Ear Hygiene and Critical Listening

If we have a vehicle we value, at one point we have the car sent over to the shop for service. The same thinking applies to golden ears, from product development teams getting the product’s tonal balance DNA sonic signature, as well as chasing down buzzes and resonances. Cleaning out your ears is a sensible procedure before critical listening. This article explores self-assessment tailored to the user’s sound profile, hearing enhancement solutions, and newly available solutions for ear hygiene and visual ear care tools, such as the Bebird EarVision package.

After a five-year gap for in-person conferences from COMSOL, the 2024 event in Boston, MA - part of a planned series now expanding to Europe (Florence, Italy) and Asia (Shanghai, China) - was a very successful return. audioXpress was invited to attend, as more and more audio developers and manufacturers use COMSOL's Acoustics Module, Structural Mechanics Module, and the AC/DC Module, among others integrated in the leading Multiphysics modeling and simulation software.

Let’s address the stigma "thing." Is it "awkward" to wear standard consumer earbuds (e.g., AirPods) to compensate for hearing loss? Are standard hearing aids a visible sign to informs others that a person has a disability? Are we supposed to have to explain that "these things are actually hearing aids"? This article discusses product design, hearing aids, the stigma associated with its use, and how that could complicate the ongoing convergence with consumer-oriented hearing assistance and enhancement.

With the launch of the latest AirPods 4 with ANC, Apple just proved that Active Noise Cancellation, Transparency, and Adaptive Audio can be done effectively in an open design. Thanks to the H2 chip, now both the AirPods 4 ANC and the existing AirPods Pro 2 in-ears support the same level features. This is a big deal and it changes everything in this competitive product segment, about to enter the age of hearables.

Following a few intense days in the extremely warm and dry environment in Berlin, attending IFA 2024 - the Big CE Supermarket as I called it in my 2015 report - it felt great to move on to Amsterdam and attend the vibrant International Broadcasting Convention (IBC). Great, if it wasn't for the sudden change in weather with unexpected rain and a sudden drastic drop in temperature. IBC 2024 was a vibrant show with historical announcements from Sennheiser and Genelec, but our report also highlights the impressive expansion of Dante audio networking in this important industry segment. And many other reasons why everyone was happy to be at IBC.

A first impressions report focused on the audio side of IFA Berlin, where there is still plenty to see. From the Auracast Experience to a vibrant B2B environment. The largest consumer electronics and home appliances marketplace where “retail” and “resellers” meet is still alive and well. Celebrating 100 years of the Internationale Funkausstellung (IFA) Berlin (International Radio Exhibition Berlin), this vibrant trade show has evolved over decades into the world’s largest appliances and consumer electronics marketplace.

Apple confirmed that the latest AirPods Pro 2 - the ones with the new H2 processor - will offer improved Hearing Protection, a scientifically validated Hearing Test, and have a clinical-grade, over-the-counter Hearing Aid capability for users with mild to moderate hearing loss. This, with a simple software update, and on top of all the leading features that make Apple’s AirPods Pro the global best-selling product in its category. The new hearing health features will be available in fall 2024 for AirPods Pro 2 users in more than 100 countries and regions.

This article explores the significance of the Rds(on) specification of a MOSFET in a linear voltage amplifier and implications on Thermal Design - dissipation, thermal resistances, and heatsinking. It may be of interest to put this in perspective and highlight the connection between these subjects.

Last week I received the very sad news about the passing of Peter Janis, the founder of Radial Engineering. I always admired Radial Engineering for its ability to always surprise and delight with inventive and practical solutions that solved real issues for musicians and audio engineers, in many fields of application. Every time I had the chance to meet Peter Janis at any trade show around the world, I would find that he enjoyed as much to surprise and delight with those inventive and practical solutions.

Fear of Missing Out on Bluetooth LE Audio? Are We There Yet? How many more days? When should you trigger that OTA firmware update? Should you ship Auracast-enabled products now? Should you be the first? No one wants to be the first.