audioXpress March 2023 Test and Measurement Issue Now Available!

February 10 2023, 14:10
From the bench to automotive cabins and the production line, as always, the March audioXpress issue offers Test and Measurement articles of great interest to our readers. As the audio industry continues to benefit from significant progress in advanced software as well as modular hardware solutions, this month's market update offers an overview of the latest audio and industry-related test and measurement solutions. More importantly it highlights key market trends for this critical segment.

Directly in line with our focus for this issue, Stuart Yaniger completed a series of tests and shared his experiences with the new Echo AIO modular audio test system. Headquartered in Santa Barbara, CA, Echo Test + Measurement is a little company with a big impact on audio test and measurement. As many large consumer electronics companies started using its AudioFire studio sound cards for production line testing, Echo designed a highly cost-effective, modular range of USB-based audio test interface solutions, which Stuart Yaniger had the opportunity to evaluate.

Expanding the scope of test and measurement solutions to specific application areas, Philipp Paul Klose writes about Acoustical Measurement and DSP Application in Automotive Audio. This article offers a primer on how to approach acoustic measurements and the practical application of DSP in car cabins, one of the hardest acoustic environments for quality sound reproduction. For those familiar or not with automotive sound measurements, the article offers valuable insights into the type of tools and techniques used for these highly specific applications.

And for a more practical approach of audio testing, Steve Temme, the founder and President of Listen, Inc., writes about Transitioning Audio Tests from R&D to the Production Line. The essentials of test and measurement applied to manufacturing environments and quality control are the starting point for this article. Production tests always benefits from proven practices and experience and that's what Steve Temme shares here.
 

As promised, this issue of audioXpress offers much more and we have included an exclusive review of a book that audio electronics expert Burkhard Vogel wrote, titled Slopes and Levels, Spice Models to Simulate Vintage Op-Amp Noise. Interesting for all those who want to accurately simulate the noise of op-amp circuits, particularly if you don't want to just rely on the manufacturer's own models, Marcel van de Gevel explored the full book after he read Vogel's introduction, explaining that some manufacturer-supplied simulation models are way off.

Directly related to the topic of circuit simulation and specifically using LTspice, our columnist Richard Honeycutt wrote about Accuracy in LTspice Modeling. Sometimes we need to consider the human factor when using circuit design simulation tools and that's precisely why our hollow-state expert details an error that occurred in a past article, which is now being corrected.

And talking about simulation techniques, René Christensen offers another exploration of the possibilities for product development, this time focusing on Lumped Element Modeling of Transducers. As he explains, many engineering tasks require a common ground from which discussions among those involved in a project can take place in a structured manner. This will often involve a so-called model of the concept or product, and this article discusses one such model: the lumped element model.

We know that many of our readers continue to follow the fascinating series written by Chuck Hansen on Power Transformer Parameters, Selection, and Testing. This extensive work, which initially revisited the history of transformer cores, construction methods, and materials, has now evolved to testing methods and the key parameters of transformers. The current article expands on the topic of power transformer losses.
 

Finally, our readers who have appreciated the first article from audio expert Ethan Winer about Modern PCB Design Practices, will certainly enjoy reading Part 2. The article examines current practices and methods for designing four-layer printed circuit boards using surface mounted components (SMDs), and this second part explains specific strategies and related issues to deal with the design and production of great quality PCBs.

We truly believe these are all great reasons to dive in, and start reading this issue. Subscribe if you haven't yet in order not to lose future issues, or renew your subscription, because audioXpress is only going to get better. Subscribing to the digital online version allows immediate access and is available here: audioXpress Subscription Services

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