Introduction
The purpose of these sequences is to test the left and right ears and the mic input of a USB Headset. SoundCheck
supports both analog and digital inputs and outputs, so to test a USB headset, all we need to do is plug it into our
computer’s USB port and configure a new digital channel in the hardware setup, then we can test it just like a
conventional headset. For the output, the sequence uses a 1kHz pilot tone accompanied by a Stweep stimulus
from 20kHz-100Hz which is played through the headset and recorded simultaneously through the HATS ear
simulators. For the input, the sequence uses a 8Khz to 100Hz test stimulus, again with a 1kHz pilot tone played
through the HATS mouth simulator and recorded simultaneously through the headset microphone. The pilot
tone isn’t analyzed but it is used in the frequency shift step to align the time and phase of the response signal
with the stimulus.
The analysis is then performed by comparing the original stimulus to the recording captured by the microphone
that provides the Frequency Response after which we use post processing steps to calculate Average sensitivity.
In case of the outputs, THD and L/R balance are also calculated. The final display shows these measurements.
Software Requirements
SoundCheck Plus or higher
Hardware Requirements
●Audio Interface – AmpConnect 621 (Part # 4046) or similar
● Head and Torso Simulator (HATS)
● Mic power supply – SoundConnect 2 or similar. If you are using newer HATS that come with
pre-polarised mics, this may not be necessary.
● Mic Calibrator (to calibrate the ear simulators)
● USB Headset (DUT)
Hardware Setup & Calibration
1. Set up the audio interface (AmpConnect 621) and SoundConnect 2 as shown in the system diagram
below along with HATS (Head and Torso Simulator). Depending on whether the HATS ear simulators
come with pre-polarized mics, SoundConnect 2 may/may not be required.
Note: The system diagram shows the setup required for testing both outputs and input.
Make sure the Ear simulators are calibrated (Use the Mic calibration procedure). Equalize the mouth
simulator by following the Speaker Equalization procedure.
2. Plug in the USB Headset to the PC and configure it in the SoundCheck Hardware editor as Digital Inputs
and Outputs (the USB headset should appear under WDM driver).
3. Make sure the signal paths used in the sequence Ear Sim L and R, Digital Out 1 and 2, Digital In 1 and 2
and Mouth Sim are pointing to the correct HW channels and calibration files in the SoundCheck
Calibration Editor.
You are ready to start the sequence.
System diagram
Further sequence development
These sequences have been designed for simplicity and have been written separately for the input and output
testing of USB Headsets.
Ways in which you could modify or further develop the sequence include:
● Combining these sequences to test both the inputs and outputs of the USB headset at once.
