Occasional self-examination is a useful exercise to continually evaluate one’s mission, and goals, and relevance to those we serve or lead. At Audio & Loudspeaker Technologies International (ALTI), we make this an annual practice immediately after ALTI Expo while member conversations and comments are fresh in our minds. The ALTI Executive Advisory Board is deeply involved and all ideas are discussed.

A Board Member asked a simple question: “Who are we?” I thought this was rather obvious! I was wrong. ALTI has been dedicated to the loudspeaker industry since its creation in 1961. In recent years, it was decided that while ALTI will always be loudspeaker centric, it is important to address other parts of the signal chain that would exert profound influence on how loudspeakers are designed, built, and how they go to market now and in the future. ALTI will continue to promote this philosophy, which is a major reason why we changed our name in 2018 from ALMA (Association of Loudspeaker Manufacturing and Acoustics) to ALTI (Audio & Loudspeaker Technologies International). However, it is important to never lose sight of who we are, and where our focus lies.

In the coming days, weeks, and months, ALTI will be introducing a fresh look and feel to our social media channels - the process has already started and you can check it out on any of our Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, or Instagram pages, or join our Groups, including ALTI's Student Chapter on Facebook and LinkedIn. A new website is also in the works, aiming to better serve our members but also enable more involvement. The newsletter will also undergo some changes and upgrades. The purpose of all of this is really simple: to reinforce the Association's Mission and Vision.

ALTI Association’s mission is "to promote and advance the interests of the loudspeaker and related audio technologies industry for the benefit of our members and the industry at large." But we have also refreshed the association's vision.

“ALTI Association’s goal is to be the hub of the global loudspeaker and related technologies industry by providing representation, create networking opportunities, promote new technologies, and bring the industry together with a common goal of contributing to continuous growth and to uphold our industry at the center of the audio world.”

The two statements above encapsulate who we are, and where we are going. They also address in a small way, the reason why ALTI is an essential association for the entire loudspeaker industry. No other association has the singular focus on the loudspeaker industry while encompassing the entire industry. ALTI does not focus exclusively on the pro industry, or the consumer industry, or OEM/ODM. ALTI members include pure transducer and speaker component manufacturers, all the way to finished product headphones and audio test and measurement solution providers. If it makes sound or participates in making sound; ALTI is the trade association for you!

While lighting and video are important and exciting technologies, they are well represented elsewhere. ALTI is the Audio & Loudspeaker Association. Not an audio engineering or an audio experts’ organization, but truly an industry association that encompasses all individuals and organizations working in the sector, promoting inclusivity and professional development.

Expanding the perspective on the evolution toward hearables, this article explores the current trends as well as the acoustical challenges and solutions for designing true wireless earphones. The article explains the enabling technologies currently converging as the TWS market continues to grow and use cases multiply, with more consumers using wireless earbuds for a diverse and varied set of applications, from listening to podcasts and audiobooks to Internet meetings and interacting with voice assistants. This article was originally published in audioXpress, April 2022. Read the Full Article Now Available Here

This article reviews a patent application submitted in 2010 by to two inventors, on behalf of Jazz Hipster Corp. (Taiwan), regarding an improved structure of a speaker where a circumference of the diaphragm is sealed to an edge of an opening of the cone frame, a container portion is disposed on an inner side of the opening of the cone frame and the surround is disposed between the diaphragm and the container portion of the cone frame, allowing for both expanding the effective diaphragm surface area, for a given loudspeaker chassis diameter, and to provide a suspension that is more linear and arranged for reduced audibility of any nonlinearities that are generated during large diaphragm/suspension excursions. The invention provides an improved speaker structure using the surround to reduce the resistance of the diaphragm excursion, which helps to generate a more linear diaphragm movement, with less resistance, and reduced distortion. As James Croft noted, the approach had been used in the past, but its use decreased due to the high-performance achieved with well-designed roll-surrounds, at a lower cost. Not surprisingly this patent was subsequently abandoned. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, July 2016.  Read the Full Article Now Available Here