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Industry & Product News
FaitalPRO Introduces Evolved FE300 Series Low-Frequency Drivers
Italian pro audio loudspeaker specialist FaitalPRO has announced the new FE300 series of ferrite magnet low-frequency drivers, designed and built in direct response to high-volume sound reinforcement applications, requiring an evolved and more powerful series of products which would enhance the company’s successful FE200 series. Building on the concept, FaitalPRO designed four new woofers, all equipped with a powerful ferrite magnet assembly and a stamped steel basket in keeping with the key characteristics of the FE series. Read More
Izotope Launches Updated Spire Studio and Spire Recording Apps
Still gathering momentum from the alliance with German music creation company Native Instruments, iZotope announced the launch of the Second Generation of Spire Studio, the company's first hardware product. Spire Studio is described as a smart recording device that connects into the cloud-based Spire ecosystem of recording, production, and collaboration tools. The Boston, MA-based audio processing software company also recently updated the companion Spire free and Spire Pro mobile apps. Read More
Naim Introduces New Mu-so Wood Edition Speaker
Naim Audio introduced a new premium Wood Edition of its Mu-so 2nd Generation wireless speaker integrated system. Designed to support both multi-room music and TV sound, the new Mu-so Wood Edition is a more refined design, blending performance with a natural-looking style. The updated all-in-one wireless system, introduced in May 2019, offers high-resolution streaming, AirPlay 2, and increased DSP and room compensation capabilities. Read More
Italian Sound Reinforcement Company Outline Awarded Patent for Audio Networking Processor
Outline s.r.l., the innovative Italian manufacturer of professional loudspeaker systems and a pioneer in line-source and adjustable line arrays systems for large-scale applications, continues to invest in new loudspeaker-related technologies. The Brescia-based company has now announced that its FPGA-based Newton audio system control and networking processor has been awarded an Italian patent. The company has also filed the appropriate application for an international patent. Read More
Spatial Redefines Real-Time Immersive and Interactive Audio Experiences
If there's one thing we know when live events return after the pandemic it is that sound is going to be spatial and immersive. No more left/right. And there are many new companies working to make the creation and implementation of spatial audio a reality. Spatial is one of those companies, now announcing an immersive experience product line as a service, to bring realistic, interactive soundscapes to real-world spaces. And it's a serious venture with major clients. Read More
Bang & Olufsen Introduces Beoplay HX Headphones with Adaptive ANC
Bang & Olufsen announced the launch of Beoplay HX, offering an improved sound experience with digital ANC, up to 35 hours of play time and elevated comfort, exemplifying Bang & Olufsen’s expertise in sound, design, and craftsmanship. This refined design from the Danish luxury audio brand is intended to appeal to demanding users looking for an immersive and accurate sound experience, ultimate comfort, and a refined user interface to meet the needs of working from home, traveling for business, or to simply escape from the noise of everyday life. Read More
Elliptic Labs Optimizes Its Advanced Virtual Sensors for Cadence Tensilica HiFi DSPs
Elliptic Labs, a Norwegian software sensor technology company, announced a collaboration with Cadence Design Systems to optimize its machine learning algorithms on Cadence Tensilica HiFi DSPs. Enabling Elliptic Labs to expand its software sensor user interfaces to more embedded systems, while simultaneously reducing power consumption for energy-critical applications, this collaboration benefits manufacturers in a wide range of markets, including mobile consumer devices and automotive. Read More
Lectrosonics Celebrates 50th Anniversary
Lectrosonics, recognized the world over as a leading manufacturer of wireless microphone systems and audio processing products, is celebrating its 50th Anniversary. Founded in March of 1971, Lectrosonics products are used in countless broadcast, television, theatre, film, live performance, and music productions worldwide. Today, Lectrosonics is one of the most respected audio manufacturers, proudly manufacturing from its home base in the city of Rio Rancho, in the heart of New Mexico. Read More
Guest Editorial
Mike Klasco
(Menlo Scientific)
Semiconductor Shortages, Rising Prices…
But Wait There’s More!
When we left 2020 behind, there was a global sigh of relief. I think on some level many of us felt we had paid our dues and that we deserved smoother sailing in 2021. I am not even talking about the tenacious grip of the pandemic nor the political bickering, but rather just a break from Mother Nature.

And then, during Q1 2021, key production bases for the audio industry were hit by storms, container ships at sea lost their cargo in rough water, and nations were battered by earthquakes and volcanos! While nature will always test us, the extent and wide range of trauma to the consumer electronics supply chain is newsworthy. A perfect storm of recent events is expected to result in shortages of finished goods from a few audio brands as you read this, and there will also be disruptions in key integrated circuits, which will impact a wide range of vendors. The worst already affected are the automotive electronics parts vendors. But the chain reaction will continue to be felt, and the general finished goods supply will be tight. And because of a number of brands lost shipping containers recently, followed in the coming months by shortages from a wide range of factories crippled by the chip supply delays, many audio companies will not be able to meet demand. Assuming there are no more surprises, this could all be put behind us before summer. Or not…

You may remember the Mayan calendar ended in 2012, but maybe someone back then was dyslexic and just got the last digits reversed.
There's all this talk about semiconductor shortages, but the whole supply chain for audio manufacturing is being affected by disruptions in key components, microcontrollers and Digital Signal Processors, extending lead times and raising prices.
Our Tale of Woe
Chip production is going to be a choking point not just from COVID-related challenges but from AKM’s massive three-day fire at its Nobeoka City, Japan semiconductor factory. The severe recent storms in Texas caused widespread power outages, and halted chip production for Samsung, Infineon, and NXP in Austin, Texas, amid an already constrained global chip supply. The intense snow storm in Texas, which brought loss of water and electricity, has added to the mess, with Samsung’s Austin-based foundry line forced to partially suspend operations in mid-February. Same with NXP Semiconductors and Infineon Technologies, which also suspended fab operations there - and these vendors provide 10% of total US capacity.

That catastrophe was soon followed by an earthquake that struck off the coast of Japan. Renesas Electronics’ chip plant off the coast of Fukushima, Japan was hit with a 7.1 magnitude earthquake mid-February, halting wafer processing for a week with gradual ramp-up to full operation. Then, last week Renesas said it will take at least a month to resume production at its Naka plant in northeast Japan after an electrical fault caused machinery to catch fire and poured smoke into the sensitive clean room. While mostly providing chips for the automotive market, Renesas acquired Intersil in 2016 and customers include both power stuff and automotive infotainment devices.

While losing containers at sea in harsh weather is relatively rare, incidents this winter have been on the rise, especially in the Pacific Ocean. As ships become bigger and containers are stacked as high as multi-story buildings, vessel stability may come under greater pressure from pitching and rolling. For a half dozen audio brands, there will be shortages in finished product due to the unprecedented storms in the Pacific. On December 31, a container ship managed by Taiwan’s Evergreen Marine Corp., Ltd. lost around 40 containers off the coast of Japan while heading across the Pacific. The One Apus container vessel, operated by Singapore-based Ocean Network Express, lost around 2,000 boxes in November when it hit a storm off Hawaii on its way to Long Beach, CA, from Yantian, China. The ship eventually sailed to Kobe, Japan, with hundreds of tipped-over containers sitting precariously onboard and it remains there for repairs and an investigation into the cause of the incident. On January 16, Maersk, a major shipping line, lost 750 containers in rough seas from its Essen container ship about halfway through its trans-Pacific journey, sailing from China’s Port of Xiamen to Los Angeles, CA. And already in February, 76 containers fell off a vessel operated by ZIM in route from South Korea to North America.
Between November 30, 2020 and January 31, 2021, more than 2,675 containers were lost in five incidents at sea. That’s almost double the annual average in just a two-month period, according to the World Shipping Council.
These incidents this season have resulted in nearly 3,000 containers lost overboard and now resting at the bottom of the sea. Keep in mind the standard container interior is 40’ x 8’ x 8.6’. Just to make matters worse, insurance on container ships is not so common. Not to bore you with more incidents, let’s just say that so far this year more than double the containers (and of course their contents!) have been lost compared to all of 2020.

Just to finish off on a high note (sorry for the New Yorker sarcasm) last week a massive container ship ran aground in the Suez Canal. So what? Well, it blocked one of the world's busiest shipping lanes causing delays for at least 400 other container ships. The canal is a more direct shipping route between Asia and Europe. As tug boats and dredgers struggled to free the gigantic ship - and the Internet joked about it - this caused hundreds of container ships to wait at each end of the canal.

I think I need a drink
The ship snagged in the Suez canal has now been dislodged, and production at the Samsung Electronics' chip plant in Austin, TX, has returned to almost normal operation, following disruptions that are expected to cause shortages in smartphone production over the next few months. I wanted to add some last minute additional good news, but it’s April Fools’ Day and no one would believe me.
Almost 400 ships were stuck at either end of the Suez Canal, causing an estimated three-week delay for many more ships. While people waited for their packages to arrive there was even time to build this with Lego...
You Can DIY!
Passive Preamp: Transformer Implemented
By Jack Elliano
In this article for audioXpress, published in January 2005, Jack Elliano the founder and principal designer behind Electra-Print Audio, details a simple but very interesting concept of a line amplifier using step-up transformers plus a variable gain control, offering usable results from low impedance sources. The preamplifier project uses Electra-Print handcrafted transformers, which the company manufactures for its own high-fidelity tube audio components, directly from its home base in Las Vegas, NV. Jack Elliano innovative ideas are the result of his many years of experience designing audio components. This article was originally published in audioXpress, January 2005.  Read the Full Article Now Available Here
Voice Coil Spotlight
A New Standard of Low-Depth Racetrack Speaker Drivers with Flat Core Speaker Technology
By Brian Cho (Resonado Labs)
Resonado Labs, the technology startup founded at the University of Notre Dame, IN, and now based in Chicago, IL, is ready to bring to market its patented speaker technology. This article describes Resonado's core Flat Core Speaker (FCS) technology that uses a reconfigured design with a planar voice coil mounted perpendicularly to its flat “race track” diaphragm - an ingenious architecture that enables slightly thinner, lighter, and more efficient speakers than conventional equivalents. Applications are wide-ranging from soundbars, home theater, column speakers, automotive to headphone drivers. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, January 2021.
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