Product Design | Audio Electronics | Acoustics | DIY | Audio Innovations
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DSP Concepts Expands Executive Leadership Team and Audio Processing Solutions |
DSP Concepts, whose Audio Weaver platform powers sound and voice for many of the world’s best consumer and automotive brands, announced a considerable expansion of its executive leadership team, appointing a pool of new talent throughout the globe. At the same time, the embedded audio specialist continues its expansion into new and existing verticals and just announced PlayPack, an expanded loudspeaker processing suite based on Audio Weaver. Read More
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Khadas Introduces Magnetic Snap-On Ultraslim Hi-Res Headphone Amplifier |
Khadas is about to launch an interesting new Ultraslim headphone amplifier with high-resolution audio support for smartphones. The design will be compatible with Apple’s MagSafe (and all the copycat magnetic chargers that are about to arrive on the market), just clipping into the back of an iPhone 12 or 13. The Khadas TEA features the high-performance ESS ES9281AC Pro DAC, as well as LDAC and aptX HD Bluetooth audio from a Qualcomm QCC5125 chip. Read More
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Speechmatics Releases Breakthrough Autonomous Speech Recognition Software Able to Understand All Voices |
Speechmatics, a leading British company in deep learning and speech recognition technology, has launched its ‘Autonomous Speech Recognition’ software. Using the latest techniques in deep learning and with the introduction of new breakthrough self-supervised models, Speechmatics claims to outperform Amazon, Apple, Google, and Microsoft in accuracy and ability to understand all voices. Read More
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Bang & Olufsen Designs Premium Business Headset for Cisco Webex |
Hybrid work has increased the need for high-quality multifunctional headsets, as remote workers seek to reduce background noise from remote workspaces, or simply enjoy music while on the go. Bang & Olufsen and Cisco announced the Bang & Olufsen Cisco 980, a luxury business headset that pairs Bang & Olufsen’s unique design with integrated meeting controls, Adaptive Active Noise Cancellation, and even IT management capabilities for secure communications using Cisco’s technologies. Read More
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FLUX:: and L-Acoustics Promote ADM-OSC Standardization for Object-Based Audio |
FLUX:: Immersive, L-Acoustics, and Radio France have joined an initiative to standardize Open Sound Control (OSC) as a streaming protocol for interoperability among immersive audio systems. Originally intended as a protocol for networking sound synthesizers, computers, and other multimedia devices for musical performance and show control, OSC is a de-facto standard when it comes to controlling and translating metadata for very complex object-based systems, such as those required for immersive audio performance. Read More
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Fulcrum Acoustic Releases AHS Steerable Large-Format Array Modules |
Fulcrum Acoustic has released a modular scalable loudspeaker system targeted at applications where very high output and precise pattern control are required. The new AHS Series of products from the loudspeaker manufacturer company co-founded by David Gunness, known for its unique approach to loudspeaker design, represents a leap forward in achieving digitally configurable coverage for long-throw applications, all within a compact enclosure. Read More
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15th Anniversary of Meyer Sound’s Constellation Acoustic System |
Meyer Sound’s Constellation acoustic system was introduced in 2006 and has been discreetly and gradually leading a revolution in variable acoustics and the design of performance spaces. Using an array of ambient sensing microphones, sophisticated digital signal processing, and loudspeakers, Constellation modifies the reverberant characteristics of a venue and redistributes sound throughout the space, ensuring a natural acoustic experience in every seat . Read More
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Renesas Announces Development of Next-Generation Wireless MCUs Supporting New Bluetooth 5.3 Low Energy Specification |
Renesas Electronics announced that it is developing new microcontrollers (MCUs) that will support the recently released Bluetooth 5.3 Low Energy (LE) Specification. The new devices will be part of the Renesas Advanced (RA) Family of 32-bit Arm Cortex-M microcontrollers, joining the RA4W1 Bluetooth 5.0 LE device introduced in 2020. Renesas expects to have first samples of the new MCUs in the first quarter of 2022 . Read More
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Editor's Desk
J. Martins
(Editor-In-Chief)
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Getting Back to Vegas for CES
Getting Back to Business in 2022
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Honestly, I didn’t intend to write about this topic this week, but I have been asked so many times about this lately that I thought it would be better to address it now.
Yes, I am planning to attend CES 2022 in-person.
Because it's important.
After receiving a new email from the CTA (like I’m sure most of our readers did), I looked at the calendar and noticed that it was time to start planning - if I really intended to go to my first trade show in nearly two years. We've all been trying to get along as possible without trade shows but there’s a lot of audio we need to hear, materials we need to touch, concepts we can only understand by talking to the creators - and let's face it, those online events are great, but they just don't cut it.
This trade show - CES 2022 - is really important to our industry.
As the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) states, "CES is the most influential tech event in the world - the proving ground for breakthrough technologies and global innovators. This is where the world's biggest brands do business and meet new partners, and the sharpest innovators hit the stage." That's it.
And... we all need it to move along in 2022. Even with the risk and uncertainties faced. That is, as long as everyone agrees to be there as well, we're going. We will do tests, wear masks, and not enter crowded hotel suites, but as long as we can meet the people and the companies, that's worth it. Never mind a big flashy booth. We want to see the new and upcoming products, discuss and see technology… meet people. And those large hallways and buildings in Las Vegas, NV, are great for that.
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Owned and produced by CTA, CES 2022 will convene the technology industry in-person and digitally, Wednesday, January 5, to Saturday, January 8, with Media Days taking place Monday, January 3, to Tuesday, January 4. |
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CES 2022 Hotel Accommodations Now Open
I've been chatting about this with a lot of different industry folks and I normally get common replies: Our company is planning to attend, we want to be there, I'm planning to be... but also... I don't know.
There are many reasons why some companies are still not 100% certain. The fact that only recently the US government confirmed reopening of the borders to International travelers, from November 8, 2021, which means that only now many international companies have effectively started to work on their plans. Most likely, many companies from Asia, and namely from China, will not attend in a meaningful way or at all.
First and most important is the safety. Given the risks of traveling, quarantines, and the fact that there are 9.3 million active cases of COVID-19 in the US — which is more than half of the estimated 18 million active cases globally — I can understand those who decide to pass it. It also doesn't help that the event is again earlier, taking place Wednesday, January 5, to Saturday, January 8. This means traveling on New Year's Eve in order to get there for the first events - in our case to attend press events first thing in the morning of January 3! (Media Days take place January 3-4)
Also, it doesn't help that the number of cases is on the rise again as we approach the winter and it becomes likely again that restrictions may return. As an example, the situation in the UK is nothing but dramatic, with the highest number of active cases in the world (1.5 million) per capita. With vaccines, the risk is lower, and as some countries have shown already, we can resume business by keeping distancing protocols and wearing masks. That is not what is happening in the UK, and that is why the situation is getting so bad there.
Likewise, in Vegas we will all need to be extra cautious and all the exhibitors and companies attending need to plan for how they intend to proceed. Small, unventilated hotel rooms is a big risk. In previous CES reports, I advocated that it was time for the audio manufacturers doing demos in The Venetian to leave those smelly rooms and get to the spaces downstairs or even the show floor. This year, there will be plenty of space available. Please use the ballrooms and the convention facilities.
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2022 will be a very different CES, because the Las Vegas Convention Center has benefited from a 1.4 million square-foot expansion with the new West Hall, with its 150-ft-tall atrium, 75 meeting rooms and a 25,000-sq-ft outdoor terrace. |
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So, there is uncertainty, but that's not all. I also want to accentuate why it's important to go, and why we need CES in January. It's about time we get back to business and reestablish connections. And there's already critical mass for the event. According to the latest information from CTA, there are already more than 1300 exhibitors committed and the list is growing fast — yes, I know this is not much for CES… (nearly 5000 officially attended in 2020). But the major companies are all going to be there, especially the technology vendors. I also predict many more companies will have a more informal presence without official exhibits. Remember, CES 2022 will be more B2B than ever.
There are new categories such as smart home, automotive, wearables, and wellness that are in crucial expansion stages, and CES will be vital to determine the trends, as new standards are established - and audio plays a major role in all those categories. Also, everyone in technology wants to understand how the pandemic has fueled innovation across many industries, including digital health, home entertainment, and digital media. In the past two years, consumers changed, and the industry didn't have the opportunity to convey and discuss those key emerging trends.
The industry really needs to get together.
The automotive sector is also tracking for record growth at CES 2022. CTA says that the transportation and vehicle technology category has already exceeded the final number of CES 2020 exhibitors and brands, with more than 175 companies committed. At CES 2022, transportation and vehicle technology will move to the Las Vegas Convention Center’s new West Hall and feature top brands including Audi, Daimler AG, General Motors, and more.
Manufacturing and supply chain challenges, and the restrictions on international travel also meant that everyone had to rely on existing partnerships and relationships. In emerging technology sectors, new players need a change to create those relationships in person at a single, convenient moment, such as a CES trade show. CTA confirms this, as first-time exhibitors continue to sign up enthusiastically - which clearly serves to show where the online event model is absolutely failing.
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Remember the Fontainebleau "blue monster" abandoned structure? Well, it was finally sold in February 2021, and there are plans to open it as a Marriott hotel. After all, it will be the closest hotel to the expanded Las Vegas Convention Center, connecting from the strip. But not yet in 2022. |
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Yes, for those who are not able to attend, CES will expand its online initiatives, and probably many of us will benefit from enhanced online networking tools, and those same possibilities after the show is over.
The CTA says that it intends to dramatically expand its digital initiatives and offer the global audience access to CES 2022. In fact, the CTA just announced that it has selected the Web Summit digital platform to be the provider for CES 2022. Web Summit is a major web technology event that takes place every year in Lisbon, Portugal and, of course, a major effort was made to adapt the concept to the pandemic conditions. The Web Summit event operating system, Summit Engine, is a cloud-based platform, built to support events with both in-person and digital audiences. The platform will allow attendees to both plan their CES schedules and connect with other participants. Registration to attend CES 2022 digitally will open in December.
Following the actual in-person event in Las Vegas, I believe that the digital platform will be extremely valuable particularly for the Eureka Park start-ups and country delegations. We all had the frustrating experience of all-digital events, where we discovered that in fact some organization tools could be great… if we had met in person! Before the pandemic, we also criticized the poor implementation of existing trade show mobile apps. Now, we can start envisaging the real possibilities of combining in-person and online events in a single digital platform. An interesting experiment for a powerful organization such as the CTA, which will be already challenged to find a way to require proof of vaccination from attendees from all over the world.
“Our exhibitors are excited to return to Las Vegas for CES and resume face-to-face interactions with partners, customers, media and other industry professionals,” said Karen Chupka, EVP, CES, CTA. “As exhibitors select space and map out plans, we’re getting an idea of what trends will be big at CES 2022 and we’re seeing strong interest across multiple categories.”
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CES 2022 is also offering the first opportunity to see how The Vegas Loop, an underground express transportation solution using Tesla autonomous cars - a tunnel system designed by Elon Musk’s The Boring Company - will finally cope with a major event. |
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Parasound Halo JC 5 Stereo Power Amplifier
Traditional Goodness and the Measurements
By Oliver A. Masciarotte and Stuart Yaniger
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Oliver A. Masciarotte was looking for an amplifier that he could respect without emptying his bank account. Richard Schram offered to send the Parasound JC 5, his company’s largest stereo power amplifier for evaluation. The JC 5 delivers an aggressively biased 12W into 8Ω in Class A mode, plus 400W Class AB into 8Ω and 600W per channel into 4Ω. In stereo mode, it is stable into temporary loads as low as 1.5Ω, and can deliver 1200W into 8Ω when bridged. Anticipating the fun of enjoying the pleasures of this John Curl design, Oliver accepted the challenge, and Stuart Yaniger tested the JC 5 to confirm the amplifier’s merits with actual measurements. This article was originally published in audioXpress, September 2021. Read the Full Article Now Available Here
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A New Electro Acoustic Drive System With Sensor from Fraunhofer
By James Croft
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In this article, James Croft dives in an interesting loudspeaker patent (US20150146910A1), awarded May 28, 2015 to Daniel Beer (Martinroda, Germany); Lutz Ehrig (Dresden, Germany); Lorenz Betz (Wassertruedingen, Germany); Philip Leistner (Stuttgart, Germany); Karlheinz Bay (Stuttgart, Germany); and Michael Leistner (Stuttgart, Germany), all from the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft Institute in Munich, Germany. The patent describes an “electro acoustic driver including a diaphragm, a diaphragm drive system and a diaphragm suspension. The diaphragm system is configured to subject the diaphragm to a motion, wherein the diaphragm suspension is configured to guide the diaphragm. The diaphragm drive system includes an active element configured to actively influence the motion of the diaphragm.” The patent embodiment shows both a conventional electromagnetic motor and corrective piezoelectric elements that drive the suspension and are derived from a sensor that detects the nonlinearity and provides the corrective signal. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, September 2015. Read the Full Article Now Available Here
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