Unravelling the Technical Solutions in Waterproofing of Audio Devices

This article offers an interesting perspective on the challenges and solutions that the electronics industry in general and the audio industry specifically needs to consider when requirements for waterproof, moisture-proof, splash proof, weather-resistant, and sweat-proof are increasingly demanded by consumers. "While the marketing points on the box might claim IPx7, IP68, or sweat proof, from a manufacturing perspective, there are gaps in the different processes to achieve these standards," Lindberg writes. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, July 2020.

In this very pertinent and opportune article, Jim DeGrandis discusses the important challenges of specifying acoustic materials. Specifically, his article discusses the need to update basic lab measurements and test data to improve the accuracy of the advanced design, modeling, and simulation tools that exist today. This article was originally published in audioXpress, August 2020.

High-end planar magnetic headphone manufacturer Audeze broke out of the mold with the Mobius: a wireless Bluetooth headphone capable of LDAC high-resolution playback, virtualized surround sound with built-in head-tracking, and a number of surprises Audeze continues to invent. In his review, Luke McCready shares what he learned about the fantastic Audeze Mobius Headphones, a very sophisticated platform to which Audeze keeps adding new features. This article was originally published in audioXpress, March 2020.

In this article, Stuart Yaniger reviews the M10 Masters Series Streaming Amplifier from NAD Electronics, a compact but powerful Class-D home audio amplifier and network streamer that surprises positively for multiple reasons. One of those is the integration of the latest Dirac Live room correction technology with Bass Control, which is also covered in detail in this review. The other is the number of versatile features that make it the only item needed for a modern music system, other than speakers. This article was originally published in audioXpress, August 2020.

I ordered this book, Getting the Most Out of Vaccum Tubes, from KCK Media Corp. while I was researching tube service life issues. It is an unusual book, not discussing what you can do with tubes, how to use them in circuits, operating parameter calculations, or that sort of thing. Instead, it is solely devoted to factors that decrease useful service life or cause catastrophic failures.

Gary Galo offers a detailed review of Sound Liaison, a small audiophile label based in The Netherlands, with a unique catalog of high-resolution recordings, building “a bridge (liaison) between the studio (engineer and musicians) and the people who love to listen to beautiful music using high quality audio equipment.” A very detailed and enjoyable review that will get you reaching for the label's music. This article was originally published in audioXpress, August 2020.

The Sennheiser AMBEO soundbar is a sophisticated multi-speaker integrated home cinema sound system, created in collaboration with Fraunhofer IIS to be one of the world’s best soundbars. It is a single all-in-one device that is able to generate a convincing immersive soundfield from home entertainment sources that are able to render object-based audio formats such as Dolby Atmos or MPEG-H, from movies, games, music, or TV content. And this is because the large size soundbar offers 13 high-end drivers, a frequency response down to 30 Hz, and even ships with a measurement microphone for room calibration. This article was originally published in audioXpress, June 2020.

For audio enthusiasts looking for a good read, showcasing some wonderful examples of hi-fi product design and craftsmanship, Mark Driedger suggests taking a look at Gideon Schwartz’s new large-format book. "Hi-Fi – The History of High End Audio Design" is an 8.5” × 11” hardcover “coffee table book,” featuring 272 heavy glossy pages of text and nicely produced photographs. This article was originally published in audioXpress, June 2020.

Our late and much esteemed author, Ron Tipton, shared a fascinating project on testing Class-T or Tripath power amplifiers on the pages of audioXpress. As he characterized, these "small, inexpensive, and power-efficient units," sounded good "but testing them is problematic." The article also discusses the story of Tripath Technology and speculates on the reasons why the Tripath ICs remained popular among the DIY audio community. This article was originally published in audioXpress, March 2014.

In this article, Richard Honeycutt reviews John Kane’s book, which examines how sound engineering pioneer Bill Hanley’s contributions in outdoor live sound helped create the entire music production industry. Through an extensive nine-year interview and archival process, Kane uncovered how Hanley and his company, Hanley Sound, impacted a developing festival and concert marketplace. This article was originally published in audioXpress, July 2020.