***NEW*** Meeting segment "Tech Talk"

[masterpaul]

Last month's "Tech Talk" by Morris Swift of Serhan + Swift was such a success that the club will be adding "Tech Talk" as a regular meeting segment.
If you have a topic that you would like explained and discussed, please contact : president@sydneyaudioclub.org.au

July Meeting :
Nigel Ng from Audio Connection in Leichhardt will be presenting a TechTalk on the topic of Streaming, Streaming Services and Devices. This interactive discussion should answer all your questions about streaming. Please arrive around 12.15 pm for the TechTalk. If you happen to be late just quietly slide into a seat and join the discussion. As our club is based on mutual respect, especially in these open presentations, let us remain respectful towards one another’s views and opinions.

[masterpaul]

The inaugural 'Tech Talk' with Morris Swift B.E. (Hons 1) presenting on "The Amplifier Loudspeaker Interface" and why an amplifier cannot tell a speaker what to do -
"Everything you wanted to know, plus a few things you wish you didn't".

Morris took us through the dynamics of speakers, their frequency variations, Quality Factor, and the maths / calculations regarding their inherent Impedance characteristics, speaker feedback and how they present themselves to an Amplifier.

[masterpaul]

July Tech Talk - Streaming - Nigel Ng from Audio Connection

Whenever we introduce someone to the concept of streaming, there’s two knowledge gaps to fill.
One – how the music is reproduced, and
Two – the network infrastructure required to make this happen.

 

Stages of a network
- Internet access-Modem
- Routing
- Switching
- Wireless access

 

IP Addresses
Every unit on your network requires a unique IP address.

Why you need a better modem - Sometimes we hear “Why do I need a better router, I can watch Netflix just fine”
The free (or cheap) router you get from your ISP will not do the job.
There’s just too much information particularly when it comes to live streaming.

These points covered -

General comparison on the main differences between traditional analog playback and streaming in terms of the methodology and equipment required.

Overview of the equipment available and the changing options where the “box” count is being reduced as more products are released that combine multiple functions.

Discussion on the software available to enable cataloging of local digital library and enable streaming from services such as Tidal.

Description of common problems with streaming in the home environment, particularly the issues with bandwidth and Wi-Fi. Suggestions were provided on simple enhancements to optimize streaming capability.

Broad overview of the types of connections such as USB.

This topic was very relevant as there has been many advances in technology and there are a range of products which have simplified the streaming of music and have also addressed the early issues with sound quality.

 

 

Edited August 1, 2022 by masterpaul
Added content

[masterpaul]

August TechTalk - Jack Pitt and Ross Giblin on the topic ‘The Design and Development of Pitt & Giblin Superwax speakers’
The Superwax speakers feature a visually stunning bronze waveguide (the product of a PhD Thesis) sitting on top three drivers in a handcrafted cabinet delivering a musically detailed, full and rich sound experience.

[masterpaul]

The September Meeting Tech Talk will be Alan March of March Audio, who will cover a number of subjects:

Class D Amplifiers 101

What is Important in Speaker design?

Let’s get off the ground – Why its time to ditch RCA connections.

[masterpaul]

Pitt & Giblin Superwax active speakers

 

Jack Pitt and Ross Giblin provided a discussion on their design journey in developing their speakers which included:
Details on the design process on the development of the waveguide which included extensive modeling and many iterations and measurements to finally arrive at the current design
Discussion on the importance of the crossover between the woofer and tweeter
Explained the principal of directivity and practical application.
General discussion on room effects and reverberation.
The advantage of active speakers, particularly when DSP is included and the ability to tailor the sound to compensate for end users room characteristics.

This informative and interesting discussion provided the club members with an insight and understanding of the technical expertise required and the practical issues of designing speakers, particularly with a unique design such as the waveguide. The amount of time required and technical expertise for developing any audio product is quite overwhelming and a real passion was evident from Jack and Ross.

[masterpaul]

Alan March from March Audio generously gave a technical talk based on his amplifiers and in particular the details of class D amplifiers. Alan started his talk with an exciting video (destruction of a jet engine) from his previous career and detailed the path he took with his extensive engineering knowledge to becoming a manufacture of amplifiers and speakers in Australia.

Alan’s talk in summary covered the following:
Overview of the different classes of audio amplifier (A, B, A/B & D)
Played a video of the output of class A amplifier, both with a load and no load
Discussed the common myths associated with class D amplifiers (the most common is that “D” stands for digital !)
Discussed the actual facts regarding class D amplifiers (low noise & distortion, high efficiency, happy with difficult speaker loads etc).

The technical talk was an informative and interesting discussion, particularly as there are many new active speakers that often incorporate class D amplifiers.  There was quite a lot of technical questions from the audience which Alan provided thoughtful and technically sound responses.

The second part of Alan’s talk was a brief overview of speaker design and what is important to ensure a speaker both measures well and also sounds good. This naturally led into a brief overview of March Audios new Sointuva WG speakers.
The Sointuva WG speakers are made in Australia of solid wood as opposed to the common veneered products such as mdf and are quite heavy for their modest size which is attributed to both the timber used and the substantive construction to ensure a resonant free enclosure. They are an attractive speaker and the unique Purifi PTT6.5X04-NFA-01 extended stroke driver with its unique construction was widely inspected by the members.

[masterpaul]

February 2023 TechTalk - “Why Active?”

 

The title for the TechTalk session this month is “Why Active?” presented by Morris Swift B.E. starting at 12.30pm.
The topic is more about speakers and less about exercise.
We are fortunate to have club members like Morris who has had extensive experience in the HiFi industry behind the scenes in the creation of active speakers.

 

Please arrive around 12.15 pm for this unique interactive discussion. If you happen to be late just quietly slide into a seat and join the discussion. As our club is based on mutual respect, especially in these open presentations, let us remain respectful towards one another’s views and opinions.

 

Doors open from 12.15 pm to meet and chat with members before the TechTalk.
There will be a break from 1.30 pm – 2 pm to grab a bite to eat and a drink before the music meeting starts at 2 pm.

[masterpaul]

Morris Swift ( https://www.serhanswift.com/ ) delivered a masterclass about crossover concepts, comparing passive and active crossover theory.
Morris demonstrated the sound of a speaker, then the sound produced by the LF driver, followed by the sound of the HF driver on it's own.

[masterpaul]

The TechTalk session for March is “Hi Fi and Cables” presented by Charl DuPlessis, the Audioquest guru at Sound United, starting at 12.30pm

[A.K.]

The "TechTalk" segments have indeed become a very important, informative and entertaining part of our meetings.

There's always areas in our 'hobby' that, many of us, are not quite clear about.

These sessions give answers and generate a good basis for discussion on the subject of the day.

Looking forward to next Sunday's cable talk.

[masterpaul]

On 07/03/2023 at 1:11 AM, masterpaul said:

Charl DuPlessis, the Audioquest guru at Sound United

 

[masterpaul]

The May 2023 Meeting TechTalk will be presented by Aris Theocharides of 3SB Audio

[masterpaul]

On 24/04/2023 at 8:52 PM, masterpaul said:

The May 2023 Meeting TechTalk will be presented by Aris Theocharides of 3SB Audio

For anyone who missed this, the presentation is available here.
https://3sb.audio/open/3SB-Tech-Talk/index.html#0

 

Two videos of 3SB 's Audio and Ari's "TechTalk" presentation can be found in the following Y.T. links.

Unfortunately there was a malfunction of the lapel mic, so sound is rather low but quite audible when volume is set high enough.
Videos of future event will have much better sound.

Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kf2h2ulVASI
Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SeH1BOop-GM

 

Edited June 2, 2023 by masterpaul
Links added. extra images

[masterpaul]

The July Tech Talk - David Corazza from Sound And Music - "The evolution of DACs and where we are now".

[masterpaul]

On Sunday 10th September Andrew Hutchison of Stereotech will be presenting a Techtalk on the ‘Design and Manufacture of High Fidelity Products in Australia’
https://stereotech.com.au/

Edited September 12, 2023 by masterpaul
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[masterpaul]

On Sunday 8th October Morris Swift of Serhan Swift will be presenting a TechTalk titled "In Ears We Trust??" –  what you can measure vs. what you can hear.

Morris has an encyclopaedic knowledge of Hi-Fi design and his previous TechTalks by have been engaging and stimulating.

Edited October 14, 2023 by masterpaul
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[masterpaul]

For the November Sydney Audio Club TechTalk, Cameron Keating from Maxmedia Pty Ltd will be presenting a TechTalk on valve (vacuum tube) amplifiers - Single Ended Triode, Push-Pull, and Transformers.

[masterpaul]

The February 2024 Meeting TechTalk will be a presentation by Rick Stepanov of Hi End Audio about published audio specifications versus what you can hear when you actually listen to the product - “Audio Specs. v. the Real World”. https://hiendaudio.com.au/

[masterpaul]

March 2024 TechTalk

The March TechTalk topic is ‘An introduction to speaker measurement in a room’ or how to measure speaker frequency response in a room like you would in an anechoic chamber. One of our members Allex M will demonstrate the measurement of a speaker and show how to read the graphs produced.

[masterpaul]

On 03/03/2024 at 5:58 PM, masterpaul said:

March 2024 TechTalk

The March TechTalk topic is ‘An introduction to speaker measurement in a room’ or how to measure speaker frequency response in a room like you would in an anechoic chamber. One of our members Allex M will demonstrate the measurement of a speaker and show how to read the graphs produced.

Part of Allex' rig, the microphone fed REW, and the results were projected using our new projector for all to see.

[masterpaul]

The April Meeting TechTalk is titled ‘Digital Audio 101…0010101110010110010’ or How does digital audio actually work? How do digital and analogue formats compare? How do they sound and why? Dispelling the myths in a language you can understand presented by Morris Swift. The doors will be open from around 12.30 pm to meet and chat with members before the TechTalk starts at 1:00 pm.
As our club is based on mutual respect, especially in these open presentations, let us remain respectful towards one another’s views and opinions.

Edited April 21, 2024 by masterpaul
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[masterpaul]

The April 2024 Meeting also featured a presentation by Kim Ryrie of DEQX

[masterpaul]

The topic of the May 2024 TechTalk by Brian Rodgers of Richter will be about the history, background and design parameters of the Richter speaker lineup. Sydney Audio Club is proud to showcase yet another Australian company.

[masterpaul]

For the June 2024 TechTalk, Morris Swift discussed various amplifier topologies and their drawbacks.

The analogue classes, Class D, and the dreaded Switch Mode power supply.
 

Edited June 17, 2024 by masterpaul
*%@ Spellcheck