All items in category Magazine Articles
Standards Review: USB 3, Type-C, and Thunderbolt 3 - Interfaces and Implications on Audio
by Joao Martins

Standards Review: USB 3, Type-C, and Thunderbolt 3 - Interfaces and Implications on Audio

In its Standards Review article series, audioXpress published a two-part feature about the SuperSpeed USB 10 Gbps (USB 3.1 Gen 2) specification, the new USB Type-C interface, and Thunderbolt 3 technology. The second part examines how these technologies have evolved, how they work together, and the implications of USB Audio Device Class 3.0 specification, which standardized audio over USB Type-C. These two articles were originally published in audioXpress, December 2016 and January 2017.
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A Look at Soundbar Audio Signal Processing
by Mike Klasco

A Look at Soundbar Audio Signal Processing

In this article, we will take a look at what is trending in audio signal processing for the poster child of integrated electronics speakers… the soundbar. As an audio consumer product category, soundbars remain a top seller, having replaced receivers and their associated passive speaker systems, which have sadly been reduced to legacy product categories. More than 10 million soundbars are sold annually but most deliver barely more performance than a table radio. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, October 2018.
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R&D Stories: Measuring the Performance of Diaphragm Absorbers
by Jorge Castro

R&D Stories: Measuring the Performance of Diaphragm Absorbers

In August 2018, as part of its Focus on Acoustics edition, audioXpress published an article documenting the cutting-edge research by leading acoustic experts, Jorge Castro, Nathaniel Bailey (Artnovion) Bruno Fazenda, Kelvin Griffiths (Sense Research, Electroacoustic Design) to determine improvements on precise low-frequency absorption, leading to Artnovion's latest Eiger Sub Trap range of acoustic panels.
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USB Oscilloscopes: A Look at the LabNation SmartScope
by Ethan Winer

USB Oscilloscopes: A Look at the LabNation SmartScope

When Ethan Winer found himself in need of an oscilloscope, he turned to the Internet for advice and ended up selecting LabNation’s SmartScope. Described by its makers as “the oscilloscope of the new generation” the device, originally funded by a Kickstarter campaign, is targeted at makers and hobbyists, as well as professional engineers. In his review, Winer explains why this digital oscilloscope, signal generator — analog and digital — and eight-channel logic analyzer from LabNation turned out to be perfect solution for his needs.
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Amplifier Series: Axign of Things to Come
by Ward Maas

Amplifier Series: Axign of Things to Come

Continuing audioXpress' Amplifier Series, looking at the latest technologies and Class-D amplification platforms, Ward Maas writes about Axign, a new company from The Netherlands, founded by former Philips and NXP employees who worked on the pioneering Class-D efforts. Established in 2014, their efforts have resulted in the development of the AX5689m a Class-D audio amplifier controller chip in a QFN package. audioXpress visited the company to find out more and to receive a demo. This article was originally published in audioxpress, December 2017.
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Amplifier Series: Energy-Efficient Multi-Level Amplifier Solutions
by Ward Maas

Amplifier Series: Energy-Efficient Multi-Level Amplifier Solutions

Ward Maas writes about Danish-sensation Merus Audio, the company founded in 2010 by Hans Hasselby-Andersen and Mikkel Hoyerby, and recently acquired by Infineon Technologies. The article recalls how this Copenhagen-based start-up quickly ascended in the audio industry with its new generation of energy-efficient integrated Class-D amplifier solutions. This article was originally published in audioXpress. September 2018.
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Book Review: Examining Fundamental Amplifier Techniques with Electron Tubes, 2nd Edition
by Richard Honeycutt

Book Review: Examining Fundamental Amplifier Techniques with Electron Tubes, 2nd Edition

Richard Honeycutt reviews the second and more extensive edition of this electronics classic, Fundamental Amplifier Techniques with Electron Tubes. He gives high marks to this massive tome that provides useful information about electron tube technology, including their power supplies, for the design and DIY construction of these electron tube audio amplifiers.
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R&D Stories: MPEG-H Audio Brings New Dimensions to TV Sound
by Stefan Meltzer

R&D Stories: MPEG-H Audio Brings New Dimensions to TV Sound

Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS designed a way to significantly improve immersive sound reproduction capabilities on consumer playback devices, based on MPEG-H decoding and rendering and Fraunhofer’s upHear soundbar processing. This article is a technology update on MPEG-H and Fraunhofer upHear implementations, now available for licensing to audio video receiver (AVR) and soundbar manufacturers.
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Spotlight: A Visit to SoundChip
by Mike Klasco

Spotlight: A Visit to SoundChip

In this Voice Coil Spotlight, Mike Klasco writes about SoundChip, a unique solution provider for active noise cancellation product engineering. SoundChip operates not as consultants but as solution providers and collaborators, enabling product development teams to access a vertically integrated portfolio of technologies, IPs, devices, tools, and services, needed to reliably develop and produce, at scale, high-performance noise cancelling headphones. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, July 2018.
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R&D Stories: Curing the Open Office Noise Epidemic… With Nature?
by Robert Manassero

R&D Stories: Curing the Open Office Noise Epidemic… With Nature?

Noise distraction is the number one complaint for open plan office workers according to a recent study from Oxford Economics. Robert Manassero provides a fascinating account of how, after experiencing its own challenges with noise in an open office, Plantronics tested and developed its own solution to noise and distraction using biophilic acoustics or acoustics based on elements from nature. This article was originally published in audioXpress, August 2018.
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