Tag Archives: audio engineer

How This 5000 Dollar Compact Loudspeaker Delivers

July 8, 2024 The Silo Leave a comment

PS Audio Introduces Its Compact, High-Performance aspen FR5 Loudspeaker

– New FR5 stand-mount speaker delivers expansive sound in a room-friendly design

Boulder, Colorado, July 2024 – PS Audio recently announced the introduction of its aspen FR5 loudspeaker, a stand-mounted speaker that delivers the same quality of extraordinary musical realism as the larger aspen Series models, in a compact design that fits easily into smaller and medium-sized rooms.

The new FR5 features a custom-designed PS Audio push-pull planar magnetic high-frequency driver, complemented by a newly-designed midrange/woofer, and a high-excursion passive radiator. Available in satin black or satin white with optional matching stands, the PS Audio FR5 is styled to complement any décor.

Paul McGowan, PS Audio CEO pointed out: “The FR5 was designed to bring the same level of uncompromising sound quality as all aspen Series speakers into any listening environment, and is ideal for living spaces where floorstanding speakers can’t be used. Although it’s small, the FR5 delivers powerful and dynamic sound with extended bass, and will play surprisingly loud even in larger rooms.”

The FR5 measures 14.5 inches high by 8 inches wide by 13 inches deep (28.25 inches high with optional stands). The drivers in the FR5 are purpose-designed by PS Audio and are tuned for optimum performance in a two-way stand-mount configuration. The 2.5-inch planar magnetic ribbon tweeter is the same unit used in all aspen Series loudspeakers. It utilizes a symmetrical push-pull design with a high-strength magnet and a diaphragm made from Teonex^® film, a material that provides exceptional clarity, transient response and resolution.

The aspen FR5 features a newly-designed 6.5-inch cast frame midrange/woofer made from Curv woven polypropylene, a material that is drawn into thin monofilaments and woven and reinforced using a proprietary process. The high-excursion driver employs a split-gap magnet structure with dual Faraday rings and a custom suspension. It’s augmented by a rear-firing 6 by 9-inch passive radiator to achieve in-room low-frequency extension down to 30 Hz. Both FR5 drivers are mounted on a thermoset resin front baffle that adds rigidity and minimizes diffraction effects.

PS Audio’s aspen FR5 utilizes a new enclosure technology, with viscoelastic damping sheets between the bracing and cabinet side walls, and around the woofer. This minimizes unwanted enclosure vibrations and contributes to the FR5’s superb imaging and spaciousness. The crossover uses air-core inductors, metallized poly capacitors, and wirewound resistors to ensure maximum sonic purity and seamless driver integration.

The FR5’s simple, elegant design is complemented by its optional matching stand, which has an integrated wire management system and can be mass-loaded. The FR5 comes with magnetically detachable grilles.

The aspen FR5 will be available in August 2024 at a suggested retail price of US $3,499/ CAD $4,771 per pair. The optional stands will be available at US $500/ CAD $682 per pair.

aspen FR5 Features at a Glance:

Enclosure type: sealed
High-frequency transducer: 2.5-inch planar magnetic ribbon tweeter with Teonex diaphragm
Midrange/low-frequency transducer: 6.5-inch cast-frame, Curv woven polypropylene, split-gap magnet structure with dual copper Faraday rings
Passive radiator: 6 by 9-inch rear-firing
Thermoset resin fiberglass-composite woofer baffle
Magnetically-attached grille
Custom crossover with premium metallized poly capacitors, air-core inductors and wirewound resistors
Frequency Response: 35 Hz – 20 kHz (- 6 dB, half-space; 30 Hz – 6 dB in-room)
Crossover Frequency: 1,750 Hz
Sensitivity: 83.5 dB
Nominal Impedance: 6 ohms (5.6 ohms minimum)
Recommended Amplifier Power: 50 – 150 watts
Dimensions: 14.5 x 8 x 13 inches (speaker only), optional stand, 28.25 x 11.75 x 14 inches
Weight: speaker, 26.6 lbs. (12.1 kg), stand, 13.7 lbs. (6.2 kg)

For the Silo, Frank Doris.

Teonex is a registered trademark of DuPont Teijin Films.

Reviews

How New $198K Speaker Produces Jump Factor

June 23, 2023 The Silo Leave a comment

HOLBROOK, New York, June, 2023 At Pacific Audio Fest 2023 Nola Speakers will feature the West Coast debut of its Baby Grand Reference Gold Series 3 loudspeaker. The full-range floor standing speaker offers a number of upgrades from the previous model to deliver an extraordinary quality of musical realism, including a new isolation system that provides greatly improved dynamics, low-level resolution and other benefits.

The Nola Baby Grand Reference Gold 3 loudspeaker will be showcased at Pacific Audio Fest, June 23 – 25, 2023 at the Doubletree By Hilton Hotel Seattle Airport, Seattle, Washington, in Olympic Room 3, Wing 7.

The speaker employs Nola’s hallmark open-baffle dipole design for the midrange drivers and tweeters, which eliminates box enclosure colorations and contributes to the speaker’s spacious soundstage. The Nola Baby Grand Reference Gold 3 features four proprietary true ribbon tweeters along with four newly-designed midrange drivers, and dual 220 mm woofers. The new isolation system is a key element in the speaker’s remarkable performance. The isolation base’s construction features a spiked platform with an improved version of Nola’s ball-bearing isolation technology incorporated into the base.

While the concept may seem simple, the results are profound.

Nola president Carl Marchisotto noted, The idea was inspired by attending a recent live music concert. You can instantly tell live from reproduced music, and I wondered why. I was struck by the fact that with live music, the harmonics decay properly with respect to the fundamental. They’re not lost, or cut off abruptly. I set out to make sure this important aural cue was preserved, by designing the new isolation base, and achieving further improvements in performance with our new low-distortion drivers and upgraded crossovers. Marchisotto continued, For the first time, we will demonstrate our ball bearing isolation system applied to the whole system, including the source, amplification and other components as well as the loudspeakers.

The true ribbon tweeters, which are built with final assembly completed in-house with proprietary components, have a frequency response to 100 kHz, for smooth, effortless high-frequency reproduction.

The midrange drivers incorporate Alnico ring magnets for a more lifelike attack and transient response, and now feature the same gold-plated phase plugs used in the woofers. The 220 mm woofers employ magnesium cones and massive Alnico ring magnets, and are housed in individual rear-ported chambers for deeper, more articulate bass with exceptional dynamic response. The 3-1/2-way crossover network is hand-wired with premium components and no PC boards used, to maintain sonic purity.

These speakers have what designers and reviewers used to call the jump factor, where they can surprise you with their dynamic impact and clarity, Marchisotto said. You don’t realize that certain distortions in a loudspeaker are eliminated until you don’t hear them, in a speaker that brings you closer to musical reality. We invite everyone at Pacific Audio Fest to come by and enjoy a very special listening experience.

The Nola Baby Grand Reference Gold 3 is available in mirror-imaged pairs in a choice of True Piano Black Gloss or True Piano Santos Rosewood finishes, with other finishes and colors available by special order. The Baby Grand Reference Gold 3 is now shipping at a suggested retail price of $150,000USD/ $198,190CAD per pair. For the Silo, Frank Doris.

About Nola Speakers

In 2004 Carl and Marilyn Marchisotto founded Accent Speaker Technology Ltd. and created the Nola product line with the goal of bringing the experience of listening to live music to a wider number of people. President and Chief Engineer Marchisotto has been designing audio equipment since 1973 at Dahlquist, Acarian Systems/Alon and Accent/Nola, which now offers a complete loudspeaker lineup from high-performance bookshelf models to the flagship USD$500,000/ CAD$660,650 pair Nola Grand Reference Gold VII System, designed and built to deliver ultimate musical performance in every aspect. Nola employs a number of key technologies including baffle-less dipole drivers, Alnico magnets, Unison Crossover technology that optimally blends the performance of multiple speaker drivers, and many other refinements.

Travel

My Magical Mystery Tour of Abbey Road Studio In London

February 3, 2021 The Silo Leave a comment

Have you ever experienced something surreal?

I had reason to visit and work at Abbey Road Studio in London, and it still seems surreal!! My colleague Jayson Tomlin, Gary Katz (producer of Steely Dan), and myself were there to do testing and evaluation of some new technologies we’ve been working on for broadcast and consumer applications.

We spent a full day working in one of the mix-down studios, along with members of the BBC, Scotland Yard, Abbey Road, David Perreau, Felix Konrad, and some of Gary’s record producer ‘buddies”…Hugh Padgham (Genesis, Rush, Phil Collins, Police, Sting, XTC), and Elliott Randall (studio guitarist for Steely Dan).

Frank with Hugh Padgham (left) and Gary Katz (right)

Our connection with Gary has enabled us to connect with key members of the music production world, which in turn has enabled us to further evolve technologies for broadcast, and soon the consumer markets. Our work at Abbey Road was another step along this process, and it raised the bar for us, on what is expected of our products.

Frank on the steps of Abbey Road Studios

Being able to set foot into the building and studio where the Beatles recorded and produced all of their material was breathtaking. I’ll never forget, as we were wrapping up the events for the day, the studio engineer, whom we were working with, said “hey guys come with me, two is now open!” In my mind I’m thinking “this is where all the ‘magic’ happened.” So, off we went, and sure enough we walk into studio #2, and it’s still pretty much the same as if John, Paul, George, and Ringo were there the day before. Getting chills—again—as I write this!!

Jayson Tomlin and others take in Studio #2

Probably the most gratifying moment that day was towards the end. Hugh Padgham had been listening to some tech I’d developed, and told me how he’d done work with the late George Martin. His comment was how he had a good sense about how George produced the Beatles, and could we apply my ‘gizmo’ to their music.

Abbey Road Cafeteria

So…in the building they recorded the album Abbey Road, we added some treatment to the song “Golden Slumbers.” Together, all of us were in awe to hear the Beatles music, with some treatment from our efforts, done at Abbey Road!

Tape deck used in the recording of Sgt. Pepper’s

There’s a skylight in the ceiling of the studio we were working in. While listening, I looked upward through the skylight, and thought, “if Mr. Martin, Mr. Lennon, and Mr. Harrison are listening, my hope is you won’t feel I let you down.” I felt a tear trickle down upon having this thought. Quite possibly one of the coolest occurrences in this boy’s life!!

Frank between pianos used for the Beatles’ “Get Back” and John Lennon’s “Imagine”

Modestly, it was reassuring when each of our well-known music industry guests gave us the “thumbs up’ for our efforts. Further indication of how our little organization keeps growing and raising the bar! In closing, my sincere thanks to Jayson Tomlin, Gary Katz, Hugh Padgham, Andrew Scheps, and Elliott Randall for your feedback and friendship!!

Recording mixer used to record Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon

For the Silo, Frank Foti.

Sci-Tech

Dolby Laboratories Media Emulator In Minnetonka Master Suite

March 1, 2013 The Silo Leave a comment

MINNETONKA, Minn. — Minnetonka Audio Software Inc. (MASI), a leader in production software for motion picture, broadcast surround sound, and consumer electronics applications, recently announced that it is now providing worldwide distribution and resales of the Dolby(R) Media Emulator toolkit from California-based Dolby Laboratories Incorporated. This fortifies Minnetonka Audio’s already comprehensive offering of production problem solvers. Minnetonka Audio has added Dolby Media Emulator to its SurCode for Dolby E Master Suite 3 product bundle without raising the bundle price.

“Our strategic decision to distribute Dolby Media Emulator strengthens our current product mix and expands our reach into more post suites,” said Jayson Tomlin, vice president of business operations at Minnetonka Audio. “For our customers, Dolby Media Emulator is a bargain in itself. By bundling it with the SurCode suite without raising the price, we’ve created a one-stop shop for media producers that is truly an outstanding value.”

Dolby Media Emulator is a software tool for authoring and post that provides real-time emulation for Dolby broadcast formats. Acting as a plug-in for popular digital audio workstations, Dolby Media Emulator enables an audio engineer to simulate accurately how content will sound when played back through licensed consumer electronics.

Dolby Media Emulator lets an operator preview the results of differing metadata values when decoding Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, and HE-AAC audio formats.

One application worth highlighting: Take a look at this diagram. See all of those speakers? Consider that Dolby Surround formats are varied but most include multiple speakers and therefore multiple positions of "sound". The vast majority of consumers are listening to complex surround signals through only one or two speakers. That means, a proper mix MUST take this into account. Minnetonka's Dolby Media Emulator makes sure you get this right. CP — One application worth highlighting: Take a look at this diagram. See all of those speakers? Consider that Dolby Surround formats are varied but most include multiple speakers and therefore multiple positions of “sound”. The vast majority of consumers are listening to complex surround signals through only one or two speakers. That means, a proper mix MUST take this into account. Minnetonka’s Dolby Media Emulator makes sure you get this right. CP

“With the majority of surround programs being played back in stereo and mono environments, correct metadata and downmix settings are a critical requirement for deliverables,” said Markus Hintz, director of global sales and business development at Minnetonka Audio. “In addition to previewing their metadata settings, audio engineers can use Dolby Media Emulator for standardized loudness measurement, proper monitoring of LtRt sources, and downmixes from all other sources.”

Rather than resort to using home audio gear in a professional workflow, engineers can use Dolby Media Emulator to validate mix and metadata decisions against a certified standard in their familiar monitoring environment.

To aid in specifying proper metadata values, Dolby Media Emulator can measure and properly determine the dialogue normalization (dialnorm) value with a standardized loudness meter. The included loudness meter supports international ITU-R BS.1770, ITU-R BS.1770-2, and EBU R-128 loudness standards and incorporates the optional Dolby Dialogue Intelligence(TM) algorithm. Its ability to configure and control the monitoring environment and evaluate metadata parameters makes Dolby Media Emulator an essential product for postproduction, DVD, and DTV facilities that master, author, or broadcast program material with Dolby surround sound formats. Dolby Media Emulator runs as an Avid(R) Pro Tools(R) RTAS(R) plug-in, and as a VST(R) plug-in for popular programs such as Nuendo(R).

Dolby Media Emulator is available for immediate delivery from Minnetonka Audio resellers and distributors, and also directly from Minnetonka Audio’s eShop. In-depth information on Dolby Media Emulator and how it enriches existing tools and workflows is available at www.minnetonkaaudio.com.