The February 2016 edition of audioXpress is now available in print and digital. This edition is a must read for anyone interested in audio product design, from a pure development or DIY perspective, featuring a great collection of articles addressing all aspects of audio technology, from digital and analog audio circuits to audio networking and test and measurement practices.We start with our feature highlights, which includes a revised and updated version of the Willow amplifier, published by audioXpress four years ago. This “proof-of-concept” DIY project by author Robert Nance Dee was published in our December 2011 issue and generated great feedback from audioXpress readers. This motivated the author to update the project, replacing the obsolete HA-5002 buffer with the TI LM49600, improving the power supply and the input to the buffer circuit. “I especially wanted to make the amplifier as quiet as possible and have it be flexible so that those who want to avoid microcontrollers could still experiment with the design. After all, this is an amplifier for the DIY community and I enjoy seeing what can be done with my designs,” says Robert Nance Dee.
Another great DIY project for our readers comes from Ron Tipton, who explains how to build a pair of three-way woofer-midrange-tweeter-midrange woofer (WMTMW) loudspeakers with an external active crossover network. The author decided to build this project using a set of compatible drivers from Dayton Audio and the project details all the design decisions and construction information for the speakers, as well as the active crossovers.
audioXpress visited pro audio loudspeaker manufacturer Eighteen Sound in Italy, and this month we share everything we’ve seen at its modern factory in Reggio Emilia, the history of this young company and its ambitious expansion plans. Recently, Eighteen Sound confirmed the acquisition of Ciare, another established Italian speaker brand, broadening the scope of its product line and reaching out to a wider market at a global level.
And for all those audioXpress readers interested in experimenting with the latest audio formats, Ron Tipton continues his series on Immersive Sound, this time dedicated to Dolby Atmos. This month, Ron explores the meaning behind the “objects” in Dolby Atmos’ object-based immersive audio system and discusses its functionality.
Continuing our effort to update audio manufacturers on the implementation of the latest technologies, the Standards Review article focuses on developing products based on Audinate’s Dante audio networking technology. While the first two articles in this series touched upon the evolution of audio network connectivity, available technologies and platforms, this third article addresses how to implement products over the most widely available audio networking solution for pro audio and commercial installations. There’s a reason why Dante is so popular and that is because Audinate licenses and fully supports all development efforts directly. Dante is quickly conquering the studio recording market and starting to make inroads in the home-theater market.
Our Sound Control column delves into a topic of great interest for all audio product designers, integrators, and even home audio enthusiasts. In Measuring Reverberation Time (RT), Richard Honeycutt provides some historical information and details how to successfully predict and measure RT, one of the most critical acoustic parameters to understand any type of room or space.
And for those interested in knowing more about successful companies, personalities and businesses in the audio industry, audioXpress interviewed Simon Saywood, CEO of Analoguetube, Ltd., a London, UK-based company that manufactures recreations of the famous 1950s Fairchild 660 and 670 mono and stereo compressor/limiters. Experienced in the repair of this highly coveted vintage studio equipment, Saywood decided to painstakingly recreate the originals, combining the original circuits and all original parts including the transformers and controls with new generation 6386LGP triodes developed from the original GE6386 tube types. Analoguetube received a lot of interest at the 139th Audio Engineering Society (AES) Convention and its products are currently in high-demand because they manage to preserve the original function and tone of the originals, while making it usable for the rigors of modern recording.
And because we know how our readers love tubes, we have two great articles in this issue. In “The Correct Use of Rectifier Tubes,” Gerhard Haas explains the different rectifier types and how to choose the right one for your design. In “Testing Tubes,” Richard Honeycutt discusses how to properly test the tubes and how to make sure they are providing optimum operation.
Plenty of reasons to start exploring your new issue of audioXpress, now available at www.gotomyxpress.com
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