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  • COVID-19 ... Don't just survive!

    John Siau working from home

    A Week Ago, Life was Normal

    How fast things can change!

    This application note will be a departure from normal. I will make a few observations about the current situation and then look at the nuts and bolts of how we reconstructed our operations in less than 48 hours. Benchmark is 100% operational, but nothing looks the same as it did last week.

    It is March 23, 2020

    It is March 23, 2020 and we are currently battling the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic. It has found its way to New York State and our State and Federal governments have declared a state of emergency. New York State has been declared a federal disaster area and our Governor has ordered that most businesses send their entire staff home. This seems to be a serious situation and things are changing quickly. Life is anything but normal!

    Wide angle photo of John's home office

    Today is the First Day in our New Offices

    Like everyone else at Benchmark, this is my first day in my new home office. In less than 48 hours, Benchmark has transitioned from a traditional work environment to one where our entire office staff works from home. We are connected by computer networks, video conferencing, email, messaging and VOIP telephones. Most of us even have our Benchmark audio components set up so that we can listen to music and conduct collaborative sessions without struggling with poor audio. In the short term, our new offices are the new normal.

    View of snow-covered pine tree and farm land from John's home office

    In our headquarters, I could look through my office windows and see most of the other offices and a portion of the manufacturing floor. Now I am looking out my windows overlooking the snow-covered fields on our farm.

    "Essential Businesses"

    As I look around our community, restaurants, schools and churches are all closed but the liquor stores are open. It turns out that liquor stores are classified as "essential businesses". Who knew?

    In New York State, day care centers and public transportation have also been classified as "essential". Nevertheless I don't think I would want to be in either of those places! When asked about the reasons for keeping public transportation open, Governor Cuomo replied "people need a way to get to the hospital". Wow! Stay well and stay off of the trains and buses!

    The grocery stores are open and are doing record business. It is a good time to be in the grocery business. They are having a hard time restocking quickly enough to meet the record demand. Some items are hard to find. Who would have guessed that the hottest item would be toilet paper? There are definitely some people who will not need to buy any toilet paper for the next few years! The bright side is that some of the people who were laid off by restaurants are being hired by the grocery stores. Every crisis has winners and losers.

    Prognosis

    As we look around the world China claims they are returning to "normal", Singapore seems to have escaped the worst, but Italy is deep in the middle of a very serious crisis. Will the USA be the next Singapore or the next Italy? Time will tell. Things are not good in New York City, but we are doing well here in the rural areas of the state.

    Most members of the medical community are taking a very cautious approach and are warning that this is very serious. A minority are saying that this is no worse than a bad flu and that we are victims of incomplete statistics. Again, time will tell.

    The Life and Death Choice ... Option 1 or Option 2?

    It is clear that we need to find the proper balance between over reacting and failing to react. We seem to be faced with a difficult choice between two bad options. If we over react we may kill the economy but live to tell about it. On the other hand, if we fail to react, we will die and the economy won't matter.

    If someone tells you there are two options, always pick option 3!

    As an engineer I try not to choose the lesser of two evils. If all of the choices are bad, I keep looking for a solution. More often than not, we can find a solution that makes us stronger, better, and more resilient.

    So What Is Option 3?

    Stop asking yourself how you will survive!

    Ask yourself how this crisis will make you better.

    To do this, ask yourself the following questions:

    1. How can this crisis make my company stronger?
    2. How can this crisis make me a more productive employee?
    3. What do we need to stop doing?
    4. What do we need to start doing?

    For Benchmark these questions are answered as follows:

    1. We will be fully functional without the use of our main offices. This means that our computers, telephones, networks, desks, chairs and coffee cups exist in both places. We have full redundancy and both sets of offices are equally equipped. Nothing has to move other than the people. We can step back into our main offices and be ready to work. The key is to be able to step in or step out without setup time. Earlier this year we eliminated set-up tasks from our production line. Each work station is fully equipped and fully stocked for a specific task. Anyone can sit down and begin the task immediately. We are now applying this principle to our offices.
    2. When we walk into our home offices we will approach them with the same level of professionalism that we have in the main office. We will stay focused on work and then step out of the room and go home at the end of the day. Our salaried employees clock in and out of our time clock system to encourage this separation between work and family. It also lets us see which co-workers are working. Work hard, keep regular hours, and then leave work and go home! Don't try to do both at the same time.
    3. We will not do things just because we have always done them. We will adapt and find new ways of accomplishing daily tasks.
    4. We will pick the most efficient communication method for the task at hand. This may be a simple phone call or it may be a video conference with screen sharing. Keep communication quick and simple. Don't get bogged down with a bunch of fancy tools when a quick phone call would have sufficed. Know how to use the fancy tools but only use them when they are required.

    The Nuts and Bolts of a Rapid Exit

    • We cheated! We had a head start. This is essential. Give yourself an unfair advantage.
    • We had an entire set of duplicate VOIP telephones that were stored up as part of our disaster plan.
    • We had a few extra computers, monitors, desks and chairs. Last week we purchased what we didn't have. The new computers arrived on Friday and were deployed on Saturday.
    • By Saturday afternoon, most home offices were ready to go. All were ready by Sunday night.
    • In a few cases, we borrowed equipment from some offices. This is being replaced so that the home offices can stay intact when this is all over or partially over.
    • It is important to remember that the equipment is much cheaper than your time. Don't be afraid to replicate everything. Full redundancy is the way to go.

    Here is a photo of Michael's home office:

    Michael's Home Office with 3 monitors, a phone and a Benchmark audio system

    Technical Details

    We have redundant internet connections at the main office. These connections come from two different providers and enter opposite ends of the building from two different streets. We use redundant fail-over firewalls, switches, and servers. We have on-site and off-site backups of every computer on the network (not just the servers). Even the off-site computers are backed up daily. The goal is to minimize down time and maximize our resiliency to withstand the unexpected.

    Our VOIP phones can be plugged into the internet almost anywhere in the world and they act as if we are in our main office. We can see who is on the line and we have all of the exact features that we have when we are in the main office. Our phones ring both places at the same time.

    Several of us have iPads on our desks that show all of our security cameras. This keeps the remote workers in touch with what is happening in the main office.

    An internet connected doorbell, electronic lock and intercom system allows us to accept deliveries without being at the office.

    John's Home Office with a full Benchmark Audio System

    Essential Audio Equipment

    We all have headphones in our home offices so that we can have collaborative sessions without the usual echo and feedback problems. Headphones are essential. They can also provide some isolation from noise and distractions.

    Most of us have Benchmark DAC3 D/A converters connected to our computers. These provide top-quality output to our HPA4 headphone amplifiers and AHB2 power amplifiers. These Benchmark components are everyone's favorite part of our home offices. I am streaming music from Tidal using a Roon server. We are not just surviving!

    Time to Leave the Office

    It is now time to quit for the day. I am hitting the time clock and walking out of my home office for the day. It is a very short commute, one stairway and about 10 steps. I am going home to spend some time with my family and I won't be back until tomorrow morning.

    Stay safe and don't just survive. Figure out how to be a winner not just a survivor!


    Also in Audio Application Notes

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    Making Sound with Plasma - Hill Plasmatronics Tweeter

    by Benchmark Media Systems June 06, 2023 2 min read

    At the 2023 AXPONA show in Chicago, I had the opportunity to see and hear the Hill Plasmatronics tweeter. I also had the great pleasure of meeting Dr. Alan Hill, the physicist who invented this unique device.

    The plasma driver has no moving parts and no diaphragm. Sound is emitted directly from the thermal expansion and contraction of an electrically sustained plasma. The plasma is generated within a stream of helium gas. In the demonstration, there was a large helium tank on the floor with a sufficient supply for several hours of listening.

    Hill Plasmatronics Tweeter Demonstration - AXPONA 2023
    While a tank of helium, tubing, high voltage power supplies, and the smell of smoke may not be appropriate for every living room, this was absolutely the best thing I experienced at the show!
    - John Siau
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    Benchmark AHB2 Power Amplifier

    ChatGPT Reviews the AHB2 and Includes Listening Impressions!

    by John Siau June 02, 2023 2 min read

    What happens when you ask ChatGPT to write a review?

    I asked ChatGPT to review the Benchmark AHB2, and I was shocked at the results!

    It turns out that ChatGPT wrote a review by gleaning information from the many publicly available reviews of the AHB2. I recognized phases and sequences of words that had appeared in prior reviews, and yet the text was new, original, and well written. The ChatGPT review seemed to summarize the collective impressions of the reviewers without directly quoting any particular reviewer.

    It should be possible to ask ChatGPT to write a review on any well-known product and the result will be an AI-generated review that reflects the collective opinions of many human reviewers.

    These AI-generated reviews may be more useful than traditional search results!

    If I am not mistaken, ChatGPT seems to have golden ears!

    Here is my dialog with ChatGPT:

    John Siau PFP

    John Siau:

    Write a review of the Benchmark AHB2 complete with listening impressions.

    chatGPT logo

    ChatGPT:

    Title: Unleashing Sonic Purity: A Review of the Benchmark AHB2 Amplifier

    Introduction: The Benchmark AHB2 amplifier has gained a reputation for its exceptional audio performance and unwavering dedication to sonic purity. In this review, we delve into the heart of this powerhouse amplifier, exploring its features, design, and most importantly, the listening impressions it evokes...

    Read Full Post
    ChatGPT Logo

    ChatGPT and John Siau Discuss Star-Quad Cables

    by Benchmark Media Systems May 30, 2023 7 min read

    Today, Benchmark's John Siau and OpenAI's ChatGPT had a conversation about star-quad cables. It turns out that ChatGPT got quite a few things wrong, but learned quickly when these errors were pointed out by John Siau.

    ChatGPT is quick to recognize mistakes, and quick to provide detailed corrections. In each of the first few corrections, additional errors were made. As each of these were pointed out, ChatGPT began to provide accurate information.

    Here is my conversation with ChatGPT: 

    John Siau PFP

    John Siau:

    How do star-quad cables reject interference?

    ChatGPT logo

    ChatGPT:

    Star-quad cables are designed to provide improved rejection of ...

    Read Full Post