I never repeat what I write in the editorial of a printed issue of audioXpress magazine in this newsletter or elsewhere. But since the January 2023 issue of audioXpress is now distributed (and we couldn't be prouder of it!) and there's a common announcement we need to share, I thought I would also use this opportunity to reinstate our mission statement.

This publication was originally born from what was considered once a very niche market segment of people who preferred a hands-on approach to audio systems and reproduction and liked to modify and (hopefully) improve existing equipment, as well as design and build their own gear from scratch.

That spirit inspired the late Edward T. Dell, Jr. (1923–2013) to devote decades of his life to the DIY audio passion, leading to the creation of hallmark publications including Audio Amateur (1970), Audio Electronics, Glass Audio, Speaker Builder, Multimedia Manufacturer, and finally audioXpress, starting in January 2001. What many people recognized was that their passion for audio electronics and speaker building, among other things, fostered many ideas that led to the foundation of new companies, business careers, and audio innovation. Many of the original audioXpress readers were active members of the industry and others got involved because of it. All over the world, the pages of Ed Dell’s publications and the valuable article contributions by many hundreds of experts inspired new ventures globally.

I joined audioXpress as editor-in-chief in 2013, and I was one of those people who these magazines had touched, so when invited I accepted the challenge of leading this publication with the inspiration and conviction that there was a lot more that we could do to serve our audio product development and design readership.

We are now entering a new expansion phase in the trajectory that was initiated in 2013, when we embraced our mission to follow audio innovation, true to our motto, Advancing the Evolution of Audio Technology. And we continue to expand on our mission to offer the leading Audio Development and Design Magazine and Website. For that, you will note the important contributions from new authors and audio experts in almost every issue. The January 2023 issue that we just published is no different, and I am particularly pleased to welcome Andrew Bellavia and René Christensen, who I hope will be regular contributors to this publication. When you read their articles, I am certain you will agree.

A fundamental contributor to this project, as many of our authors recognize, has been the work of Jan Didden, who for many years has been listed as our Technical Editor, although his involvement was mostly voluntary. As we aim to meet the evolving needs of our audience, I reached out to him to become more closely involved with the publication, essentially expanding on what he always did brilliantly.

I am extremely pleased to announce that Jan Didden has agreed to take on the formal duties as Technical Editor of audioXpress (we decided that there wasn’t a better title for what he does), expanding his involvement and contributions to this publication. And appropriately, I leave you with a word from him.

It is a privilege for me to be part of the audioXpress team. I cut my writing teeth many, many years ago producing articles for The Audio Amateur, the precursor to this title, founded by Ed Dell. Then, in 2010 I struck out on my own and started Linear Audio, publishing a 200-page "bookzine" with some 10 technical audio articles every six months. Linear Audio’s author roster grew to more than 100; experienced designers, well-known names in audio, as well as accomplished amateurs. You know who you are. In 2017, I decided I wanted to spend more time on research and equipment design and stopped publishing new Linear Audio issues. Occasionally I hooked up a prospective author with audioXpress, and this activity will now expand. I believe that design and/or construction articles are an indispensable part of a technical audio journal. It is important to know what is out there, what’s available, who offers what, how it performs, and how it tests. But at the start of it all, there is an engineer or designer who creates the equipment that is proposed, tested, offered, and advertised. I want to give this part of the community the visibility it deserves, to inform and educate and hopefully inspire technically inclined persons to take up audio design.

I am looking forward to once again interacting with established and budding authors and designers to explore this great vocation of ours! So, get in touch with me at techeditor@audioXpress.com

Regardless of the supply chain disruptions everyone is facing, your customers likely still want to receive their orders much in the same way they would receive products from Amazon. Fast. Easy. No hassle. “Give me the option to purchase my products on my own, please.” “Ship it to me the next day, please.” "Give me an instant refund on my returns, please."

Let’s face it. You’ll never outcompete Amazon. You need a better strategy. And what is that strategy? First, you need to develop your differentiation. Next, set expectations with your customers. Lastly, personalize their journey and you’ll set yourself apart with your customers.

I’ve always believed in differentiation and have been in tech for my entire career. I started in sales and then went on to be a consultant for different sales teams, finding ways to make them better. I went on to start three companies, one of them becoming one of the largest salesforce consultancies in the world focused on helping companies get the most out of customer relationship management (CRM). You know that terrible system that no one likes because of all of the manual work required to use it? However, even IT never "solved" the problem.

Before I started Spiro, I went to see the movie “Her” where Joaquin Phoenix, in the future, downloads a new version of his phone’s software, which is played by the voice of Scarlett Johansson. In the movie, Johansson is a computerized bot that gives the main character advice and helps him navigate the world more intelligently.

That movie changed my life. I thought to myself: salespeople don’t need CRM. Salespeople need Scarlett Johansson telling them what to do - through artificial intelligence!

Determined to make life better for sales teams, the Spiro.AI team got really excited at the idea of solving this problem of companies spending millions of dollars on CRM projects that were doomed. We built a broad platform from the ground up on AI, committed to the mission of killing CRM, and proactive relationship management was born. So many of our customers are experiencing the benefits of how Spiro.AI enables them to reach their differentiation, customer expectation, and personalization goals.

Widely recognized as a high-quality audio compression algorithm, used in film sound to radio broadcast, studios, and in Bluetooth where its incorporated into billions of devices, the successful story of aptX technology is inextricably linked to the history of digital audio and a remarkable corporate journey, from APT to CSR and Qualcomm. This article offers an insider's overview of the aptX audio codec adoption and evolution, and how the technology was interlinked with the author's professional career for the past 28 years. Essential reading for those who want to understand how audio quality is conditioned not by codecs but by the enabling platforms. This article was originally published in audioXpress, October 2022. Read the Full Article Now Available Here

The DE111-8 pro audio high-frequency solution from B&C Speakers is an ultra-compact neodymium 1" compression driver, featuring an HT Polymer diaphragm driven by a 36mm (1.4") diameter voice coil wound with aluminum wire on a high Qm non-conducting former. With a 1.2kHz recommended crossover frequency (second-order or higher high-pass filter), the DE111 also features an updated Ketone polymer suspension and dome, rated for 50W continuous power handling and 2.83V/1m 107dB sensitivity. This set of features makes this tiny driver universally applicable for a variety of small monitor and PA applications, ideal for lighter, more compact line arrays. The horn supplied for use with the DE1118 by B&C Speakers was the ME10v2. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, August 2022.  Read the Full Article Now Available Here