High-Frequency Head and Torso Simulator (HATS) – Why?

The world of communication and entertainment is evolving and consumer expectations for audio quality continue to increase, and with it the requirements for improved test equipment that can accurately predict the perception of human hearing and speech. A head and torso simulator (HATS) is an objective measurement instrument with built-in, human-like ear and mouth simulators that provides a realistic reproduction of the acoustic properties of an average adult human.

Dr. Jan Rennies-Hochmuth has been awarded a grant from the “Klaus Tschira Boost Fund” for his research on personalized hearing systems for improved speech communication at the Hearing, Speech and Audio Technology Division (HSA) of the Fraunhofer Institute for Digital Media Technology IDMT in Oldenburg. Rennies-Hochmuth’s research work aims to understand better how speech is perceived in complex listening conditions and above all how information is combined across both ears.

At the Integrated Systems Europe 2015 Show, in Amsterdam, Sennheiser unveiled its new SpeechLine Digital Wireless systems, designed exclusively for speech applications. The Speechline systems are designed for easy installation and operation, high level of reliability, and optimum speech intelligibility at all times.

Italian designer of mobile music- creation apps and accessories, IK Multimedia, announced it’s shipping iKlip Xpand and iKlip Xpand Mini, the next generation of microphone stand mounts for tablets and smartphones. Both are carefully designed universal tablet and smartphone mic stand supports for stage, studio, and more.

Audio Forensics – Techniques, Technologies and Practice is the subject for the forthcoming 54th International Conference of the Audio Engineering Society. The conference is set to take place June 12-14, 2014, at the Holiday Inn Bloomsbury in London.