Is this Hi-Fi or Sci-Fi?

[Michael Bean]

Hi all,

Just found this on the TI site:

Smart Amplifier technology enables customers to increase the clarity and peak power 10x to 15x over the speaker’s rating, and optimize the frequency response of their systems, without increasing the speaker form factor. This approach to speaker modeling and sound enhancement provides the ability to drive speakers much louder and safely than previously possible.

Looks promising and a little scary at the same time.

Live from CES 2013 ? Smart amplifier technology - Analog Wire - Blogs - TI E2E Community

Mike

 

[Jsixis]

Would like to see more, other then that it sounds like a compressor limiter device which is what radio seems to be doing now, no dynamic range just loud

 

[Michael Bean]

That's what I was wondering, is it an actual improvement in being able to ring more performance from a given speaker system, or is it just more of the same ol' "louder = better" crap. I can't tell what's going on after watching the video, it is obviously more dramatic when the system is active than when it's not, but is it "better"?

Mike

 

[sofaspud]

...a compressor limiter device which is what radio seems to be doing now...

Radio has been doing it for a long time, but now the powers that be dump it directly into the recording.
"The clarity and peak power" sort of suggests to me that this is something different (than more loudness wars weaponry) but the topic question's yet to be answered.

 

[KatieandDad]

Yep, music as we like to hear it is currently being eroded away. MP3 was the start, DAB is just awful compared to FM - that is until the FM is also compressed.

 

[Michael Bean]

My biggest fear is that things like this and all of the other recent trends in the music industry will eventually leave us with no hardware to play with, and no good sounding program material to listen to.

Mike

 

[Jsixis]

just pure speculation on my part, while thinking about ways to improve a speaker maybe they are pulsing the power power like they do to a class D chip, that would let the woofer move but stop it from over extending itself, and the voice coil should run cooler
guess we will have to wait and see