Sound Semiconductor Unveils Next Generation SSI2130 Voltage Controlled Oscillator IC
Following the recent expansion of Sound Semiconductor's range of IC products with new single and dual VCA chips, the Sonora, California, -based company founded by Dan Parks, now announced a new audio-band Voltage Controlled Oscillator (VCO) integrated circuit. The first new electronic music VCO IC in decades, the FatKeys SSI2130 has been a long time in the making, and credit is due to the company's great chip designers, which seem determined to quickly build up Sound Semiconductor's portfolio.
Eminence Speakers Launches Impulse Response Library
Eminence Speakers launched the digital version of its legendary guitar speakers — Eminence Impulse Response (IR) library — developed in conjunction with the highly respected amplifier profiler and guitarist, Michael Britt. This announcement follows the trend from guitar speaker manufacturers to release official IR files of its own best-selling models to support the growing trend of amplifier profilers and emulators, as well as studio production.
The Internal Life of Vacuum Tubes
A few years ago, Jan Didden designed a high-voltage delay unit and shared its details in a 2019 audioXpress article. Many people built it and like it, but others said that it would be totally unnecessary. As so often happens in audio, arguments pro and con raged without a clear resolution. So Didden thought this was something he needed to get his head around. He found several sources, which he thought were credible, and this article is the result of his investigations, fed by those sources. This article was originally published in audioXpress, August 2020.
Bowers & Wilkins Launches Special PX7 Carbon Edition Wireless Headphones to Celebrate a Decade of Headphone Success
Over the past 12 months, Bowers & Wilkins has enjoyed outstanding success with its flagship PX7 over-ear wireless ANC headphones. 2020 also marks the 10th anniversary of the launch of Bowers & Wilkins first-ever headphone design, the iconic P5 — a breakthrough model that redefined the premium performance headphone category. Naturally the company decided it was time to celebrate that success, with the launch of the PX7 Carbon Edition featuring a new premium black finish and added support for aptX Adaptive.
Mytek Announces New "Cost No Object" Empire DAC Streamer and Preamplifier
New York-based Mytek Digital revealed the details on its new Empire DAC/Streamer/Preamplifier, supposed to be the flagship of a new Empire series of very high-end audio products. As the company describes, this is an "all out" assault on the state-of-the-art, establishing Mytek as a top echelon player in the high-performance audio arena. The Streamer will be “Powered by Roon OS” and features an internal Roon Core that can drive both the ultra-high performance Empire DAC and external Roon endpoints.
SEAS Takes Over Soundcare SuperSpikes Business and Brand
Soundcare AS was established in June 1996, in Norway. It developed from an idea of making the best spikes for audio equipment that wouldn't cause damage to the surfaces. Now, loudspeaker driver manufacturer SEAS Fabrikker, which has been manufacturing Soundcare products in-house since 2017, is taking over the Soundcare SuperSpikes business and brand.
GaN Systems Publishes Whitepaper Detailing Advantages of GaN Technology in Class-D Audio
GaN Systems published a document titled "GaN in Class-D Audio:Advantages with GaN Systems – a Comparative Look,” that reviews the various GaN and silicon transistor approaches in Class-D audio amplifier design techniques. The document identifies and compares the most popular GaN-based transistor and Silicon MOSFET solutions for high-performance Class-D amplifier applications, including the GaN Systems Class-D Amplifier and Companion SMPS Evaluation Kit.
Bob Stuart Receives Prestigious Award for Career of Innovations by the Royal Academy of Engineering
Bob Stuart, creator of MQA and co-founder of Meridian Audio, was awarded the Royal Academy of Engineering Prince Philip Medal for 'his exceptional contribution to audio engineering which has changed the way we listen to music and experience films’. Stuart is the first audio engineer to receive the award in the institution's 20-year history. The Royal Academy of Engineering is UK’s national academy for engineering and technology promoting the advancement and "excellence in engineering."
Apollo4 SoC Family from Ambiq Redefines Ultra-low Power in Wearables, Connected Devices and Always-on Voice-Processing
Ambiq unveiled its latest Apollo4 SoC family, enabling next generation endpoint devices with record-setting energy efficiency - running as low as 3µA/MHz - and new levels of performance. The new Apollo4 systems enable manufacturers to create leading-edge endpoint devices leveraging the unique SPOT platform with Ambiq’s easy-to-use, rich peripheral set. The Apollo4 is available now with CSP and BGA package offerings, as well as an Apollo4 Blue SoC with Bluetooth LE.
Brüel & Kjær Launches a New Pressure-Field Measurement Microphone and Cartridge
To help engineers and acousticians achieve accurate measurements in everyday tasks, Bruel & Kjaer has created a robust and reliable 1/2-inch CCLD pressure-field microphone - Type 4971-H-041. This new microphone was designed for measuring close to hard reflective surfaces, close to sound ports of audio devices or in flush mountings. The new Bruel microphone is also suitable for random-incidence measurements and free-field measurements with 90° incidence.