Audio Precision's Bruce Hofer Discusses Analog's Future

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Jun 8, 2012 5:08 PM, By Gary Eskow

From his vantage indicate as a at large regarded audio dilettante and the Chairman and co-Founder of Audio Precision , the rarely esteemed producer of multichannel audio analyzing collection that not long ago well-known 25 years in business, Bruce Hofer sees the intrusion of digital audio from a special perspective.

He's ardent about analog, but believes this primitive trail is beneath siege.

"To put it bluntly," says Hofer, "analog audio is being marked down to not as big and not as big niches."

But, wait. Digital audio specs are really good, and in live announce situations in particular, doesn't digital connectivity lower miles of audio cabling with a shrinking in audio high quality that many would ponder borderline at best?

"There's no skepticism that digital estimate has turn more ubiquitous, and the opening levels that are performed are actually competent for many applications," Hofer said. "Quite frankly, an horrible lot is done of specs in the world of power amplifiers and A to D convertors, with the notion that the bigger the numbers, the larger the quality.

"There does, however, advance a indicate when the level of sufficiency for many people has been reached. For the many part, digital estimate has reached that level. Most A to D and D to A converters have reached the level of opening that provides roughly best audio in the minds of many human beings."

Better technology has played a outrageous purpose in that, of course.

"We've even seen a great alleviation in the area of microphones with the foreword of PDM microphones, that outlay a digital signal," Hofer said. "The operative doesn't even have to fret about interfacing. Loudspeakers are without a skepticism the weakest couple in the audio chain. They need intricate transducers and high power levels.

"Speakers are sincerely large gadgets that deliver automatic resonances. Designers are chipping divided at the imperfections, but there is work to be done."

That said, there is other side to all of this.

"Here's the fly in the ointment," Hofer said. "Digital is fine, but when you have to store the audio or transmit it by media that has paltry bandwidth ability - a unit phone or handheld low-pitched device, for e.g. - you have to compact the audio, and that's where the lions, tigers and dragons lie.

"We all recollect the robotic sound of a few of the early unit phones. That sound comes when you endeavor to simulate audio with unsound bandwidth. An horrible lot of consumer gadgets are still tormented with these problems. People are still working to obtain improved sound high quality out of paltry bandwidth."

Technology, however, has found a way to alternative route the early opening blockers - to a point.

"Pro audio, obviously, doesn't have these limitations," Hofer said. "Record your work to a large hard disc, and no pieces are lost. The complaint comes when you wish to pile create your work. At that point, you have to run your audio by a digital conversion processor to obtain a lower number of bits.

"Without a high level of high quality control, a poignant tumble in high quality may be introduced at this indicate in the audio chain."

So, where does this leave analog audio relocating forward?

"I'm not adage that I'm scared, but as we said, audio is being marked down to not as big niches in the marketplace place," Hofer said. "There will always be a urge for microphones that outlay an analog signal. The days of the aged desktop pre-amplifier - the beauty with analog volume and tinge controls and a change manage to guard the left and correct images - they are over!

"More and more, we're seeing the transformation towards Class D amplification, where a switch shifts between in addition to and minus voltages."

As for where his own firm is headed as analog faces its misleading future, Hofer mentioned outstanding stiff is not an option.

"We're dexterous and we adapt," Hofer said. "When we initial proposed our company, we were infectious the tail finish of the LP, the commencement of the CD era. We had to pick up about jitter, dithering and how to hoop quantization of audio.

"In the future, we may rise an audio analyzer that's 100-percent digital. The HDMI interface we offer has been awfully renouned with consumer wiring manufacturers.

"I'm not so certain that HDMI isn't about to excommunicate SPDIF in conditions of popularity. But, we pause to try and reason things out more than 3 to 5 years in the future. Someone's going to advance up with something revolutionary. Audio Precision will be there when they do."