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Industry & Product News
Anatomically Correct Artificial Ear by HEAD acoustics Achieves ITU-T Standardization
HEAD acoustics succeeded in the standardization of the newly developed artificial ear with a human-like ear canal (HEC). The new artificial ear is now standardized as a Type 4.4 artificial ear in Recommendation ITU-T P.57. The HEAD acoustics HEC artificial ear not only fulfills the Type 4.4 artificial ear requirements, it is also the first ITU-T standardized artificial ear meeting the low-noise requirements for artificial ears as defined in the new Chapter 7 of Recommendation P.57. Read More
Lavoce Introduces New High Performance Common Magnet Coaxials
Professional loudspeaker manufacturer Lavoce Italiana continues to accelerate its research and development efforts and has now introduced the first products in a new Common Magnet Coaxials category, starting with a ferrite magnet 8", and neodymium magnet 12" and 13.5" models, available with or without an aluminum 60°x40° horn. These new coaxial models are just one of many products introduced recently and all detailed in the just released 2021 Lavoce catalog. Read More
Celestion Debuts the New CDX1-1412 Ultra-Compact 1” Compression Driver
Celestion introduced the new CDX1-1412 1" exit, neodymium magnet high-frequency compression driver. The unit’s ultra-compact size makes it ideal for small two-way cabinet designs and other highly portable applications, at a very attractive price point. The CDX1-1412 is the latest of Celestion’s high-frequency compression drivers, and features plenty of output for a driver this size: 35W (AES standard), 70W (Continuous) power rating, and 107dB sensitivity across a 1500 to 20kHz frequency band. Read More
Orchard Audio Introduces 500W Starkrimson Stereo Ultra GaN Hi-Fi Audio Amplifier
Following the enormous success of the original Starkrimson Mono amplifier, Orchard Audio is introducing the Starkrimson Stereo Ultra amplifier, using the same proprietary dual-feedback modulator and next-generation gallium nitride (GaN) transistors. The new Ultra amplifier design is the result of the work of the company's founder, Leonid (Leo) Ayzenshtat, and is able to deliver up to 500WRMS (1000WPEAK) of power and 20A of current, while maintaining extremely low noise and distortion. Read More
Apple Introduces Beats Studio Buds with ANC and New TWS Form Factor
Beats - the leading audio brand that also belongs to Apple - announced Beats Studio Buds, a new powerful true wireless earbud design that delivers a high-quality audio experience in a new, lightweight and comfortable design. Sweat- and water-resistant earbuds with an IPX4 rating and up to 24 hours of battery life, the new Beats Studio Buds add quality Active Noise Cancellation, Transparency and for the first time, convenient one-touch pairing to both iOS and Android users. Read More
Bang & Olufsen Adopts Fraunhofer IIS LC3plus Audio Codec for High-Resolution Wireless Audio Products
In order to meet the quality expectations of their users, high-end consumer electronics manufacturer Bang & Olufsen decided on the new open standard LC3plus codec from Fraunhofer IIS for its wireless streaming devices. LC3plus is currently the most advanced solution that combines support for high-resolution audio with low delay. LC3plus has been standardized by ETSI as TS 103 634, and is the first solution to support high-resolution music streaming services also over wireless accessories. Read More
Listen's New AmpConnect 621 Hi-Res Multichannel Audio Interface Is Now Shipping
The Listen AmpConnect 621 was unveiled earlier with the launch of SoundCheck 19 software, and is now available. The new multichannel, multifunction, high-resolution audio test interface includes all the functionality required for audio testing in just one unit, including an amplifier, microphone power supply, line outputs, and digital I/O. And with a sample rate of up to 192kHz, it supports measuring high-resolution audio designs. Read More
Sonus faber Extends Lumina Collection with More Powerful Speakers
Sonus faber announced the continuation of its acclaimed Lumina loudspeaker collection with the addition of two models: The Lumina II and The Lumina V. The brand's intent was to offer a simple, balanced combination with the ability to satisfy both stereo and multichannel system listening. The introduction of Lumina II and Lumina V speakers also meets an even wider audience with the need for higher power for larger environments. Read More
Guest Editorial
Roger Shively
(JJR Acoustics)
Automotive OEM Engineering and Business
An Opportunity for Audio Brands
Automotive has always had some form of branded audio strategy in higher trim levels. Branded audio is now moving down-trim. OEMs that haven't traditionally adopted branded audio for the premium audio level are considering adding a brand in 2022 or soon after.

More money is being spent on home audio now and that also extends to the car. So, more importance is put on audio by the consumer. From the beginning, branded audio empirically implied higher audio quality. The brand partnerships are a way for home audio companies to diversify revenue sources, and for automakers to use brands known for premium audio to sway a consumer’s buying decision. The balancing act can still exist when an OEM sees customer awareness the same as acceptance for a brand. Branded audio has always required attention to content and quality to create a significant difference in trim levels.

There are more tiers of brand levels to premium audio now. It’s not the traditional formula of 15% of audio systems in a carmaker will be brand. There are now multiple tiers, and those tiers are getting larger within themselves. For luxury systems, they need to be loaded with more features than ever before. And, although there are more audio brands in OEM carmakers around the world, the older model of full system and component offerings from an audio brand company is disappearing. The trend is to have different suppliers for the traditional head-units, contemporary cockpit domain controllers, amplifiers, loudspeakers, and the brand separately.
More opportunity in a crowded room – but less branded components
Working Internally or Through a Tier One
In addition to the trend of separate Tier One suppliers, there is still an ebb and flow of in-house development at carmakers and the reliance on supplier and independent consulting development. Some new electric car companies have started in-house In-Vehicle Infotainment (IVI) development, even though they still use external consultants for DSP integration and external hardware suppliers. Classic North American automotive companies are going in the direction of being in-house, with some external blueprint projects, but no outside development. It doesn’t always go perfectly, though.

Europe has done this successfully. The domain controllers are mostly being handled externally. It takes an enormous number of resources for software development (lower-level design instead of higher-level engineering that would scrutinize a supplier). The European processes are structurally set up to handle it internally. For functional specifications, it is usually better to have the supplier cover it. For example, if a large automaker goes with an open-sourced audio platform, then they need to go to a Tier One that has a better setup. The US carmakers with a large presence in Europe have benefited with the synergy of processes and are more successful at internal integration. Asian OEMs are adopting both development structures and approaches. As with their North American and European counterparts, the larger size and global presence can benefit the internal development.

Yet some have no vertical organization by design, officially, but they foster more and more cross group communication. They encourage change to come from the grassroots. They see this as a way to eventually change the organization in a more organic way.
Who’s in the driver’s seat for audio? – With innovative in-cabin experiences, voice control from the third row matters.
OEMs the size and global scale as the number one US carmaker have a cross-functional team of audio, noise, AVAS, and domain controller development. Acquisitions in other industry segments can, for example, create a whole team for modem design. Companies such as these have 1000 to 1500 people for internal development. For the full IVI development, in-car connectivity and cloud service personnel are attached to those cross-functional groups, and the internal development numbers go up.

IVI products are cost intensive but also provide high value and the profit to go with it. However, large OEMs such as this will still go to Tier Ones for development of amplifiers and tuners.
Carmakers of this size can either have members of the team around the globe, placed where the expertise resides, or they can have centers of excellence and the expertise is gathered there. The downside of having everything in-house for them, no matter the structure, is that it can be slow to turn the company and accelerate technology.

Independent companies still have a role to play. One such company, DSP Concepts, says it has seen a “surge in demand from automotive OEMs looking to innovate the in-cabin sound experience; adding voice control has also been increasingly popular.” They have made substantial investments to enable automakers to design, develop, and deploy new audio experiences faster. For example, Mercedes-Benz recently adopted DSP Concepts' Audio Weaver in its latest S-Class.
Familiar home brands find a home in your car. The Balancing Act: Does Customer Awareness = Brand Acceptance. Quality still counts.
Simulation Trends in OEMs
In the Global OEM market, with the reduction of prototype numbers to control development cost, the need for virtual development is clear. Only recently has audio system and vehicle acoustic simulation begun. Until then, crash safety and durability were the biggest areas.

Yet, those beginnings have helped pave the way for efficient acoustic simulation model building. Meshes created for crash, durability, and noise can be re-purposed for acoustic meshes, saving the man-hours required for creating them from raw CAD, whether that is done internally for OEMs, Tier-Ones, or by independent consulting companies.

A lot of simulation, tuning, and auralization are being done outside of the lab space now. Virtual models on concept cars before they exist are being used for virtual tuning. Those tunings are like using the physical and mechanical simulation for learning a car’s behavior. Exploring tuning options helps the sound engineer develop an understanding of the acoustic space and loudspeaker system to find a path to the optimal tuning.

For an OEM audio engineer, it's no longer about new loudspeaker materials or the ultimate loudspeakers. Simulation helps the audio engineer with the integration of the system’s loudspeakers into the vehicle and maintaining the integrity of the loudspeaker’s design quality. Using virtual product development with acoustic simulation is the key.

Competition is greater. Development has less time and money for physical prototypes. What’s left over after the battery, needs to be light, strong, crash-worthy, and the smallest volume possible. The goal of simulations has been to be only as accurate as is necessary to make good design decisions. The tools are improving, the expertise is growing, the hands-on knowledge of vehicle acoustics and dynamics is established and being passed on to the next generation. It is now possible for the accuracy of simulations to be even greater and more precise. Simulations that would have been considered too detailed and requiring precise correlation worthy of high-level academic exercises, or NASA, are becoming more and more common. Simulation teams now want, and can reach out for, an extremely precise and accurate acoustic and mechanical version of the car they are redesigning, the day after it is released for production.
Virtual Product Development with acoustic simulation is becoming key to get audio integration. Simulation “presets” of a target sound signature is also an intriguing idea. If the audio brands are merely “licensing” and letting someone else do the tunings, that is perfectly possible and makes sense. They might even require it.
From the Vault
Altec Lansing’s Voice of the Theatre Speakers
What You Need to Know
By Scott Dorsey
For our readers who always enjoy a bit of speaker history, this article will be a pleaser. Scott Dorsey revisits his favorite movie theater speakers, the Altec Lansing's Voice of the Theatre Series. A design by John Hilliard, Altec Lansing’s Voice of the Theatre systems originally targeted movie theaters. The entire series was gradually expanded for use in general sound reinforcement and later converted in extreme high-end audio segments for hi-fi home use. Dorsey knows cinema sound inside and out, and in this article he shares his personal thoughts about these highly valued horn designs, and provides valuable tips on how to restore them. This article was originally published in audioXpress, September 2020.  Read the Full Article Now Available Here
Voice Coil Test Bench
The New D2404/552000 Ellipticor Tweeter from Scan-Speak
By Vance Dickason
In earlier editions, Voice Coil introduced the Scan-Speak Ellipticor drivers with its unique oval (elliptical) voice coil shapes to defeat cone and dome standing wave modes. With the design and concept becoming extremely popular in the high-end two-channel market, the elliptical-shaped series of Scan-Speak drivers continues to expand. The new D2404/552000 Ellipticor 24mm tweeter is the little brother to the D3404 tweeter, already characterized in a Test Bench article in Voice Coil, April 2018. This new device uses a scaled down D3404 Air-Circ tweeter motor with eight neodymium slugs, and includes a copper shorting ring (part of the patented Symmetrical Drive SD-2 motor format) and a titanium former. Other features include a coated cloth elliptical dome, aluminum faceplate, gold-plated terminals, and a very slick aluminum trim ring that covers the mounting screws. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, March 2021. Read the Full Article Now Available Here
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