The Digital Library
Our extensive research is another facet of Madrona Digital that supports our culture of innovation. It is imperative that we test all new technologies and products for performance, reliability and control before being included in our designs.
Commercial and residential electronics has moved forward at a dizzying pace. Staying abreast of products and terminology is daunting at best and intimidating at worst. We have collated a series of articles to demystify several current and past technology topics.
Audio Science Review - Articles, reviews, and measurements of audio products. Site is curated by our President and Founder, Amir Majidimehr and includes user forums that are very active with discussion about the reviews and products, as well as discussion about related topics such as music, movies, television, and other areas of interest. Join the conversation!
Audio Science Review Youtube - Technical Reviews, Discussions and Measurements of Audio Products. This video channel is an adjunct to Audio Science Review website which contains the same and features our President and Founder, Amir Majidimehr. Amir publishes regular independent, educational videos on audio fundamentals and product reviews.
High Performance Computer Audio Interfaces - Learn about modern ways of interfacing computer music servers, i.e. asynchronous USB, to get superb audio performance that is well beyond what common interfaces such as HDMI provide.
Room Equalization - Everyone has a dream of matching the sound and tonal quality of what was heard when music or videos were produced. Turns out this is almost an illusive concept. Read the issues with current practices and the best path forward.
High Resolution Audio Matters - High Resolution Audio is all the rage today. Learn about authoritative research that shows its value through listening tests and the business arguments for why it has to be our future.
Statistics of ABX Testing - ABX testing is one of the most talked about types of audio tests online yet understanding of how we determine the outcome of it is practically non-existent. This article demystifies this obscure aspect of listening tests.
Computer Optimization of Acoustics - Learn how power of computers is put to use to create better sound in our rooms using the advanced technology in JBL Synthesis home theater system.
Seattle Great Wheel - An article on the use of specialized speaker technology ("CBT") to bring great sound to this wonderful new attraction on the Seattle waterfront.
Revel Performa3 Series - Short write-up on design philosophy behind the new Revel Performa3 speakers and its innovative "waveguide" technology.
Audibility of Small Distortions - Audio forums are full of arguments over whether small distortions are audible. Some claim they are not out of hand. Others say there are "night and day" differences. Read this article on how we can mathematically and based on science of how we hear, quantify how audible these distortions are.
The Design of Electronics for Barrier Mercedes-Benz - Learn how we bring innovation to commercial projects such as the exquisite new Barrier Mercedes-Benz dealership in Bellevue, Washington.
Invisible/Nearly Invisible Audio Systems - See how high performance audio systems can be designed to be completely out of sight let alone create a great audio experience.
Perceptual Aspects of Room Reflections and Acoustics - An advanced article on room acoustics and how our preconceived notions of how sound reflects around the room is wrong. And how distortion can be a pleasing thing to have.
Dynamic Range of Home Listening Spaces - Learn how science of how we hear tells us our listening spaces are quieter than we think and that our audio distribution requirements are for more than 16 bits (i.e. the CD format).
Premier Builder Magazine Article: Intro to Home Automation Systems - Easy to understand introduction to home automation and the new Savant system.
Subwoofer / Low Frequency Optimization - First chapter in optimizing the sound of your home theater/listening room for best fidelity.
Sim2 M150 Projector - An architectural of overview of this innovative LED projector from Sim2.
Digital Video Revolution: Did We Miss a Step? - A mixed business and technical write up of where the home video distribution has been and where it is going.
Digital Audio: The Possible and Impossible - Read how something called "jitter" causes digital audio to lose fidelity when moving from one place to the other even though the samples do not change!
Video for Audiophiles - Here is an intensive course in video with special focus for audiophiles wanting to learn the deep fundamentals on video. Covered are video formats, compression, 3-D, audio for video, projection technologies, and more.
Operating System - Ever wonder what the operating system in your PC, Mac, Phone or Tablet does? Here is your concise introduction.
Digital Signal Processors (DSPs) - Learn what they are and why they are a core part of our audio/video products.
Sim2 Nero 3-D projector - Mini review of this innovative and high performance projector from Sim2.
The Design of Mark Levinson 53 Amplifier - Read how this new amplifier breaks new ground in efficient and fidelity.
Audio and Video Formats - Learn how audio and video are encoded for delivery whether it is on the CD, Blu-ray Disc or the Internet.
Cool Technical Terms - Insider technical terms and lingo that most people don’t know.
Projector Technology Demystified - Learn what differentiates projectors, how they produce their images and resulting impact on cost and performance.
Multi-Core CPUs - Cut through the hype and learn what is a core and what it can do for you.
Operating System Drivers - Learn what device drivers are and how they can impact music servers.
Why Computers Crash - Understand what leads to system crashes in your computer.
Networked Security Cameras - Overview of how networked cameras are superior to traditional security cameras.
3-D video - How 3-D video works and its design in current products.
Why Automate Your Home - Useful scenarios for adding automation to your home.
Inside Home Automation Hardware - A look inside of the "brains" of the automation systems: the controller.
Video Basics - Overview of how video is digitized and stored on optical disc (e.g. DVD/Blu-ray) or transmitted over Internet.
Ear Sensitivity to Sound - Our ear's sensitivity wildly changes with frequency. Read how we take advantage of that for compressing music.
Lossless Audio Compression - Learn how it is possible to make your music files smaller with no loss of fidelity.
Digital Audio/Video and Communication Rates - See how much data there is in our audio and video formats relative to our various connection speeds.
Video Compression - An overview/history of video compression techniques for use on DVD/Blu-ray, digital broadcast, and streaming on the Internet.