From Horns To Hearables : The Strange History Of Audio Reproduction

“All the highest notes, neither sharp nor flat. The ear can’t hear as high as that. Still, I ought to please any passing bat with my High Fidelity.” Audio reproduction has generated a lot of ridicule, but the reality is often stranger than even comic songs suggest.

In little more than a hundred years, we’ve gone from wax cylinders to streaming services, and brass horns to stereo earbuds. It’s been a journey that’s seen constant battles between manufacturers, recording studios and audiophiles, as they’ve grappled with technology, audio quality and convenience. In this talk, Nick looks at how our desire to listen to music has created a multi-million dollar industry which has created its own mythology about audio quality. It’s a history of surprising and often accidental development that has always been difficult to predict, but which is still trying to find new ways to make more money from our ears. Come and hear how we got to where we are today and where we may be going in the future.

Nick Hunn is a Fellow of the IET, and has been closely involved with short range wireless and communications, designing technology that helps to bring mobility to products, particularly in the areas of telematics, M2M, smart energy, IoT, LPWAN, wearables and mobile health. He invented the word “Hearables” and chaired the Bluetooth Hearing Aid working group, leading the development of Bluetooth LE Audio. He has worked with many companies developing wireless audio products.

Outside the audio industry, Nick has a wide ranging career across many technical sectors, having helped design laser gyroscopes, high power X-Ray generators, semiconductor processing equipment, robot vision systems, sperm and embryo freezers, smart meters, wireless technology, telematics systems, and also big data analytics.

Refreshments will be available from 30 minutes before the advertised start time.

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