ADVANCES IN AUDIO & ACOUSTICS: YOUR POST-SHOW GUIDE TO AISE2019

Author: Andy Lewis, Global Sales Manager, Truextent® Advanced Acoustics

Between the recent ALMA International Symposium and Expo (AISE2019) and InfoComm 2019, Orlando has been buzzing with audio professionals from around the world. Our Materion team was on the AISE show floor with hundreds of loudspeaker and headphone engineers during the well-attended event to discuss all-things audio.

Acoustic testing, speaker design software and speaker manufacturing were just a few topics of interest throughout the week. With the audio market changing at a rapid pace to align with consumer technology trends, it’s critical for audio engineers to keep the conversations going that drive the industry forward. That’s why we’ve developed an overview of key show takeaways—see what topped our list.

SMART SPEAKER GROWTH: It comes as no surprise that there is a great deal of growth in the smart speaker category, which includes Amazon Alexa, Google Home and Apple HomePod. However, these devices present challenges for the audio industry because of their complex design, which requires a range of audio input and output to properly function. Given consumer dependency on these devices, audio engineers must continue to adapt to the challenges they present.

HIGH RESOLUTION MUSIC FILES DRIVE GROWTH: Thanks to growing popularity of sites such as TIDAL and QoBuz, listening to high definition music has become an attainable form of entertainment for consumers. This increased music file quality means that more consumers will seek out higher quality speaker solutions for an optimized listening experience—a trend that will also spread to the headphone and in-ear monitor market.

THE SEARCH FOR THE PERFECT MATERIAL: Speaker and headphone companies continue to test new materials to push performance and differentiate products in the market. Beryllium foil, for example, is one premium solution used to create speaker domes and cones that offer superior sound reproduction when compared to silk, titanium and plastic.

A SHIFT IN WORKFORCE: While the audio industry has primarily been male-dominated, there is a shift taking place as an increased number of women take on roles as audio engineers, bringing greater diversity to the industry. There was also a surge in student attendance at the show as the industry welcomes a younger generation of engineers—a critical step in building the audio talent pipeline.

To learn more about how Materion is innovating in the audio industry, visit our website.

Andy Lewis is the Global Sales Manager for Truextent Advanced Acoustics and has over 25 years of electronics and audio business development experience.

ALMA International Symposium and Expo (AISE2019) is a premier expo focused on audio engineering and design in the United States and was held in Orlando, FL.

ALMA is the Association of Loudspeaker Manufacturing & Acoustics International, a non-profit association focused on promoting standards, education, and networking for technical and business professionals in the acoustics, audio, and loudspeaker industry.