A Clean Audio Installation Guide™

by Benchmark Media Systems October 24, 1997 1 min read

Allen H. Burdick

Benchmark's "Clean Audio Installation Guide™"

By Allen H. Burdick

"Required Reading!"

This 24 page guide has been very popular. It has been hailed as “required reading for all broadcast engineers” by Richard Sequerra.

“We were able to change our engineering standards throughout the CBC as a result of this paper.” - Tom Holden Manager, Systems Engineering - Radio, CBC Toronto.

This paper revolutionized broadcast audio in the 1980's. It moved the industry away from 600-Ohm interfaces and radically changed the way analog audio was handled in professional environments.

In many ways, this paper still impacts every product that Benchmark builds today. We think that you will find this classic paper as useful today as it was when it was originally published in the 1980's. Due to the popularity of this paper, Allen updated it several times. The links will take you to Allen's final 1997 version.

We agree with Richard Sequerra. This is your required reading assignment!



Also in Audio Application Notes

System Performance Calculations
System Performance Calculations

by John Siau March 02, 2023 13 min read

If an audio system is composed of multiple components, we may have detailed specifications for each component, but we will not know the performance of the combined system without doing some calculations. You may have questions such as these:

  • Will my audio system produce audible noise?
  • Will my audio system produce audible distortion?
  • How will my audio components work together as a system?
  • How loud will my audio system play?

Use Benchmark's online audio calculators to find answers!

For example, if we know the output power of an amplifier, as well as the sensitivity and impedance of our loudspeakers, we can calculate the maximum sound pressure level that our system can produce.

PEAK SPL CALCULATOR
Speaker Sensitivity: dB SPL (2.83 V, 1 M)
Amplifier Power Per Channel into 8 Ohms: Watts
RESULTS
Peak Output Level (at typical listening position): dB SPL

 

This application note provides interactive examples that help to answer the questions listed above.

Read More
Audio Calculators
Audio Calculators

by John Siau November 29, 2022 1 min read

We have added an "Audio Calculators" section to our webpage. Click "Calculators" on the top menu to see more like these:

 

THD % to dB Converter
% THD
RESULTS
dB THD
THD dB to % Converter
dB THD
RESULTS
% THD
Read More
SECRETS Q&A WITH JOHN SIAU OF BENCHMARK MEDIA SYSTEMS
SECRETS Q&A WITH JOHN SIAU OF BENCHMARK MEDIA SYSTEMS

by Benchmark Media Systems January 07, 2022 1 min read

Secrets contributor Sumit Chawla recently caught up with Benchmark’s VP and Chief Designer, John Siau to get a little more in-depth on several subjects.

John Siau, VP Engineering, Benchmark Media Systems, Inc.

Q: "Benchmark is one of the few companies that publishes an extensive set of measurements, but you also balance that with subjective testing. Can you talk about the equipment, the listening room, and the process for subjective testing?"

Q: "Was there ever a time where you learned something from a subjective test that was not captured by measurements?"

Q: "You conducted some listening tests to determine whether distortion in the “First Watt” was audible. What test material did you use for this, and what did you find?"

Q: "The AHB2 amplifier incorporates THX Audio Achromatic Amplifier technology. When and how did the partnership with THX come about?"

Q: "Linear power supplies have been and remain quite popular in high-end devices. You favor switch-mode power supplies. When and why did you make this switch?"

... and more!

Read the full interview here 

Read More