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Audio design is becoming a vital part of product development for a lot of everyday products like headphones and earbuds. This makes modern life easier, simply because there are things you want to hear, and things you don’t. In a recent episode of the BBC TV show “The Secret Genius of Modern Life” (s2, ep5), journalist and professor Hannah Fry visits American premium audio brand, BOSE, at their headquarters in Framingham, Massachusetts, to understand the remarkable engineering that enables the superior quality of BOSE headphones. Among others, she talks to Research Direktor Erik Freeman, who lets her into to the office of BOSE’s hardest working employee, a Mr Robin Mics...

BOSE’s hardest working employee “Robin Mics”.  Photo: BBC TV - show. 

The ‘office’ is an anechoic chamber that eliminates all acoustic reflection. They call it “the quietest place in America”. The sound absorbing wall panels ensure that the background noise doesn’t interfere when they’re testing speakers or running other acoustic tests. Here, we meet Mr. Robin Mics aka GRAS Head & Torso Simulator KEMAR 45BC. Robin Mics tests every single pair of headphones and earbuds BOSE develops. The head and torso simulator, also known as a manikin, has high quality measurement microphones installed inside his ear canals. When BOSE engineers fit e.g. a pair of earbuds in his ears, they measure exactly how well the speakers transmit sound all the way to his simulated human eardrum. Robin Mics, or the GRAS KEMAR, is the recognized industry-standard for in-situ anthropomorphic testing in the fields of Telecommunications, Hearing Conservation, Noise Abatement, Sound Recording and Sound quality Evaluation. Inside each small BOSE earbud, you’ll find three minicomputers, four microphones, one battery, and an array of circuitry that integrates them all, ensuring they interact smoothly. In 2000, BOSE released their first commercial noise cancellation headset which became a huge global success. According to Research Director Erik Freeman, it’s important to test all BOSE devices on Robin Mics when you want them to sound great to the human ear.

Photo: BBC TV-show

-“We are constantly pushing each other here at BOSE on trying to make our earbuds smaller, smarter, and more intuitive, and we use the GRAS KEMAR to test and measure this development”.

“If you see someone doing something impossible, Please do not disturb them” Dr. Amar G. Bose

Dr. Amar G. Bose was the founder and chairman of BOSE Corporation and one of his famous quotes was - “If you see someone doing something impossible, please do not disturb them” and this has ever since been a motto of BOSE.

For more information, please contact marketing@grasacoustics.com