The June 2022 issue of audioXpress focuses on the very vibrant segment of automotive audio, which is where a lot of exciting technologies are being explored to the full extent of possibilities. The transition to electric engines completely changed the possibilities for car sound, and that's the starting point for our annual Market Update on Automotive Audio, providing a broad perspective of a sector in the midst of a radical transformation. Just a teaser: After the smart home, the integrated automotive audio approach is one of the most formidable opportunities ever for the audio industry. And it allows new companies - particularly speakers companies - a chance to prove concepts that would otherwise struggle to prove their worth, on a scale that would otherwise make investments too risky. Essential market intelligence on a key market segment you will not find anywhere else.
And beyond the market perspective, for this issue, automotive systems expert Philipp Paul Klose writes about the vital topic of Evaluation of Automotive Audio Energy Efficiency. This important article addresses an approach to measure energy consumption and efficiency of car audio systems as an essential method for an industry investing in ever more sophisticated technologies and applications, and proposes practical approaches, including standardized test procedures.
And to expand the discussion to the listening enjoyment of high-quality audio inside the car, Emil Hemström and Rüdiger Fleischer from Dirac wrote another insightful piece about Upmixing and the Future of In-Car Audio. This is an important approach given that once consumers benefit from immersive audio installations, they will expect all other sources to have sound with the same impact and dynamics, leveraging the available channels and speakers. And as the authors highlight, with increasingly silent electric vehicles, the sophisticated audio systems that are implemented to support many different functions need to be consistent for driver and passengers, regardless of the source format. The article explains how Dirac approaches the use of digital signal processors and upmixing to provide the solution.
Expanding the automotive audio content, audioXpress is honored to include an interview with automotive audio industry veteran John Whitecar. Currently the VP of Product Management, Automotive at DSP Concepts, John is a leading expert in his field, the holder of 35 patents covering audio, acoustic, and receiver signal processing technologies, and renowned for his important work with Texas Instruments, Tesla, and Ford, among others. In this interview prepared for audioXpress by Adam Levenson, John shares details of his work in the design of custom-mixed signal DSP-based automotive receiver ICs, which awarded him the Henry Ford Technology Award from Ford Motor Company. He also discusses why we are only getting started in an exciting era for automotive audio.
In his monthly Sound Control column, Richard Honeycutt writes about the Acoustical Effects of Room Shapes. This is a topic that has not been discussed enough, even though the effect of the interior shape of auditoriums and performance spaces on specific acoustical parameters, including reverberation time, lateral fraction, and echo speech, is a key set of metrics to have in mind.
In this June 2022 issue we are also exploring some pressing topics in headphone technology, and there's no one better to address the topic of active noise cancellation headset testing than Hans Gierlich from HEAD acoustics. His Practical Test & Measurement article, addresses requirements for effective performance testing of communication headsets that use active noise cancellation (ANC) technologies, test setups, testing equipment, and setup conditions needed to correctly assess ANC performance.
Expanding from headphones and headsets to in-ear hearing aids, Dana Helmink (Widex) writes about How Signal Processing and Filter Bank Design Impacts Sound Quality in Hearing Aids. This important article for product designers discusses the nuances of signal processing and filter bank design, exploring the most impactful decisions in filter bank types specific to hearing aids, and how ultimately each approach helps dealing with the hearing challenges that people face.
Brent Butterworth then offers his extensive and detailed review of the Røde NTH-100 Headphones for audioXpress. The NTH-100 headphones are a late but refined entrance from Røde into the product segment and clearly target the same core market as its popular microphone products, including the ever-expanding category of content creators. In that regard, the NTH-100 immediately stands out in the crowded studio headphone market with a very distinctive design and unique features. Brent Butterworth finds out how the NTH-100 stacks up to the competition - in the studio and on the test bench.
And this issue continues to follow Ethan Winer's fascinating journey of building all the modules for a Guitar-Controlled Synthesizer. In the two previous articles, Ethan described circuits he developed for this project that uses an electric guitar instead of a keyboard to control an analog synthesizer. This article continues with two components that are essential for all analog synthesizers: The Low Frequency Oscillator (LFO) and the Attack Decay Sustain Release (ADSR) envelope generator. Both of these circuits generate voltages that control other modules in the synthesizer.
We know... That's a lot to take in, in a single issue. But that's what magazines are for. To be explored and enjoyed at each one's pace, anytime. Remember, every month, audioXpress brings innovations in audio, different topics in audio electronics, and the best in DIY audio, published 12 times per year, and available in print and online.
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