What will the next breakthrough in Audio be?

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From what I have seen and heard from the people in this industry, the evolution of audio will likely turn into a regression. Living rooms as listening spaces have shrunk, and so has the interest of younger audiences in sound quality and, perhaps, the most important - the stereophony. As one-box integrated streaming/playback solutions playing from the opposite corner of the room have taken place of proper stereo setups, in the coming years we will likely see louder, more efficient, integrated and miniaturized monaural equipment.
 
So exactly how does it determine what your ears "hear" to determine the appropriate correction, and how long to recalibrate if you loan them to someone else ? I assume that the "inner" portion of the ear bud has removable covers. They could be called something else, but that'd be rude.
 
So exactly how does it determine what your ears "hear" to determine the appropriate correction, and how long to recalibrate if you loan them to someone else ? I assume that the "inner" portion of the ear bud has removable covers. They could be called something else, but that'd be rude.

The app that goes with them analyses the natural feedback from the ear in response to the test signal and adjusts to the individuals hearing range in 30 seconds blah blah :)
i wana know how one of the groups they were tested on were " amazed at the different sound each user experienced". If each person heard things differently how did they tell what the others were hearing in order to make the comparison ?
 
Well, some people don't agree. Out of several claims here, one is that it's an attempt to finally "plug the analog hole" and have DRM on everything:

Taking the headphone jack off phones is user-hostile and stupid | The Verge

I doubt plugging the analog hole is really a significant motivation, but it could be an unfortunately byproduct. With it in place, the incentive to try to reimpose DRM on audio is greatly diminished, because ultimately, the analog hole provides an easy way around it.

Bluetooth is probably part of it. It is believed that apple's Lightning port will be used for wired headphones.

The small jack has always seemed dodgy to me. Even the "standard" itself is questionable - is it 1/8" as I heard years and decades ago (and supposedly half the diameter of the standard 1/4" phone plug), or is it 3.5mm? I think both of these nearly-identical-but-not-exactly sizes have been manufactured.

It's also, arguably, an incomplete abstraction for anything other than line-level signals. All things being equal. Moving the DAC and amp out of the phone and into the device containing the transducers will, at best, provide marginal improvements. All things aren't equal though. What happens when the amp is engineered alongside the transducer and housing, and digital EQ can be automatically tailored to the output device's profile?
 
The app that goes with them analyses the natural feedback from the ear in response to the test signal and adjusts to the individuals hearing range in 30 seconds blah blah :)
i wana know how one of the groups they were tested on were " amazed at the different sound each user experienced". If each person heard things differently how did they tell what the others were hearing in order to make the comparison ?
I think it works slightly differently: the built-in microphones measure and correct the frequency/SPL response of the closed can-air-ear chamber. Already existing on other headphones, such as AKG N90Q.
 
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It's also, arguably, an incomplete abstraction for anything other than line-level signals. All things being equal. Moving the DAC and amp out of the phone and into the device containing the transducers will, at best, provide marginal improvements. All things aren't equal though. What happens when the amp is engineered alongside the transducer and housing, and digital EQ can be automatically tailored to the output device's profile?

Bluetooth headset.. One more thing to have to keep charging... aaargh!

and -- find me a stereo BT headset that's as lightweight on the ears as a set of earbuds...
 
I think the next big thing will be when marijuana becomes legal it will help improve the SQ no matter what you may be using (with the exception being Bose).


already is in many US jurisdictions

States Where Recreational Marijuana Use is Legal - List

- get your doctor to prescribe for tinnitus or degenerated discs - the edibles are probably a better bet for non-smokers

personally, I find a nice West Coast Teddy from the Farmacy enhances watching something like GOT or Guardians of the Universe, and "Welcome to the Machine" from "Wish you were here" is takes on a whole new level of envelopment
 
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My girlfriend asked me if I copy other peoples designs. I answered yes I do except the original is so lost as to not be very obviously related. I once asked Ross Walker of Quad about using one of their patents. He said I could without any reference to Quad or payment as long as I didn't use their copywrited terms. He said many engineering applications are obvious and should not be pateneted. His quote was " There are only 3 ways to hook up a transistor and one of those is wrong". Even that can be challenged when a RH84 amplifier if saying a triode and transistor in that circuit could do much the same. I don't really want to get too much into that as I understand the why and the how. Lets say it almost looks like you can if Rp is high on the input tube. It was a very generous way to react on Mr Walkers part, he even wanted to help.

My real question is how to learn these days ( copy ). Google just isn't wanting to answer the questions I asked 10 years ago. So I tried Bing and got better answers. Do people have a favourite search engine that helps them better? I used to ask the daftest questions and 80% of the time got an answer in 2004. Now 5 % I would guess and only after trying the question many ways.

I think the past helps the future more than many think. An idea in search of the right part very often.
 
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