Speakers and Transducers and Lots More in Audio Development and Design with audioXpress January 2021

It's a Double Celebration issue! audioXpress January 2021 is now available in print and digital and it signals 50 years from the publishing company's origins and 20 years of audioXpress! It's also the start of a new and exciting year that kick starts in a big way with another exciting edition - extended to 80 pages plus cover!

It starts big with another Market Update focused on "Trends in Speakers and Transducers," an area where a lot is happening. The technology is constantly evolving, and innovations are happening not only in design, construction, and materials, but also in integrated auxiliary technologies, able to optimize loudspeakers to their maximum potential performance. In this Market Update, audioXpress selected some examples of those innovations and highlighted a few of the most recent announcements. We cover interesting examples in everything from the tinniest available drivers to the largest and most powerful pro audio subwoofers, not forgetting the intelligent designs and technologies required by smart speakers.

Complementing our market overview in transducers, audioXpress January 2021 features an exclusive contribution by Hermann Schenk, and Lutz Ehrig, respectively the CEO and Head of Technical Marketing & New Business Development for Arioso Systems, a successful Fraunhofer IPMS spin-off company that is now launching an innovative sound transducer principle for miniaturized headphones, in-ears and hearables. With the title "Electrostatic Pure Silicon Microspeakers for Wireless Earbuds," the two experts describe how this new technology, and specifically a new MEMS topology can contribute to the next-generation of true wireless earbuds.

And as audioXpress reviews leading and cutting-edge market trends in drivers and transducers, Mike Klasco expands his previous articles on bass shakers, exciters, and all sorts of haptic drivers and transducers, now exploring a new generation of the latest and most powerful solutions that explore structure-borne vibrational energy. In "Bass Shakers and Tactile Sound," Klasco discusses multiple cutting-edge solutions that use actuators, tactile transducers, and haptic signal processing for the latest generation of gaming and entertainment applications, as well as automotive and communication solutions.

In his Sound Control column, Richard Honeycutt contributes to the speaker topic by writing about Cone Loudspeaker Radiation and Directionality. In this article, he looks closer at the real-world behavior of speakers, addressing some common misperceptions.

For the speaker builders, Perry Marshall details everything there is to know about his Live-Edge Dipoles project. A design that was inspired by two slabs of birch the author brought home, allowing to finally bring to fruition his idea to build these dipoles. In the detailed DIY project, Marshall reveals all the specifics of the driver choices, radiation pattern, and crossovers, while explaining the effects of the obtained radiation pattern and how the speakers behave in practice.

Gary Galo looks at the history of stylus pressure gauges, and reviews available Digital Stylus Force Gauges from Jelco, Neoteck, Riverstone Audio and other solutions freely available on Amazon. As an expert in turntables, Galo explains, "If you want to get the most from your turntable, tonearm, and phono cartridge, an accurate stylus tracking force gauge is essential, whether you’re playing vinyl LPs, 78-RPM records, or 16-inch transcription discs."

For our many tube enthusiasts, audioXpress features a great article from renowned tube expert and promoter of the TubeSociety school, Menno van der Veen. In this article, he explains everything about the Vanderveen Trans-SE10 amplifier, which is available as a DIY kit manufactured by Tentlabs. The A4-size stereo amplifier is a single-ended design with an output power of 10W per channel, but there's a lot "under the hood" (and the glass) to understand. Its creator reveals all the Vanderveen Trans-SE10 secrets and the reasons for its unusual design.

audioXpress is also privileged to have a monthly column by audio electronics expert Michael Steffes, and this edition features another intriguing exercise to improve the basic design of a fully differential Evaluation Module (EVM) board that implements a second-order multiple feedback (MFB) filter by improving the noise gain (NG) profile.

And finally, Brewster LaMacchia concludes his article series on Automotive Audio Bus (A²B) applications (not just for automotive). After an introduction to the properties of this locally networked audio transport, a look at A²B system design, and A²B data transport and interface, In Part 4, he looks at systems and tools that are available to speed prototyping and evaluation.

Another great edition of audioXpress that we are certain readers will cherish for years to come. And another prime example of audioXpress' content, published 12 times per year and available in print and online. Subscribing to the digital online version allows immediate access at: www.audioxpress.com/page/audioXpress-Subscription-Services.html

If you wish to buy a single printed issue or the complete audioXpress archive on USB, from 2000 to 2020 (yes, including the latest issue), just visit our online shop at www.cc-webshop.com

Don't miss out, get your copy of audioXpress right now at www.gotomyxpress.com