Sticky situation: Magnetic audiotape’s potentially catastrophic degradation in storage

From the archives University of South Carolina: Many of the more than 46 million sound recordings archived throughout the US carry the risk of being destroyed during an attempt to digitize them, because magnetic audiotape can deteriorate over time. A team of researchers is developing a means to readily assess the structural condition of magnetic […]

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Sound Reproduction: The Acoustics and Psychoacoustics of Loudspeakers and Rooms

“Floyd Toole, a leading expert in the field of sound reproduction, explains how to design the best possible listening experience for recording control rooms and home entertainment systems. This comprehensive work covers the whole sound reproduction chain from multi-channel audio configurations and the loudspeaker/room system to acoustics and psychoacoustics and the evaluation process. Part 1 […]

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Design, DSPs and the debunking of traditional hi-fi

John Watkinson writes: Today’s loudspeakers are nowhere near as good as they could be, due in no small measure to the presence of “traditional” audiophile products. In the future, loudspeakers will increasingly communicate via digital wireless links and will contain digital processing. Indeed, the link between IT and loudspeakers is destined to grow.But no progress […]

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Trevor Cox

Design and Application of Room Acoustic Diffusers

The research into acoustic diffusers at the University of Salford has been extensively summarised in a text book co-authored by Professor Trevor Cox: Acoustic Absorbers and Diffusers Diffusers are used in spaces where acoustics is a critical requirement. They can be used to improve speech intelligibility in railway stations, theatres and teleconferencing rooms and are […]

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MONITOR AUDIO: Airstream S150

This multi-zone, Bluetooth 4.0 speaker, featuring aptX, is constructed from a mineral-filled polymer holding four drivers, comprising a proprietary gold dome C-CAM tweeter flanked on angled baffles by dual 76mm-CAM metal cone bass drivers and augmented by a rear-firing Auxiliary Bass Radiator (ABR). The C-CAM drivers are powered directly by class-D amplifiers, generating 40W in […]

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A REALLY good listen via the BBC: The Piano Man

Piano technician Ulrich Gerhartz’s job is to prepare Steinway pianos for performances by the world’s leading pianists. Ulrich knows many of the great performers and how they like their instruments. It’s his role to maintain pianos at the highest level and, when looking after concerts, he’s on hand before, during and after the recital to […]

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Valve microphonics

  J. Evans writes: The construction of a valve is not a completely rigid structure. Any relative movement of the various electrodes not only affect sinter-electrode capacitances but also variations in current and mutualconductance. Such relative movements can be caused by vibration, such as sudden knocks or even ambient sounds. Mullard presented the results of […]

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