inside the Danish laboratory that seeks to redefine audio

Denmark is the country of audio par excellence. The intense and extensive culture of hi-fi is joined by an entire powerful industry with a multitude of experienced companies that rely on leading academic institutions. A collaborative ecosystem that fosters research and development of the most cutting-edge technologies that later reach everyday life of millions of users of this type of devices.

To put this in perspective, more than 50% of all hearing aid sales in the world come from Danish manufacturers, and there are currently more than 60 bachelor’s and master’s programs in educational institutions where sound is an essential part of the teaching program. Harman Kardon is the most recent and important addition with the opening a few weeks ago of its first consumer audio engineering laboratory on European soil.

The Harman Kardon facilities are located in Kvistgård, about 40 kilometers north of Copenhagen, where they have several rooms dedicated to experimentation and creation of new technologies that little by little will be included in consumer audio equipment from both the same company and JBL. At EL ESPAÑOL – Omicrono we have been able to enter, observe and experience first-hand —or at first hearing—some of them.

“As a Danish engineer who has spent his entire career in the audio sector, the opening of our new laboratory is a moment of great pride for me,” said Carsten Olesen, president of consumer audio at Harman, during the presentation of the visit. . “With the expansion of our Danish headquarters in Kvistgård we are creating infrastructure and cultivating space for innovationcollaboration and pioneering advances that will drive the audio industry forward.”

Noise Cancellation

The newly opened laboratory includes a diffuse sound chamber where engineers can test sound performance of the designs. To do this, they use the so-called Harman Listening Curve, a world reference for measuring audio quality. It is a small room, conveniently isolated and stocked with the prototypes of the devices that will one day hit the market.

“First of all, we need to make a lot of recordings for our simulation and concept verification“says a company engineer. In the center of the room there is a surprising device to which two artificial ears have been placed simulating a standard auditory pavilion where designs can be tested.

The device prototypes present there have a series of meters that are linked to the sensors integrated in the laboratory room itself. The focus is on power capture as much information as possible about how the headphones sound when a person places them in their ears.

Although the most important aspect of this laboratory is that It is used to investigate noise cancellation. In that same room, Harman technicians have placed a series of speakers that simulate everyday noises. “Like a cafeteria.” The artificial ear—integrated into the measurement system—together with the headset being tested at that moment experience exactly the same situations as any user in their daily journey.

Engineers too They use pink noise to carry out the measurements of cancellation. It is a very characteristic noise with a series of acoustic properties that are used in the industry to make measurements, equalize rooms and rooms and to calibrate sound material.

Within the same room they also have a mannequin that can wear headphones. “It better resembles the human form”they explain, which provides better measurement results, although they recognize that simulated ears allow better standardization.

Attached to the room, they have a small control station from where they control all the sensors. “We use software commercial for sound analysis, but also we use tools developed by us themselves and that they adjust to the technology we have.

Spatial audio, key

One of the most notable novelties of the visit is what Harman and JBL are preparing for sync your devices and provide spatial audio. The ideal scenario for this technology is a television to which a sound bar has been directly connected and, around the user, a series of speakers that provide different audio sources.

The technological secret behind the company’s spatial audio lies in Auracast, a Bluetooth standard that allows share sound between multiple devices at the same time and which Harman Kardon is working to incorporate into more speakers.

The experience inside Harman’s laboratory consisted of sitting in front of a television to which a series of speakers were connected. A person from the company’s team played a short video and, after it, we were asked the question of how many speakers we thought were connected. The responses were very varied, but those of us present agreed that there were at least half a dozen.

The surprise arose when the Harman engineer indicated that only 3 had been responsible for providing the sound experience. In the short film played, audio seemed to come from everywhere. The thunder of the storm could be heard from the ceiling, the jungle fauna from behind and the rest of the noises from practically every angle, the sensation was of being surrounded by speakers.

Harman is currently developing an application to manage this interconnection that is combines with software and the hardware built into each of your devices, including those from JBL. The speakers—which also have microphones— They are able to know where they are located in space with respect to the rest of their classmates and what the room where they are is like. With this information, the software It is capable of distributing the audio between the devices and thus manages to be spatial.

The audio mesh was made up of an entry-level sound bar, a portable speaker like those that can be taken to the beach, and a more portable speaker more focused on the home. The bar was below the TV, the first portable speaker to its right on a ledge and the last one behind the staff. The devices “talk to each other through technology patented by Harman and they even know where they are located in space,” they explained in the demonstration.