2006 Winter Symposium: Exhibitor Roundup

Exhibitors displayed a wide range of loudspeaker test and measurement systems, loudspaker components and other equipment.

Test and Measurement

Listen, Inc presented the new SoundCheck Version 6.10. This fast, accurate loudspeaker test system is sophisticated enough for the R&D laboratory, yet also fast and cost-effective for production line use.  Its advanced algorithms allow fast and accurate testing even in noisy environments. It is able to measure a wide range of speaker characteristics such as frequency response, rub & buzz and loose particles and return the results either as a full analysis or a simple pass/fail result in as little as one second.
The new version includes many additional features including multitone excitation and true dual-channel analysis. These enable you to measure transfer functions and all associated cross-spectra functions such as coherent and non-coherent power, signal-to-noise, etc. New time domain analysis features include auto and cross-correlation, impulse response and overlap processing. Enhanced statistical analysis includes Pp, Ppk and Best Fit to Average to find "Golden Unit" products for QC testing.  SoundCheck is also available in Chinese.
Jason Boudreau of Russound was the winner of an iPod Nano in the ‘Listening test’ – a contest in which participants had to listen to eight loudspeakers and correctly identify faults such as loose particles and rub and buzz. Jason correctly identified 6 of the faults. web site

Gras exhibited a range of test and measurement products including two new products – a new surface microphone, the 40PS and a ½” Constant Current Power Preamplifier with integral gain and filters. The 40PS is a low-cost, flat measurement microphone designed for general purpose measurements on planar and curved surfaces. Because it is so thin and lightweight it can easily be mounted on surfaces using double-sided adhesive tape. It features a wide useful frequency range (up to 20kHz) and a large dynamic range topping at around 136dB. This stable and robust microphone uses constant current power supply and features built in TEDS (tranducer electronic data sheet).
Gras’ new CCP Preamplifier, the Type 26CF is a ½” general purpose preamplifier optimized for use with pre-polarized condenser microphones. It has a low inherent noise level, a large dynamic range and a frequency response from 2.5kHz to 100kHz. It has integral switchable gains (0dB or +20dB) and filters (AW, LIN or HP (20Hz).web site

LoudSoft showed upgraded versions of their three loudspeaker simulation software packages. New features in FINEMotor, a program for designing magnet systems and voice coils, include QMS: seletion of conductive or non-conductive former, selection between steel or non-steel frame, twin VC and shielding.
FINECone, a package which assists the engineer designing cones, domes, surrounds, dustcaps etc, as well as optimizing the driver features, offers a host of new features including DXF error tracking, export of responses with phase, response over plot, and automatic air load calculation.
The Fine X-over TM module, is a program for optimizing the cross-over network in your loudspeaker system. The operator can use the mousewheel to roll through standard E24 components and see the response change of the system immediately. The latest version offers several additional features including asymmetric LP and HP filter slopes in Band-Pass, additional components for baffle compensation, time/distance compensation and others.web site

Klippel unveiled their new QC test system which will be available in March 2006. The QC test system is a PC controlled modular system comprising both hardware and software components. Designed for high speed production line testing of finished product, it measures rub and buzz, SPL, THD, polarity, impedance, T/S parameters and many other loudspeaker characteristics. The Meta Hearing Technology offers rub and buzz detection superior to a human ear based on the active compensation of masking distortion. It can be used with multi-tone, sine sweep and free wave stimuli to offer maximum test flexibility. In addition to golden unit detection and grading and defect classification, it offers statistics and report generator functionality. Standard test configurations are included in the package, but R&D engineers can modify test sequences and develop their own sequences using a Matlab-like programming language. Different levels of access are offered for line operator, QC engineer and program to prevent unauthorized modification to the sequences. The program is fully compatible with Klippel’s R&D analyzer system and it integrates seamlessly into the assembly line via a digital interface.
Also new from Klippel is the next generation Large Signal Identification (LSI) module for the Distortion Analyzer hardware. This identifies the nonlinear and thermal parameters of a transducer. Woofer, box, and tweeter versions are included in the software.web site

In2Audio, loudspeaker consultants, showed Praxis and the new AudioPass software from Liberty Instruments. Praxis is an audio analysis and loudspeaker design package which can be used for performing high quality audio measurements of loudspeakers. AudioPass is a new loudspeaker QC measurement module which is purchased as an add-on to the Praxis system. Consisting of software, an impedance box and a software dongle, the only additional hardware required is a computer, so it is small and portable. It offers comprehensive loudspeaker tests including rub and buzz, polarity in two bands, frequency response and impedance.
What sets this system apart from other test systems is its easy set-up. The software features built in ‘measurement guides’ to quickly guide the first time user through test set-up and contains pre-written scripts for common tests. The user can simply select the type of transducer that is being measured, then choose form a library of pre-programmed standard tests. Users with computer programming knowledge can also write their own test scripts. The low cost, portability and ease of use makes this system affordable and practical for room acoustic measurements and hobbyists as well as professional loudspeaker manufacturers. web site

New from NTI is the Acoustilyzer, a handheld SPL meter which incorporates a wide range of functionality including 1/3 octave and octave RTA, RT60 measurements, FFT, polarity testing, delay testing for system setup, voltage, frequency, level and distortion. There is also an option for speech intelligibility. The Acoustilyzer would typically be used by audio engineers and technicians in production environments who need to measure distortion and SPL, for example for measuring test setups.
NTI also demonstrated the latest version of the Puresound RT speaker systems software – version 2.90. This offers more production management facilities, and improved distortion measurement capability including individual harmonic distortion measurement. Aimed at high speed production measurements, the key selling points of the Puresound RT systems are NTI’s patented rub and buzz defect testing method and its ease of use for large and multi-user facilities.web site

Loudspeaker Components

Santoprene, a division of ExxonMobil Chemical, exhibited injection molded surrounds and spiders made from their thermoplastic materials.  Santoprene is a resin material that is like rubber but processes like thermoplastic. Conventionally, this material is made into sheets and thermoformed to produce speaker surrounds. However, it can also be injection molded. Injection molding is very cost effective and results in low waste, therefore is best suited for high volume applications. It an also be used for lower volume application as it offers the ability to make profiles that cannot be made by thermoforming.web site

Henkel-Loctite demonstrated their new visible light cure adhesive and equipment. This patent-pending system uses an adhesive that cures in just visible rather than UV or a combination of UV and visible light. This offers several advantages. It is safer to use. It also offers significantly lower capital equipment and maintenance costs than UV curing equipment. Another advantage is that it can cure through colored substrates, unlike UV curing which requires a clear substrate to transmit the light. Applications include attaching plastic materials such as the dustcap to the cone, attaching terminating wires etc.web site

Specialty adhesive supplier, Cyberbond, showcased its 2240 series of adhesives. These cyanoacrylates contain a high percentage of rubber polymer which makes them significantly more flexible than many other cyanoacrylates used in the loudspeaker industry. This flexibility means that they provide superior shock and thermal resistance, therefore lend themselves well to high power tests and high temperatures. Typical applications include attaching the voice coil to cone, the cone to the surround and the cone to the dust-cap.web site

Ferrotec’s new APG1100 Series audio ferrofluids offer an excellent price-to-performance ratio. These hydrocarbon based fluids offer higher performance than the earlier 800 and 900, series in terms of both the increase in viscosity over time and the gel time in a speaker fixture. Although the 2100 series still offers significantly higher performance, the 1100 series brings the performance benefits of ferrofluid to highly price-sensitive customers.web site

Exhibiting for the first time at the ALMA show, Dr. Kurt Mueller GmbH & Co. KG displayed a wide selection of loudspeaker components including cones, surrounds, dustcaps, spiders and other speaker components. The company uses a wide variety of materials in the fabrication of its speaker components and assemblies, including paper, plastics, cloth, metals, rubber and foam as well as specialty materials such as carbon fiber and Kevlar®. The special processes and machines used for producing speaker parts are mostly developed in-house.
On show were speaker cones using ‘sandwich’ technology – the paper cone is combined with layers of glass fiber, carbon fiber or Kevlar so that the characteristics of the cone can be precisely tailored to the application.web site

Manufacturing Equipment

EFD displayed two new ranges of dispensing equipment. The Ultra 2400 series of syringe type dispensers for benchtop assembly applications (e.g. low volume manufacturing and touch-up) offers extremely precise dispensing of water based adhesives, cyanoacrylates, primers, activators and other materials used in speaker assembly applications. It features a digital display with a choice of 12 different languages including Chinese, Korean and Japanese. A wide range of accessories is available including a light, magnifier, a flexible syringe barrel holder and an ergonomic barrel grip with a touch-sensor finger switch and LED spotlight.
For higher volume automated and semi-automated production lines, EFD’s new needle valve line uses a bolt-down fluid chamber instead of a threaded chamber. This offers increased reliability and accuracy as the fluid body and assembly are held tightly together, even on a vibrating production line.web site

Publications

Audio Amateur handed out copies of the always-popular Loudspeaker Industry Sourcebook – the definitive sourcebook of suppliers to the Loudspeaker industry. Also available were copies of VoiceCoil magazine, the periodical for the Loudspeaker industry, Audio Express, the magazine for the do-it-yourself audio enthusiast, and Multi-media Manufacturer, a new publication which is aimed at AV product designers, manufacturers and QC personnel.web site

More from the ALMA 2006 Symposium:

Space is still available so if you have not yet secured your exhibit space and would like to exhibit, please complete the Exhibitor Registration form and fax it to 1-609-799-7032.