Maxim Integrated Introduces Highest Efficiency and Smallest Multi-Phase AI Power Chipsets

Designers of high-performance, high-power artificial intelligence (AI) systems can now achieve highest efficiency (to reduce power cost and heat) and smallest total solution size with the MAX16602 AI cores dual-output voltage regulator and the MAX20790 smart power-stage IC. The MAX16602 and MAX20790 chipset achieves greater than 95 percent efficiency and supports designs from 60A to 800A or more, delivering best-in-class transient performance with 40 percent reduced output capacitance.

As scheduled, Voice Coil April 2020 is now available in print and digital, connecting loudspeaker professionals in these challenging times. This month, Mike Klasco (Menlo Scientific) discusses Mobile Audio and Microspeakers, which is also the topic of this month's updated directory. James Croft reviews a patent from Harman, while Vance Dickason characterizes the new 18NDLX Imperium woofer from Fane and the CDX14-3040 compression driver from Celestion. Download now and start reading!

Following extensive research, Klippel GmbH has announced its new Klippel Controlled Sound (KCS) technology. This is an integrated approach that leverages the company's software and hardware tools for development, measurement and evaluation of new-generation loudspeaker systems, providing mechanical and thermal protection, automatic system alignment, active compensation of transducer nonlinearities and stabilization of the voice coil rest position. In other words, enabling research towards the speakers of the future.

Get to the bench, it's Test and Measurement time. In this edition, you will find a Market Update with the latest audio measurement solutions available to the audio industry. Stuart Yaniger reviews the new Earphone Audio Response System from miniDSP, Joe Begin explains how to measure speech intelligibility, and Jonathan Novick details how to use external attenuators for measurements. Geoff Hill discusses why total system efficiency should be the target in loudspeaker design, and Dimitri Danyuk explores a discrete high output current buffer with JFET input.

In this reference article, published by audioXpress in 2008, Joe D’Appolito shares his experiments with loudspeaker evaluation. In the two parts of this article, D’Appolito tries to answer the question: “Of all the measurements available to the designer, which ones are the best predictors of listener preference?" In over 30 years of designing loudspeakers, I have found the following measurements taken as a group provide the strongest predictor of loudspeaker preference available to us today,” he states.

ECOXGEAR, a Grace Digital brand, has partnered with SunCore, a renowned semiconductor solar-based product company and developer of a proprietary photovoltaic panel technology, to help create ECOXGEAR’s high density solar panels. This new, exclusive partnership in solar powered products will enable sustainable experiences anywere, including powering portable Bluetooth speakers.