In-ear headphones are a daily essential for millions, but ensuring top-tier sound quality is more complex than it seems. Beyond frequency response, ear canal geometry significantly impacts how sound is measured and experienced. Insights from the GRAS Sound & Vibration whitepaper, The Impact of Ear Canal Geometry on In-Ear Headphone Testing, reveal how ear simulators and ear canal variations affect audio quality.

电动汽车（EV）的日益普及和多样化选择，标志着汽车行业向可持续性和创新方向的重大转变。然而，这一转型也为车辆设计带来了新的挑战，尤其是在车内声学方面。随着内燃机嗡嗡声的消失，人们将注意力转向了最大限度地减少其他噪声源，其中风噪声成为主要关注点。这使得风噪声测试变得越来越重要，而风洞测试等复杂技术也从昂贵的奢侈品变成了昂贵的必需品——这意味着工程师们需要快速、准确地完成测量。

Many manufacturers of audio devices contend with the ongoing challenge of production across global factories. Since the global pandemic in 2020, contract manufacturers have increasingly diversified their production lines across multiple regions rather than centralizing them in one location. While this shift enhances operational flexibility, it also introduces unique challenges. Among these challenges, the reliability of production line microphones used for testing audio performance to ensure the quality of final products.

The increasing popularity and growing offering of electric vehicles (EVs), are changing many aspects associated with vehicle sound and acoustics (see our posts related to the in-cabin soundscape of the EV, for example). The classic issue of pass-by noise testing is no exception. Still a crucial aspect of automotive design and regulation, it has evolved to ensure that EVs (and other vehicles) not only meet the maximum noise limits set by various national and international regulations, but also adhere to new minimum noise requirements.

At GRAS Sound & Vibration, we’re always proud and honored whenever we see cool examples of our solutions contributing to new developments and real-world change. This time, it’s in the field of hearing protection. An article by USNI News, the news publication of the U.S. Naval Institute, highlights how the U.S. Navy is testing 3D technology to create custom-fitted earplugs.  According to the article, hearing damage is the U.S. military’s top injury, believed to affect some 140.000 service members annually, so tackling noise-induced hearing damage is a priority. Reading the article, we immediately noticed our GRAS 45CB Acoustic Test Fixture in one of the accompanying photos.