands-free over the ear, and hands-free in cars, etc.), the numbers are staggering.” The featured is followed by a directory update on Measurement Microphones.
Happy 28th Birthday Voice Coil
Editorial by Vance Dickason
November 2014 marks the beginning of Voice Coil’s 28th year as an information resource for the loudspeaker industry. Voice Coil magazine resulted from a conversation I had with the late Ed Dell following Audio Amateur’s publication of the 3rd edition of the Loudspeaker Design Cookbook (now in its 7th edition). Ed related his concept of a publication that would become the loudspeaker industry’s “information super highway.” Needless to say, I considered it not only an outstanding concept for a new publication, but something I felt the industry greatly needed and would happily support. Obviously, after 27 years, we were right to move forward with the publication. Ed came up with the Voice Coil name, and the rest is history. From the first issue in November 1987 until June of 1995, Voice Coil was a monthly subscription-based black-and-white four-page newsletter that I wrote with no additional contributors and no advertising. In 1995, the June issue jumped to 20 pages of four-color print. (Voice Coil is currently about 32–48 pages each month!) The magazine is now advertiser driven and is free for qualified subscribers. Voice Coil is also available as an Internet-delivered subscription.
In addition to the change in printing, distribution, and digital delivery, Voice Coil features guest contributors including James Croft, Charlie Hughes, Mike Klasco, Wolfgang Klippel, Steve Mowry, Steve Temme, Pat Turnmire, and many others. Support has come from some of the industry’s finest engineers and through the generosity of analyzer/ software manufacturers Klippel GmbH, LinearX, and Listen, which currently supply Voice Coil with some of the best test equipment available. In previous years, DRA Labs and Audiomatica supplied Voice Coil with superior test equipment. Although the loudspeaker industry magazine has grown and matured, Voice Coil has stayed true to its original concept as a world-class clearing-house of information for loudspeaker engineers, manufacturers, marketing specialists, and OEM suppliers. Evidenced by the participation of writers, advertisers, and readers, Voice Coil continues to be well received by the loudspeaker industry. Each year brings increased circulation as more engineers, technicians, and marketing experts discover what we have to offer.
On behalf of Voice Coil’s new owner Steve Ciarcia, as well as Vance Dickason, editor; Hugo Vanhaecke, publisher; Shannon Becker, editorial coordinator; João Martins, international editor; and all the staff who make this publication possible, we would like to thank our readers and advertisers for their continued enthusiasm and support.
See your November edition online or a Free Preview at www.gotomyvcoil.com
