Research

Here is a brief list of past research experience at Perception Acoustics.

Rub and Buzz

A defective loudspeaker produces an extraneous sound referred to as 'rub and buzz.' It is most often caused by part interference such as the voice coil rubbing against the sides of the gap, a detached glue join, or an unsecured lead wire. Other causes may involve not having enough scope in the lead wires. Rub and buzz results in high order distortion products and is undetectable in a standard THD measurement. In this project, an algorithm was developed that rivals the best commercial detection solutions available today in accuracy. However, instead of a $20,000 test system, this measurement can be carried out using a high quality audio interface and microphone.

Acoustical Design for Harsh Environments

Many mission critical, portable communications products are required to reproduce intelligible speech under extreme environmental conditions such as a rainstorm. Under these conditions microphone ports and speaker grilles can quickly fill with water causing a loss of service and possible danger to personnel. A surface tension model was developed and a study untaken to determine optimum grille patterns and microphone porting solutions to prevent acoustical failure.