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Happy Spring! We thought a new GoldenEar Newsletter would be a nice addition for the (finally) warm and sunny days!
Our first article in this issue deals with how Sandy and the GoldenEar engineering team manage to get such exceptional bass performance from relatively compact, affordable speakers. It's not necessarily rocket science, but it's pretty darn sophisticated. Next is an article continuing our discussion about digital music file storage. Since it seems almost everyone is enjoying their music just as much "on the go" as they are at home, we hope this article will help you maximize your pleasure no matter where you listen.
Finally, in Sandy's Place you'll read about a great musical venue, the Rubin Museum, and a particularly interesting artist named Al Jardine (and Friends).
As always, we hope you'll find this stuff interesting and informative. And don't forget, we truly value your thoughts and feedback concerning these newsletters. Shoot us an e-mail at info@goldenear.com and let us know what you're thinking.
Happy listening!
The GoldenEar Team
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The Wonder of GoldenEar Bass
(Woofers, Slot Loading and Planar Infrasonic Radiators ... Oh my!)
People often ask us, "How do we get such great bass from GoldenEar speakers?" And we often respond, "We can't tell you, 'cause it's a secret". (It's not really a secret ... It's actually magic.) OK. It's not magic either. So we'll tell you now, because you own or are considering owning our speakers ...
 | The Triton One with Built-In Powered Sub.Uses Three Active Drivers and Four Planar Radiators
COMING SOON - ARRIVING IN DEALER'S SHOWROOMS IN 45-60 DAYS ! |
So how do we do what we do?
The vast majority of high quality speaker systems capture the woofer's rear pressure wave in some sort of sealed or vented enclosure. The vented ones are designed to enhance the woofers' in room performance by utilizing the rear pressure waves while others are designed to completely trap the rear waves within the enclosure. (We are leaving out some other variations on enclosure design because they are rarely used in residential applications and/or very expensive to construct.) Every GoldenEar speaker employs a modified, highly optimized version of what's generally referred to as a passive radiator system design. This type of woofer/enclosure system uses a precision built diaphragm in addition to the woofer cone to increase system efficiency and generate deep, tuneful bass response. There are similarities between this design and ported systems, but in our experience we've found that advanced design passive radiator systems like ours,which are actually tuned more like an elaborate transmission line, deliver an ideal balance of powerful, clean and tuneful bass along with ideal loading of the active driver(s).
In typical passive radiator systems the auxiliary diaphragm (the passive radiator) moves in and out in response to the internal pressure waves generated by the system's woofer(s). These radiators usually consist of a woofer frame, a cone and associated suspension parts, but no magnetic motor system. We have taken this type of system to the next performance level by applying advanced Finite Element Analysis, computer modeling techniques and the latest advanced test procedures to the GoldenEar designs.
CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE...
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An Overview of "Computer" Storage Formats for Music
(Or ... How I learned There's Something Beyond MP3)
Most of us are aware there are multiple file formats that exist for the storage and playback of recorded music. By far the most common types today are MP3 and AAC. MP3 is pretty universal, and because AAC is Apple's format of choice it too has become extremely popular. AAC is generally considered to sound a little better than MP3 for any given bit rate. (If you need a refresher on the bit rate stuff, please Click Here to take a look at the last edition of the GoldenEar newsletter.) 
A CD stores music in a ".cda" (CD Audio) file format at 1.4mbps per second. If it's ripped (converted to a computer file format) unchanged (not compressed) in a Windows computer, it becomes a ".wav" file. If you do the same in Apple's operating system it becomes an ".aiff" file. You end up with the same information but in three different file formats.
But, in order to reduce file sizes to make it possible to store lots of songs on your phone, tablet or portable player, these files must be reduced in size. MP3 and AAC data reduction software does exactly that, eliminating information that the software "thinks" you won't miss in order to make smaller files. And there lies the rub, as they say. The big difference is these lossy formats use perceptual coders with complex algorithms to toss out up to 90% of the data in order to save storage space. What is remarkable is that there is even ANY semblance of music left ... truly a tip of the hat to these engineers. However, these are still lossy formats and once heard are clearly not high fidelity.
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Sandy's Place - Al Jardine and Friends at the Rubin Museum
 Remember the Beach Boys? I certainly do! Back in the 60s, the Beach Boys were America's competition for the Beatles. They were a California band that, led by Brian Wilson, composer and harmonizer par excellence, sang about surfing, hot rods and, what else, California girls. I remember hearing Sloop John B for the first time in Wilkes Barre Pennsylvania when I was racing slot cars in the 60s. It was a defining moment, much like the first time I heard Jim Morrison. (Click Here for a fun story about my first Doors experience while tooling around LA in one of the original Cobra Daytona coupes with my slot car friend Mike Morrissey.) And, of course, who can forget Good Vibrations? Last year they had a 50th (!!!!!) anniversary tour, which I was lucky enough to experience, along with my wife Anne, at the Beacon Theater in NYC. (FYI, the double album of that tour is just super.) CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE... |
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All trademarks and images that appear in this newsletter are property of their respective owners. All contents copyright © GoldenEar Technology and may not be reproduced without written permission.
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