INDUSTRY & PRODUCT NEWS

Genelec Launches 8430 IP Network AES67 Compatible SAM Studio Monitor

Genelec is announcing "A Giant Step in Audio over IP" at the Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) 2016 show in Amsterdam. Effectively, the new 8430 IP Network Compatible SAM Studio Monitor is the first commercially available "IP speaker" from the famous Finnish specialist, and the result of several years of investment in this concept. The 8430 is also the first AES67 connected speaker in the world. Read More

Audio-Technica Announces New Professional In-Ear Monitors (IEM)

Audio-Technica's ATH-E70, ATH-E50, and ATH-E40 professional In-Ear Monitors (IEM) are a direct response to the market suddenly being flooded by in-earphones, including many developed and manufactured by fabless lifestyle brands, which also claim to answer the needs of professional musicians or audio engineers. The three new IEM's from Audio-Technica don't need to claim anything and are actually quite nice for "non-professionals" as well. Read More

Shure Introduces Microflex Advance Dante Networkable Conferencing Audio Solution at ISE 2016

Shure is addressing the needs of the corporate AV Market and conferencing solutions with an impressive range of new products introduced at ISE 2016. The microphone manufacturer returned to Amsterdam's RAI with several new products dedicated to the systems integration market and the unveiling of a completely new range of networkable conferencing microphones based on Dante technology. Read More

CE Distribution Becomes Exclusive Worldwide Distributor of SoZo Capacitors

CE Distribution announced its exclusive worldwide distribution agreement for the high quality, sought after SoZo Capacitors. Many great sounding boutique amp manufacturers, analog outboard professional audio companies, and DIY amplifier enthusiasts use SoZo Capacitors for their superior tone and reliability. The NextGen Mustard Cap is the best-known SoZo capacitor. It is very popular among discriminating musicians and amp designers. Read More

Bang & Olufsen BeoSound 35 All-in-one Wireless Home Music System

Loudspeaker manufacturers are constantly trying to refine the wireless speaker concept for home applications, introducing new designs and more integrated features for both all-in-one or networked system use. Bang & Olufsen started from scratch for its latest project. The new BeoSound 35 is probably the epitome of all-in-one wireless music systems, generating a wide staged sound experience at home. Read More

Audio Engineering Society 140th International Convention Program Taking Form for Paris

Planning for the 140th Audio Engineering Society (AES) Convention in Paris (June 4-7, 2016) is under way, and it promises to be an exciting and stimulating event for the entire audio industry. Michael Williams, Co-Chair of the Convention, gives us an update on confirmed activities and interesting initiatives such as the workshops and tutorials on multichannel and 3D audio reproduction environments, along with binaural listening. Read More

Electro-Voice Rethinks Popular Designs with New ND Series Microphones

NAMM 2016 saw a series of interesting new microphone announcements. Electro-Voice was one of the companies signaling a comeback to this important segment with the launch of its new ND Series, succeeding the popular EV N/Dym Series. The ND Series features eight new microphones - four vocal and four instrument models - all with superior sound quality and smart new features, designed for live performance and studio applications. Read More

Jo�o

Martins

Editor-in-Chief

Editor's Desk

AoIP Everywhere, from Microphone to Speakers!

Following an immersive CES 2016 experience earlier this year and a recent immersion in a different world at the NAMM show in Anaheim, CA, it is time for serious business at the Integrated System Europe (ISE) show, February 9-12, 2016, in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

European shows always have a more serious tone and, particularly after NAMM, it's a little odd to be at another trade show surrounded by grey and blue suits... But the reality is, ISE 2016 is a very serious forum for technology and innovation, and there's a lot happening this year.

As you have probably noticed from our Standards Review series of articles on Audio Network Development for audioXpress, audio networking is picking up pace and nowhere else is this more visible than at the largest AV system show in the world. By now, many will have seen the announcement that Genelec has launched the 8430 IP Network AES67 Compatible SAM Studio Monitor at ISE 2016. Effectively, the new 8430 monitor is the first commercially available "IP speaker" from the famous Finnish specialist, and the result of several years of investment in this concept. The 8430 is also the first AES67 connected speaker in the world.

Meanwhile Audinate's Dante continues to effectively dominate in the pro audio world. Among the available audio networking protocols and solutions, Dante is by far the most widely available solution, now making inroads in the residential and home-theater markets as well.

Nothing measures the impact of a new audio technology better than to see we now have Dante-enabled microphones from major brands (Sennheiser, Shure,and Audio-Technica), all the way up to Dante-enabled public-address speakers.

More than 650 Dante-enabled products on display at Audinate's booth during ISE 2016.

Clearly helping to support Dante's dominance in the pro audio industry is the fact that the company recently delivered the promised firmware update enabling an AES67 profile for Dante. At ISE 2016, there are already several Dante products demonstrating AES67 connections with other companies' products. This effectively creates a bridge to interchange networked audio with any other existing solutions - such as the newly announced Genelec IP speaker. So, does the future look bright and rosy? Not exactly, because this transition to an IP Everywhere world is effectively just starting and the audio industry is just one part of an increasingly complex AV industry.

At no other show does this becomes more obvious than at the ISE show in Amsterdam, where you can find conferencing, digital signage, smart building, education, and collaboration solutions, side by side with lighting, security, commercial audio, and home theater - and a few companies also pitching large-size touring line arrays, which would be a more natural proposition at the Frankfurt show.

The ISE show is jointly promoted by the Custom Electronic Design and Installation Association (CEDIA) and InfoComm International and has been growing exponentially year after year. Now ISE is becoming larger than InfoComm and the CEDIA shows combined. InfoComm 2015 in Orlando, FL, was visited by 39,105 people from 108 countries and had 950 exhibitors. CEDIA's 2015 show in Dallas, TX, registered more than 18,700 attendees alongside 510 exhibiting companies.

On the MNA booth at ISE 2016 there were 22 commercially available networked-audio products from 11 different manufacturers, exchanging
digital audio on AES67 between them, via
Ethernet and layer 3 network connectivity.

Since the first ISE trade show was held in Geneva, Switzerland, in February 2004, this event has grown from 120 exhibitors and 3,500 visitors, to a record-breaking 13th year that sees ISE 2016 welcome more than 1,100 exhibitors and far surpassing 60,000 visitors. The show has expanded to four days, and exhibits now occupy all 14 halls of the recently expanded Amsterdam RAI complex - an area increase of 11% on the 2015 edition.

A major theme for this year's show is IP Everywhere, from building and home control to the Internet of Things (IoT) and audio-over-IP (AoIP). And funny enough, there are far more immersive audio theaters and presentations at this show than what we've seen at CEDIA, CES, or any other recent show.

And now there's also a new AES standard - AES70 - enabling open control and monitoring for professional audio and AV media network devices, as promoted by the Open Control Architecture (OCA) consortium. AES70 is also highly complementary to AES67. As Ethan Wetzell, (Platform Strategist Bosch Communications Systems and an active participant in the AVnu Alliance, Media Networking Alliance, and OCA Alliance) explains, "it's important to consider what AES67 is intended to do and what it is not. For example, AES67 is not something that is intended to be used instead of Dante, Ravenna, Livewire, etc., but rather inside of and in conjunction with those solutions. Dante and the rest are architected solutions that add many things beyond transport and clock (discovery and connection management being important components). AES67 is intended to create a common foundation for these solutions to be able to communicate and interoperate with each other, which is a positive thing. Audinate releasing AES67 compatible firmware for Dante devices recently highlighted this. It is not an either-or situation. And that is a good thing."

OCA/AES70 introduces an interoperable control, configuration, monitoring, and diagnostic architecture for media networks.

Combining AES70 system control with standard media transport will bring a complete media network solution to the market, one in which devices from diverse manufacturers can readily interoperate. In particular, AES70 includes a complete discovery specification, which will complement media transport standards and solutions such as AES67.

Where the new OCA AES70 standard will lead to remains to be seen. As Bruce Olson, chairman for the Audio Engineering Society Standards Committee (AESSC) says, "AES70 represents another important step towards the interoperable networked working environment that audio professionals will rely on. The AES will continue to develop the standards necessary to enhance these tools."

This might be the start of something new in systems integration. We will continue to monitor the industry's reactions.

From the Vault

The ImPasse Preamplifier

By Stuart Yaniger

Stuart Yaniger wrote a great article for audioXpress in February 2009, "The ImPasse Preamplifier," describing a tube preamp to drive a pair of Nelson Pass' First Watt F4's (or other low-to-unity-gain power amplifiers) in balanced mono. The F4 is a unity gain amplifier requiring a preamplifier capable of driving the full-expected output swing. As two channels of the F4 should be able to swing 40 V in Class-A, for 100 W of output power, the preamp must be capable of delivering 28.3 VRMS. Yaniger's preamp is truly an elegant design with very, very low distortion, using a 6SN7 to drive a 6922 in balanced mode. There are LEDs, NE2H neon lamps, and depletion MOSFETs in the design. Read the Full Article Available Here

Voice Coil Test Bench

PRV Audio Brazil 6MR500-NDY-4 Pro Sound Driver

By Vance Dickason

During the first Test Bench test of a product designed and manufactured by PRV Audio Brazil, Vance Dickason characterized the 6MR500-NDY-4, a new 6.5" from the brand's Midrange Series for professional audio applications. Founded in 2006, PRV Audio Brazil quickly expanded its portfolio of loudspeakers, crossovers, array components, and waveguides, surpassing 100 different products in 2014. Features for the 6MR500-NDY-4 midrange include a lightweight curved profile uncoated treated paper cone, a 2.25" diameter uncoated solid composition paper dust cap and a cast-aluminum frame. The motor assembly is powered by 10 24-mm � 7-mm neodymium slugs mounted in a circle around the peripheral of the steel front and back plates. Driving the cone assembly is a voice coil that consists of a 50 mm (2") diameter polyimide (Kapton) former wound with copper-coated aluminum wire (CCAW). This article was originally published in Voice Coil, February 2015. Read The Full Article Online

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