Beaverton, OR. Audio Precision has introduced the AECM206 headphone test fixture. Headphone measurements can be complicated, owing to the close coupling of earphones to the ears and the corresponding acoustic transmission paths, as well as the need to properly reproduce the ear’s acoustic impedance. The AECM206—in conjunction with APx Series analyzers, accessories, and software—provides the user with a complete system enabling precise and repeatable electroacoustic testing of headphones and insert earphones (earbuds).
The AECM206 is a dense, robust fixture mounted on a resilient base to isolate ambient
noise, which can adversely affect measurement integrity. Equally capable in both R&D and production test applications, it is suited for testing circum-aural, supra-aural, and intra-concha headphones and earbuds. The AECM206’s high level of acoustic isolation also enables the measurement of noise-reduction performance of ANC (active noise canceling) headphones, as well as the evaluation of hearing protection ear muffs. It is a more cost-effective solution for headphone test when compared with a HATS (Head And Torso Simulator), and is competitively priced with regards to comparable fixtures.
The headphone test fixture is shipped fully assembled and ready to use upon arrival, with occluded ear simulators (microphones with acoustic couplers) and preamplifiers installed and connected to BNC-terminated coaxial cables. The microphone/preamplifier pairs are TEDS-compliant, CCP-powered, and calibrated. TEDS—Transducer Electronic Data Sheet—programming allows microphone identification and calibration information to be read by a connected instrument, such as the Audio Precision APx1701 transducer test interface.
Two sets of pinnae (hardness Shore OO-35 and A-25, respectively) are provided with the unit. The pinnae are symmetric, which offers convenience when testing stereo headphones and earphones. The AECM206 is also delivered with an adapter for the CAL250 sound level calibrator (optional), product documentation and disassembly tools.
Calibrated instrumentation and accessories
From the lab to the production line, confidence in measurement results is integral to confidence in prototype or product performance. Calibration provides documented and traceable verification that instruments and accessories meet or exceed all of their published specifications. Each AECM206 ships with calibration certificates for its integrated occluded ear simulators and preamplifiers, enabling a complete, calibrated test set-up when paired with an APx Series analyzer and APx1701 Transducer Test Interface.
“The increasing complexity of audio devices—Bluetooth headphones with ANC, for example—is creating ever more complicated test scenarios,” said Dave Schmoldt, Audio Precision chief executive officer. “AP continues to help engineers reduce that complexity by providing test solutions that support analog, digital, and electro-acoustic measurement. We’re thrilled to now have the AECM206 as part of that test solution.”
Price starts at $11,024.