Article Reprints
Published articles written by Listen staff, and/or covering Listen’s products.
Frequency Normalized Distortion – A Necessity for Modern Transducers
Frequency Normalized Distortion, or Normalized THD is a more accurate method for measuring distortion in transducers, and should be used alongside conventional THD measurements. Here’s the background from the creator of the original measurement. Full Article More about Frequency Normalized THD This article examines the limitations of conventional Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) calculations when evaluating […]
Listen, Inc.: Celebrating 30 Years of Audio Measurement Expertise
This article celebrates 30 years of Listen, Inc., detailing the company’s journey from its inception in 1995 with the creation of SoundCheck, a software-based audio analyzer. Initially focused on replacing human listeners for end-of-line production testing, the company expanded its reach to research and development (R&D) as its software surpassed expensive hardware solutions. Over three […]
Standardized Automotive Audio Measurements – audioXpress Article, June 2025
Making accurate audio measurements in cars is complex and ever-changing as manufacturers incorporate functionality such as spatial audio, sound zones, vibration exciters, and more. Automotive companies, infotainment system subcontractors, consultants, and speaker manufacturers range from extensively testing every aspect of the system to measuring nothing at all. This article, originally published in the June 2025 […]
Measuring HDMI Audio
From its origins in 2002 as a new, smaller connector for HDTV, High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) evolved continuously over the years to become one of the most widely adopted interfaces. This article provides practical answers on how to perform HDMI audio measurements, dealing with the interface’s multiple options and configurations. Full Article Measuring HDMI Audio […]
Q&A with Steve Temme – Loudspeaker Industry Sourcebook 2024
Want to get to know Listen Founder and President, Steve Temme, a little better? Each year, Loudspeaker Industry Sourcebook features interviews with industry leaders in which they ask their opinions on current events, issues and trends in the audio industry. Read what Steve Temme had to say. Full Article Question 1: How would you […]
Measuring MEMS Microspeakers
Measuring MEMS microspeakers can be challenging due to their small form-factor, but it is increasingly important as they are now widely available and seeing fast evolution and adoption in true wireless stereo (TWS) earbuds and in-ear monitors (IEM). Accurate measurement is essential to understanding design considerations, as well as ensure product quality. In this article, […]
Transitioning Audio Tests from R&D to the Production Line
Steve Temme discusses the transition from R&D to production testing in this March 2023 issue of AudioXpress. Production line audio testing poses many challenges such as noisy environments, harsh operating conditions, high throughput, relative limits, and more. In this article, Steve Temme shares his observations and outlines the main considerations to ensure a successful operation. […]
Automotive Max SPL Measurements
In this short article, Steve Temme discusses measurement of automotive Max SPL, and introduces the efforts of the Audio Engineering Society (AES) technical committee working on automotive audio to standardize the way essential attributes of complex automotive audio systems are measured across the industry. He explains why Max SPL measurements are important, defines this measurement, […]
Q&A with Steve Temme – Loudspeaker Industry Sourcebook 2022
Want to get to know Listen Founder and President, Steve Temme, a little better? Each year, Loudspeaker Industry Sourcebook features interviews with industry leaders in which they ask their opinions on current events, issues and trends in the audio industry. Read what Steve Temme had to say. Full Article Question 1: How did your […]
End of Line Distortion Measurements
Steve Temme discusses the importance of detecting manufacturing-induced defects such as Rub & Buzz, Loose Particles, and other distortion measurements during end-of-line testing and explains the various algorithms that are used. He compares conventional and perceptual metrics for the measurement of Rub & Buzz, including Listen’s new enhanced Perceptual Rub & Buzz algorithm, and discusses […]
The Evolution of Production Line Rub & Buzz Measurements
Steve Temme discusses the evolution of production line Rub & Buzz measurements in this April 2022 issue of AudioXpress. Starting with simultaneous analysis of higher order harmonics, he explains the progression of improvements including the greater accuracy offered by normalized distortion measurements, and progressing to the introduction of perceptual metrics. He covers the introduction of […]
How to Measure Free Field Speaker Response without an Anechoic Chamber
Did you know you can make free field speaker response measurements without an anechoic chamber? In the March 2021 issue of VoiceCoil, Steve Temme explains his unique method for achieving this. The article explains how the ‘splice’ method results in a full range frequency response from a combination of near-field and windowed far-field measurement, and […]
Listen Celebrates 25 Years
2020 is Listen’s 25th anniversary! When Listen sold its first product in 1995, it was the first soundcard-based audio measurement system, and its competition was often human listeners. Now, with an installed base of well over 10,000 systems and the industry-wide adoption of both soundcard-based architecture and highly automated sequence-based measurement, Listen is still leading […]
Practical Testing of Voice Controlled Devices
This article discusses tools and techniques that are available to accurately measure the audio performance of voice controlled devices under the many various real-world conditions they may be used. It covers basic acoustic measurements such as frequency and distortion response, which have always been carried out on conventional wired systems, and the more complex real-world […]
An Interview with Steve Temme
Shannon Becker interviews Steve Temme about how he founded Listen, Inc. and grew it from a start-up into an audio measurement leader. Author: Shannon Becker. Reprinted from the March 2018 issue of Audio Xpress. Full Article Steve Temme and the Evolution of Listen, Inc. Main Themes: Innovation and Perseverance: Steve Temme’s journey, from a childhood […]
Practical Measurement of Bluetooth and Lightning Headphones
Author: Daniel Knighten. Reprinted from the July 2017 issue of Voice Coil. In this article, Dan Knighten discusses Bluetooth headphone testing and Lightning headphone testing, specifically how to overcome the challenges of measuring headphones with wireless and digital interfaces such as Bluetooth, Lightning and USB-C to make the same measurements as on conventional wired headphones. […]
Smarter Measurements for Smart Speakers
In this article, we describe techniques to characterize the frequency response, output level, and distortion of the device under test to enable direct comparisons between Internet of Things (IoT) smart speakers and conventional speakers. Author: Daniel Knighten (Listen, Inc) and Glenn Hess (Indy Acoustic Research). Reprinted from the March 2018 issue of Audio Xpress. Full […]
In-Vehicle Distortion Measurement
Authors: Zarina Bhimani, Steve F. Temme (Listen, Inc.), Patrick Dennis (Nissan Motor Co.). Reprinted from the 2017 Loudspeaker Industry Sourcebook. Steve Temme and Patrick Dennis discuss their research exploring test methods that help determine audible distortion and enable manufacturers to test sound equipment after it is installed. Configurations for measuring in-car audio are shown. Objective […]
Headphone Testing at Reviewed.com
Author: Zarina Bhimani. Reprinted from the June 2016 issue of Voice Coil. In this article we discuss headphone testing using SoundCheck at independent review site, Reviewed.com. Includes description of test lab, measurement methods and more. Full Article in VoiceCoil Magazine (PDF) Article text A Visit to Reviewed.com Reviewed.com, part of the USA Today network, […]
Headphone Testing (part 2)
Author: Brian Fallon. Reprinted from the April 2012 issue of Voice Coil. In part 2 of this 2-part series, Brian Fallon discusses the challenges and practicalities of measuring headphones with built-in electronics such as digital and Bluetooth headphones. He covers connectivity, frequency limitations, test signals, measurement units and specialty measurements such as noise cancellation. Full […]
Headphone Testing (part 1) – The Basics
Author: Steve Temme. Reprinted from the December 2011 issue of Voice Coil. In part 1 of this 2-part series, Steve Temme discusses the basics of headphone testing. He covers the similarities and differences between loudspeaker and headphone testing. He discusses coupler correction curves and ear seal, and how these are important for accurate measurements. There […]
Automated Perceptual Rub & Buzz Distortion Measurement
Author: Steve Temme. Reprinted from the September 2011 issue of Voice Coil. In this article, Steve Temme discusses Listen’s latest work on perceptual Rub & Buzz measurement. Full Article
SoundCheck ONE
Author: Vance Dickason. Reprinted from the October 2010 issue of Voice Coil. VoiceCoil Editor Vance Dickason offers this user report of SoundCheck® ONE – the low cost production line test system from Listen. Full Article
Soundcard-Based Production Line Loudspeaker Test
Author: Steve Temme Reprinted from the July 2004 issue of Voice Coil Steve Temme discusses high-end loudspeaker manufacturer, Peerless’s choice of SoundCheck® as their standard for testing their loudspeakers. Full Article Article Introduction Soundcard-Based Production Line Loudspeaker Test By Steve Temme, Listen Inc. Quality and reliability are critical factors for success in the audio […]
