Smarter speakers require smarter test methods!
Learn how to test smart speakers, robots, voice-controlled automotive audio and other IoT devices in our practical half-day seminar taught by industry experts Dan Knighten, and Marc Marroquin of Listen, Inc.
Although acoustic testing of smart speakers and other voice-activated devices presents challenges such as injecting and extracting response signals, time delays, and triggering the system using voice commands, it is still possible to measure the same parameters as traditional loudspeakers, In addition we can also measure microphone array performance, speakerphone performance and more.
We demonstrate how to do this, focusing on:
- Stimulating and capturing responses from a device where you don’t have direct access to the microphone or speaker (open loop testing).
- Delays, asynchronous stimulus / acquisition, and working with the ‘cloud’
- Testing with real world signals such as speech and music, and how to analyze results from these test stimuli
- Voice Recognition – key word spotting, wake word testing, directionality, and the effect of background noise on voice recognition performance
- Telephony – testing smart speakers for hands-free calling
There is no charge for this one-day seminar and lunch will be provided. Space is limited, so please RSVP today.

Locations and Dates:
Cupertino (San Jose area): Wednesday February 14th, 2018 – 9.00am – 1.30pm. Hilton Garden Inn, Cupertino. 10741 N Wolfe Rd, Cupertino, CA 95014
Culver City (Los Angeles area): Friday February 16th, 2018 – 9.00am – 1.30pm. DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Los Angeles – Westside. 6161 W Centinela Ave, Culver City, CA 90230
Agenda (9am-1.30pm)
- Introduction
- Open Loop Testing
- What is ‘open loop’ testing?
- Can you really measure frequency response and harmonic distortion in an open loop?
- Using Frequency Shifting to time align asynchronous stimuli and response
- Working with cloud based services
- Testing with Real World Signals
- How to use real voice and / or non test tones to evaluate acoustic performance
- Analysis techniques used for evaluating non test tone stimuli
- Voice Recognition
- Key Word spotting / Wake Up word testing
- Room effects, environmental distractors, and SNR…how they affect voice recognition performance
- Measuring directionality
- Telephony
- What voice quality metrics are important for speakerphones?
- Challenges of testing speakerphones in different environments
- Networking lunch
Reserve your space