Audio Precision Raises the Performance Bar for Electro-Acoustic Test

Audio Precision announced the introduction of the APx1701 Transducer Test Interface. The system integrates instrument-grade amplifiers and microphone power supplies for designers and production test engineers seeking clear insight into the behavior of their electro-acoustic devices.

Quiet, Clean and Flat – A New Standard in Amplifier Performance

With an industry-leading signal-to-noise ratio of 134 dB, the APx1701 provides 20 dB of fixed-gain amplification from DC to 100 kHz. In the frequency range of 10 Hz to 20 kHz, the APx1701’s residual THD+N is ≤ -106 dB (80 kHz BW), and frequency response is ±0.08 dB (DC-coupled). The system’s power amplifiers are configured as two independent channels, with power ratings up to 100 W for a single channel into 8 Ω. Voltage taps across integrated current-sense resistors in the amplifier outputs enable easy impedance measurements.

For microphones, either as measurement mics or as the device under test (DUT), the APx1701 is equipped with pairs of balanced and unbalanced microphone inputs. The balanced inputs include switchable +48 V phantom power, while the unbalanced inputs support switchable CCP (Constant Current Power) and are TEDS-capable (Transducer Electronic Data Sheet).

Calibrated Instrumentation

Whether in the lab characterizing a design’s performance or conducting QA-testing on the production line to ensure products meet their specifications, confidence in the resulting measurements is key. Like the APx500 Series audio analyzers it is designed to complement, the APx1701 is a calibrated instrument under ISO / IEC 17025:2005 and all new units ship with an Accredited Calibration. Calibration provides documented and traceable verification that instruments meet or exceed all of their published specifications.

Integrated Analog, Digital and Electro-Acoustic Testing

The increasing complexity of audio devices (wireless Bluetooth speakers or active noise-canceling headphones, for example) is driving ever-more complicated test scenarios, especially if engineers have to repeatedly switch measurement instruments. As an electro-acoustic test accessory, the APx1701 is directly integrated with APx500 audio measurement software and, when paired with any APx500 Series analyzer, provides an integrated platform capable of evaluating the performance of electro-acoustic devices as well as their analog and digital components.

“Throughout our thirty-plus years as an organization, AP has consistently worked to deliver high-performance, precision audio test equipment,” said Dave Schmoldt, Audio Precision CEO. “The APx1701 transducer test interface continues that tradition of performance by pairing instrument-grade amplification with the versatility of our APx500 Series analyzers and highly intuitive measurement software.”

The APx1701 retails for US$3,950. It requires an APx500 Series analyzer and is supported by APx500 audio measurement software version 4.3 or later.