| Feature Articles |
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 | Lamps & Energy - All material under this heading now has a new home with a separate index | 02 Dec 11 |
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| Benefits of Bi-Amplification - Not quite magic, but close (Part I) | 02 May 05 |
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| Benefits of Bi-Amplification - Crossovers, tri-amping, etc. (Part II) | 02 May 05 |
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| Counterfeit (Fake!) Semiconductors - Don't you be caught with fake, below spec transistors when you build a project! | 13 Feb 11 |
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| Education - Customised projects for schools, technical colleges and universities | 30 Apr 03 |
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| The State of Manufacturing - This article should be a mandatory read for all businessmen and politicians, a real wake-up call ! | 16 May 10 |
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| Public Address Systems for Music Applications - Something of an exposé on the pitfalls of PA systems | 03 Oct 09 |
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| Cinema Sound ... Why Isn't It Excellent? - The cinema X-Curve (ISO Bulletin 2969) is used everywhere, but is it right? | 28 Mar 12 |
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| Amplification | |
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| Amplifier Sound - What causes the perceived differences between amps? Is it real or imaginary? | 09 Apr 00 |
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| Class- A - a discussion of the benefits of Class-A amplifiers | 02 Apr 05 |
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| Class- G - One of the lesser known amp classes. An explanation of how they work | 06 Jan 09 |
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| Clipping Behaviour - One of the lesser known effects of amplifier clipping, and the damage it can do. | 15 Oct 04 |
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| Commercial Sound - 70V & 100V 'constant voltage' line public address systems. Learn the pitfalls before you get caught.  | 20 Jun 12 |
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| Distortion & Negative Feedback - A detailed look at the way negative feedback reduces distortion | 17 Oct 06 |
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| Guitar Amplifiers - Often there is little point repairing, and a replacement power amp should be considered. Here is why. | 14 Feb 11 |
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| Intermodulation Distortion - Interesting finding, symmetrical Vs. asymmetrical. Where did the difference frequency go? | 23 Sep 12 |
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| Musical Instrument Amplifiers - Guitar, Bass and Keyboard | 04 Feb 01 |
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| Reverberation - The care and feeding of spring reverb tanks | 17 Sep 09 |
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| Short Circuit Protection - Testing amplifiers to the limits ‡ | 22 Aug 00 |
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| Soft Clipping - Is adding a soft-clip circuit worth the effort? | 15 Apr 06 |
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| The Need For Speed - Very high speed opamps from Texas Instruments | 17 Aug 01 |
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| Phase Angle Vs. Transistor Dissipation - A simplified approach to understanding Safe Operating Area | 19 Mar 05 |
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| PWM (Class-D) Amplifiers - Theory and design concepts behind these 'new' amplifiers | 25 Jun 05 |
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| Sound Impairment Monitor - Is This The Answer? - A new method to monitor distortion in real time | 23 Sep 00 |
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| Transistor Safe Operating Area - What is SOA, and how does it affect amplifier designs | 14 Aug 03 |
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| Valves & Amplifiers - A new section that includes information about valves, myths, etc. | 17 Jan 10 |
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| Cables | |
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The Truth About Cables, Interconnects and Audio in General - A "must read" article |
20 Sep 02 |
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More Truth About Cables - A white paper discussing speaker cables and interconnects *‡ |
22 Jul 01 |
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Cable Impedance - Characteristic impedance, high capacitance designs and amp stability |
17 Oct 03 |
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| General Information | |
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| A-Weighting And Sound Measurements ... How the indiscriminate use of A-weighting causes grief | 23 Sep 12 |
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| A-B Switch Box for Amplifier Comparisons - Something to offend everyone, or a great tool? ‡ | 15 Aug 00 |
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| ABX Comparator - A true ABX system that does not need a PC or microcontroller ‡ | 11 Aug 02 |
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| AM Radio - Approaches to high fidelity AM broadcast band reception ‡ | 18 Feb 06 |
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| Buying Parts - A general look at the parts you need for electronics hobby work. | 16 Oct 07 |
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| Capacitors - What are the influences that determine the so-called 'sound' of capacitors. Covers dielectrics, dissipation factor, etc. | 25 Oct 05 |
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| CD, SACD and DVD-A -A Comparison of the formats in a discussion between Niklas Ladberg and Ing. Ohman (very interesting) ‡ | 28 Aug 02 |
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| Compression In Audio - Ever wondered why some music sounds flat and lifeless, even though it's loud? | 21 Dec 01 |
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| DC Offset and Transformers - Many people have found that toroidal transformers growl at times. This explains why, & how to fix it. | 09 Mar 08 |
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| Compound vs. Darlington - An explanation of the differences between Compound (Sziklai) and Darlington pairs. | 06 Jan 11 |
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| Earthing Your Hi-Fi - Tricks and Techniques - How to eliminate hum without affecting safety | 30 Dec 99 |
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| Electrocution - How to avoid being electrocuted, what to do if the worst happens | 28 Apr 07 |
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| Fusing - Circuit protection, how to select the right circuit protection device to prevent serious damage ‡ | 17 Sep 09 |
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| Heatsink - Build Your Own? - Yes, it can be done. If you have the tools, you can make a heatsink as big as you'll ever want. | 11 Feb 06 |
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| Importing Equipment From Overseas ... Effects of Voltage & Frequency on Electronic Equipment (50/60Hz can make a big difference !) | 05 Feb 10 |
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| Is Sound an Illusion - An interesting discussion about our perception of sound ‡ | 27 Sep 09 |
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| Impedance - What does it really mean? A general discussion on impedance, damping, etc. | 24 Jan 05 |
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| Microphones - An introduction to the different types, polar response and behaviour of microphones | 12 Jan 06 |
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| Myths in Audio - A Look at some of the more entrenched myths, as well as some that are just too silly for words. | 21 Jul 12 |
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| Patents - A look at the patent system, and how (or if) it affects the DIY fraternity. ‡ | 15 May 10 |
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| Phono Cartridge Loading - A detailed examination of the phono cartridge, and how loading affects response | 19 Jan 12 |
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| Transformers ... The Variac - One of the most useful but misunderstood pieces of workshop equipment. | 20 Feb 09 |
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| Why Do Tweeters Blow? - The real reason that tweeters (and other drivers) are destroyed by distortion  | 09 Jun 12 |
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| What is Hi-Fi - A contributed article on some of the subtle aspects of Hi-Fi ‡ | 05 May 01 |
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| What is Hi-Fi (Part II) - Continuation of 'What is Hi-Fi' explaining the idea of accuracy (amongst other things) | 29 Mar 04 |
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| Beginners' Luck - The beginners' Guide to ... |
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| Electronics Basics - The Lenard Audio site has an education section that is highly recommended for those just starting out
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| Amplifier Basics - How Amps Work - How amplifiers do what they do | 06 Apr 05 |
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| Amplifier Efficiency - Power Loss, DC voltages and current explained | 29 Jan 00 |
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| Amplifier Troubleshooting and Repair Guide If it's broken, you may be able to fix it. This article is designed for those new to repairs | 27 Apr 03 |
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| Amp Troubleshooting and Repair Guide - Part 2 Preamps, crossovers and other opamp circuits can cause grief too | 06 Jan 07 |
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| Bridging - How the "Trimode" bridging system works in car power amplifiers | 20 Oct 02 |
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| Bulletin Boards - A guide to etiquette when posting at your favourite forum ‡  | 09 Apr 01 |
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| Designing With Opamps I - What they are, what they do, and how they do it | 03 May 00 |
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| Designing With Opamps II - Audio applications, filters, crossovers, etc. | 08 May 00 |
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| Designing With Opamps III - More Filters, Specifications, Comparators, etc. | 11 May 06 |
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| Electronics - Part 1 Passive components - resistors, capacitors and inductors explained | 13 Mar 01 |
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| Electronics - Part 2 The resistor 'E' series (e.g. E12, E24, etc), Zener Diodes | 05 Mar 04 |
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| Frequency, Amplitude and dB - An explanation of the terms, what they mean, and how they are applied | 02 Dec 06 |
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| Meters, Multipliers & Shunts - How to use analogue and digital panel meters | 06 May 06 |
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| Mixing - Active Vs. Passive - The basic principles of mixing two or more signals, as used in simple applications through to multi-channel mixers. | 05 Oct 10 |
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| Potentiometers. - what they are and how to use them in practical circuits. | 22 Jan 03 |
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| Power - An explanation of the derivation of PMPO in amplifiers. Light reading, really | 19 Jun 00 |
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| Tools - The basics of the mechanical aspects of your hobby ‡ | 21 Mar 01 |
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| Voltage Dividers & Attenuators - A short article describing how to design these essential circuits | 21 Dec 02 |
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| Design Guidelines | |
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| Active Filters - Active filter design guide ... topologies, component selection, slope (dB/octave), transient response, etc. | 29 Aug 09 |
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| Active Filters, State-Variable - The state-variable active filter is one of the most versatile designs known. Find out what they can do. | 10 Dec 12 |
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| Amplifier Design - ESP's contribution to the everlasting debate | 09 Jun 01 |
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| Amplifier Design With HEXFETs - Getting good performance from vertical MOSFETs is possible (Updated) | 13 Mar 06 |
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| Balanced Driver with Floating Output - An in depth discussion of the design process ‡ | 14 Apr 02 |
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| Balanced Interfaces - Essential reading for anyone designing equipment using balanced interconnects ‡ | 19 Jan 10 |
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| Current Sources, Sinks & Mirrors - A discussion on these much misunderstood circuits. | 28 Apr 07 |
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| Heatsinks - An article on heatsink selection, transistor mounting and thermal transfer principles | 17 Sep 03 |
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| MOSFET Relays - Very different, but extremely useful for high power amps that will destroy any normal relay | 09 Jun 12 |
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| Noise in Audio Amplifiers - An explanation of noise figures, and how circuit noise is calculated | 29 Jan 00 |
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| Opamp Alternatives - A sample of the circuits that were in common use before opamps 'took over' | 28 Apr 05 |
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| Power Supply Design - How to design linear power supplies - transformers, rectifiers and filters | 03 Dec 07 |
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| Sinewave Generators - An examination of different sinewave generation techniques. | 16 Apr 10 |
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| Transistor Matching Tests - Matching Bipolars or MOSFETs for critical amplifier applications | 08 Dec 01 |
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| Variable Impedance Amplifiers - How you can control the output impedance of a power amp | 22 Apr 00 |
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| Voltage controlled Amplifiers/ Attenuators - An investigation into VCA techniques, including JFETs, LED/LDR modules and 'true' VCAs | 29 Dec 12 |
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| Power Supplies | |
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| Bucking Transformers Here is a bit more info than you'll find elsewhere - how to do it properly | 23 May 10 |
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| Inrush Current What it is, what it can do, and how to prevent it from causing problems | 25 Oct 10 |
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| Power Supply Wiring There are a lot of considerations for the wiring of a PSU - read about it here | 07 Jun 03 |
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| Transformers - Part 1 The basics of transformers, what they do, and how they do it. | 05 May 01 |
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| Transformers - Part 2 The details of magnetic circuits, windings, core types and losses. Now includes current transformers | 20 Oct 12 |
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| Transformers - Part 3 Designing and analysing transformers - not at all for the faint-hearted, but all very useful information. | 16 Jan 06 |
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| Small Power Supplies Design of small PSUs - includes information that might save your life ! | 12 May 08 |
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| Crossovers, Filters and Signal Processing |
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| Active Vs. Passive Crossovers - An explanation for the profound audible differences | 11 Jan 04 |
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| Baffle Step Compensation - What it is and why we need to compensate for it | 08 Dec 01 |
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| Derived (Subtractive) Crossovers - An examination of these networks, and why they are unsuitable for serious use | 21 Sep 05 |
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| Digital Signal Processing (DSP) - What DSPs can - and cannot - do for your system | 09 Dec 06 |
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| NTM™ Crossovers - This is a topic that has virtually zero technical information on the Net ... until now. | 15 Sep 05 |
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| Passive Crossovers - The Design of High Quality Passive Crossover Networks | 05 Nov 01 |
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| Phase Correction - Myth or Magic? - Do all-pass filters really work to correct loudspeaker phase anomalies? | 27 May 07 |
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| Serial vs. Parallel Crossover Networks - Are there any real differences? | 14 Aug 03 |
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| Loudspeaker Design | |
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| Compliance Scaling - Fitting just about any driver to just about any alignment | 30 Jun 05 |
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| Doppler Distortion in Loudspeakers - Is the effect real or imaginary when applied to loudspeakers? The results may surprise you | 23 Aug 04 |
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| Impedance - Effects Of Source Impedance on Loudspeaker Drivers | 22 Jul 01 |
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| The Linkwitz Transform Circuit - What it is, what it does and how it does it ‡ | 16 Sep 02 |
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| Loudspeaker Failure Modes - Why do loudspeakers fail? What can be done to prevent failures? Not what you expect! ‡ | 02 Jun 12 |
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| Loudspeaker Power vs. Efficiency - There's more to this than meets the eye | 16 Dec 06 |
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| Loudspeakers (Part I) - see the production of my latest triamped speaker boxes unfold | 14 Jul 01 |
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| Loudspeakers (Part II) - The electronics that drive the 3-way system are described | 18 Nov 01 |
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| Phase, Time and Distortion in Loudspeakers - Is "Time Alignment" worth the effort? | 30 Jul 02 |
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| Pikku 9 - Simple Network Lowers f3 - A useful approach for obtaining better bass from a very small loudspeaker ‡ | 23 Jul 06 |
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| Satellites & Subwoofers - Description of the little known QB5 loudspeaker alignment. Maximum SPL from 2-way bookshelf speakers. ‡ | 28 Aug 04 |
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| Small Satellite Loudspeaker - Using techniques described in various articles, this project should have wide appeal for home theatre ‡ | 27 May 07 |
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| Subwoofer Conundrum - Some tips and hints on subwoofer selection, efficiency and placement | 12 Mar 04 |
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| Thiele Small Parameters - Determining the Thiele/Small parameters for a loudspeaker driver | 12 Jan 06 |
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| Volume Filling a Reflex Box - It is generally thought that vented boxes should not be filled, but this isn't necessarily the case ‡ | 05 Feb 07 |
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| Practical DIY Waveguides - Waveguide definition, calculation and construction ‡ | 01 Dec 06 |
May the flow of input continue - for anyone who would like to contribute, please do not hesitate to contact me.
At any given time, there are usually articles in production either by myself or contributors. It is no longer possible (or sensible) to leave hints as to what may or may not be coming, since it is so easy to get sidetracked by something new that comes along. Feel free to offer suggestions, or offer your own contribution.
Less than 2 months old (typically).