ACOUSTIC BLINDS AND CURTAINS
Sydney-based company Acoustic Blinds and Curtains has announced the results of independent noise-reduction tests on its range of acoustic blinds and curtains, which it says combine natural sound-absorbing raw materials with a unique fabric construction to maximise sound absorption.
Cameron West, a director of Acoustic Blinds and Curtains, says the company’s acoustic fabrics are the product of years of research and development and are specifically designed to reduce noise and absorb sound to improve the acoustics in any room at the lowest possible cost.
Independent tests at UTS Tech Labs’ new state-of-the-art facility in Sydney’s Eastern suburbs proved that the products returned a 10dB Noise Level Difference ( Dw), an
8dB Sound Reduction Index ( Rw), and a 0.75 Noise Reduction Coefficient (NRC) during testing. “These results mean that our Acoustic Blinds and Curtains can reduce unwanted noise in a room by half,” said West, “yet they are less than half the cost of double-glazing, take only three weeks to produce and can be installed in only a few hours.”
West says that Acoustic Blinds and Curtains’ products are already popular in home theatres, media rooms, podcasting and music studios and that the company has worked with a number of Australia’s leading audio-visual companies including Dragon Image, on commercial and high-end residential fit-outs.
NAD’s new C 298 power amplifier uses Danish company PuriFi’s ‘Eigentakt’ Class-D technology to deliver a claimed 185-watts per channel, both channels driven into 8 and 340-watts per channel when driving 4 loads. However, the stereo C298 can also be configured as a monobloc, in which mode NAD claims a continuous power output of 620-watts. Signal-to-noise ratio is specced
Bob Stuart, the co-founder of Meridian Audio and the creator of MQA, has been awarded the UK’s Royal Academy of Engineering Prince Philip Medal for: at 120dB (A-weighted) and distortion as less than 0.005%.
“NAD has moved away from the old fashioned, power-hungry and wasteful linear power supplies and Class-AB output stages,” said Steve Burton of Convoy International, which distributes NAD in Australia. “It now uses superior switch-mode power supplies and Eigentakt modules that it manufactures under license from Purifi. This allows NAD to optimise performance for each specific model, such as in this new C 298. Unlike earlier Class-D circuits, these new Eigentakt designs
“His exceptional contribution to audio engineering which has changed the way we listen to music and experience films.” He is the first audio engineer to receive the award in the RAE’s 20-year history. In accepting this award, Bob Stuart said: “Audio engineering sits at an intersection between analogue and digital engineering, music and the human listener. My passion to enable great sound recording and playback has required a multi-disciplinary approach, but that quest to preserve and share music performances is very satisfying and important. I am honoured to receive this award from the Royal Academy of Engineering.” are very linear over a wide bandwidth and provide consistent performance into all loudspeaker loads.”
The NAD C 298 has both balanced and unbalanced inputs with input level trimming, a line output to enable easy connection of an active subwoofer and auto-on sensing to enable it to be used in custom installations. “The success of NAD’s award-winning Masters M33 and M28, bodes well for the success of a pure two-channel amplifier using Purifi Eigentakt technology,” said Burton. “It’s the perfect solution for anyone who wants a state-of the art, two-channel amplifier or a monobloc.” Available now, the NAD C 298 sells for $3,299 (RRP).
For more information, contact Convoy International on (02) 9774 9900 or visit www.convoy.com.au
Previous recipients of the Prince Philip Medal include the inventor of the turbojet engine, Sir Frank Whittle and the electrical engineer who revolutionised fibre optics, Dr Charles Kao.
Despite its UK origins, the Prince Philip Medal can be awarded to an engineer of any nationality who has made an exceptional contribution to engineering through practice, management or education.
For more information, contact Meridian Audio’s Australian distributor, Cogworks, on (07) 5415 0337 or at cogworks.io