Yamaha Announces Battery-Powered STAGEPAS 200 Cube Speaker
Yamaha has announced its latest portable, professional PA speaker, the compact and feature-packed STAGEPAS 200. Offering high sound quality from a cube-shaped enclosure, measuring just 30cm (approx. 12") on each side, and - for the first time - a battery-powered option, the new Yamaha STAGEPAS 200 is a versatile active performance speaker that delivers exceptional sound pressure, phase response, natural high frequency dispersion and detailed sound.
Audio Engineering Society Europe 2023 Convention, Helsinki, May 13 – 15
The Audio Engineering Society Europe 2023 Convention is set to take place at Aalto University, Espoo, Helsinki, Finland, May 13 – 15. This 75th AES anniversary year convention gathers top names and technologies from around the world for three days of presentations and events aimed at strengthening attendees’ audio knowledge and presence in the industry. AES Europe 2023 will bring together leaders in audio research, technology and education for three days of audio immersion, featuring over 140 workshops, paper presentations, and sessions.
FiiO Launches K7 Balanced Desktop Headphone Amplifier and DAC with Dual AKM AK4493S Converters
The FiiO K7 is a balanced desktop amplifier featuring dual THX AAA 788+ amp technology, USB/Optical/Coax/RCA inputs, and both 6.3mm single-ended and 4.4mm balanced headphone outputs. Leveraging the latest AKM redesigned high-end Velvet Sound AK4493S D/A converters (DAC), also in dual channel configuration, the new FiiO K7 supports high-resolution audio up to 32-bit/384kHz and DSD256, retailing for just US $199.
MPEG-H Decoder Implementation Now Available for Cirrus Logic DSPs
RT-RK, a leading embedded software development house, alongside Fraunhofer IIS, the primary developer of the MPEG-H Audio standard, announced the immediate availability of RT-RK's MPEG-H 3D Audio decoder implementation for Cirrus Logic DSPs commonly used in home theater products such as AV Receivers and Soundbars. The successful implementation will further accelerate the development of new products based on these low-cost embedded Cirrus Logic platforms.
Dirac-Enabled BES Chipsets Now Available To Global Headphone Manufacturers
Swedish digital audio processing pioneer Dirac and leading multinational chipset maker BES announced a partnership to pre-integrate the Dirac Virtuo and Dirac Opteo software onto BES chipsets to be used by leading headphone manufacturers to deliver optimized performance in any headphone type. The announcement was made at CES 2023, where it was confirmed that boAt, Monoprice, and Sudio are the first headphone brands to leverage these Dirac-enabled BES chipsets in their devices.
Test Bench: The W4-2356 4" Full Range from Tang Band (TB) Speaker
The intriguing W4-2356 driver from Tang Band Speaker (TB Speaker) is built on a proprietary and patented injection-molded polymer four-spoke frame that allows the voice coil not to be centered in the 4" injection-molded polypropylene cone, but offset by about half inch. The aim for this original off-axis design, is to defeat concentric cone modes, a well-known source of coloration in round voice coil transducers. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, September 2022.
Practical Test & Measurement: The Benefits of Using Structure-Borne Sound in Headset Signal Processing
This article looks at the practical test and measurement of bone conduction technology, as used in product development for headsets and in-ear devices. It showcases new possibilities for manufacturers to better evaluate device performance, since no appropriate test equipment and methods were commercially available until now. The approach, complements a Head-and-Torso Simulator (HATS) with an actuator capable of generating structure-borne sound in the artificial ear. This way, a realistic simulation of the human structure-borne voice signal for in-ear headsets is possible.. This article was originally published in audioXpress, January 2023.
The Return of the Apple HomePod, Now with UWB, Matter, Bluetooth 5 and... Spatial Audio
Following a surprise announcement of new M2 silicon for its MacBook Pro and Mac mini models, Apple surprised us even more with the announcement of the return of the infamous HomePod. Now packed full of innovations, more sensors, improved Siri features like the HomePod mini, and Matter-compatible smart home capabilities, the new HomePod returns with the same form factor, but now with updated Bluetooth 5 technology, UWB, Airplay 2, and the same smart, adaptive listening experience.
Infineon Announces Partner Ecosystem for Latest MERUS Multilevel Class-D Audio Amplifier Technology
Infineon Technologies recently introduced its latest generation of MERUS multilevel Class-D audio amplifiers, and now the company announced new ecosystem partners that are ready to support interested developers and manufacturers with their design-in efforts. Partnering with the experts, the company aims to boost the adoption of these new amplifiers with a unique Class D modulation of up to 5 different output voltage levels.
The Audio Engineering Society Welcomes Bruce Olson as President
The AES welcomed Bruce Olson as President for 2023, the Society’s 75th anniversary year. Olson, whose term of service began on January 1, is an AES Fellow whose decades of active service to the Society have helped shape international audio standards and practices, while he has further contributed to the Society as a Governor and Chair, Treasurer, and committee member of his local AES section.