Active Acoustics, Noise Cancellation, and Product Development in audioXpress August 2023

As audioXpress August 2023 focus on Acoustics, read the report on Electroacoustic Enhancement and Active Acoustics. René Christensen details the model and application of the SonicEdge Ultrasound Speaker. Philipp Paul Klose writes about Noise Cancellation in Automotive Audio. And we visit the Western Electric Tube Factory in Rossville, GA. Read the AXPONA 2023 show report, how to Design a True Midrange Driver, and how to build an Instrumentation Amplifier-Based Preamplifier Line Stage.

Renowned tube expert Michael Boele offers his long-term review of a pair of 2021 new production 300B directly heated power triodes. For 10 months, Boele had the opportunity to live with and extensively use a pair of these 300Bs and his impressions and extensive testing could be directly contrasted with his considerable collection of 300B tubes - Chinese, Russian, Czech and Slovak clones, as well as several pairs of Westrex/Western Electric reissues, and two “old stock” Western Electrics. This article was originally published in audioXpress, May 2022.

It's time for the Glass Audio/Tube Focus edition of audioXpress. In this issue, Michael Boele shares his long-term review of a pair of 2021 new production Western Electric 300Bs, Merlin Blencowe explains how to add Bluetooth to a Tube Amp, and Alan Kimmel introduces us to the possibilities of the Pentriode. There's also a Market Update report on vinyl sales and the latest trends in turntables and cartridges, as well as a review by Stuart Yaniger of the latest Orchard Audio Starkrimson Stereo Ultra GaN-based amplifier.

The situation in Ukraine and the sanctions imposed on Russia are having a significant impact on the global supply of tubes to the audio industry. Both Ukraine and Russia are important suppliers of raw materials, and the sanctions are likely to cause further strain over the supply of source materials that all manufacturers of tubes need. In China there are also significant disruptions caused by pandemic lockdowns, transportation challenges, and cost increases. How many tube manufacturing operations remain viable? Western Electric says there is hope... in the US!