COLORFUL has come up with a new amplifier, CDA-M2 Hi-Fi USB DAC, in two visually striking colours – Starry Gray and Limited Edition Purple. The CDA-M2 Limited Edition Purple is an exclusive release with only 100 units.
The COLORFUL CDA-M2 Hi-Fi USB DAC/Amplifier is powered by two Cirrus Logic DAC flagship audio processors. The device features a 6-layer gold-plated PCB that isolates digital and analog circuits for optimal audio processing. In addition, the M2 has two independent amplifier chips for the 3.5mm and 4.4mm outputs, providing a dynamic range of up to 130 dB.
Built upon COLORFUL’s flagship player audio architecture, the CDA-M2 features JitterKill Femtosecond Clock Technology, designed solely for U-series players. It meticulously restructures data, enabling audio signal transmission to bypass USB clock and SRC interference.
The CDA-M2 has a tiny OLED display and all-new control buttons for easy navigation. It has a two-level gain, High/Low, which allows users to optimize output for either headphones or earbuds. Users can easily adjust the gain with the help of information displayed on the OLED screen.
The CDA-M2 comes bundled with an upgraded USB-C cable featuring a pure copper silver-plated core for low latency, protected by multi-layer insulation. It also features a UAC 1.0 Game Mode for PS5 and Nintendo Switch, making it an excellent audio decoder for supported game consoles. The CDA-M2 also includes Volume Memory, which saves the last volume level when connected to any front-end device.
I follow the Science Monitor show that telecasts every Saturday at 2 PM. Now, some of you may not know, or some of you know who are preparing for some government exams. But, a tech nerd will ask me why am I talking about something out of the tech domain. If you want to know on which channel it comes, let me tell you a clear cut answer – RSTV (Rajya Sabha TV). Once, there came about a research that an IIT did on music’s impact on the human brain. I guess the Apple team took inspiration from it. According to Apple, their flagship product – AirPod, will help to monitor breathing rate. Now, that may look strange, but hey, why worry when Exhibit is there to unveil the mystery behind this research. Let’s know more about this new development.
I CAN BREATHE
George Floyd was not just a phenomenon. He came like that ignition engine that promoted the consolidation of human rights all around the world. And, “I can’t breathe” became the war-cry of that social movement that started last year. But, here, I want to talk about the “I can breathe” moment. The Apple research team has claimed that there’s a possibility through which they can measure your and mine respiration rate. How? Through the sound produced during the music beats or vocals during which we all breathe. Apple has come up with such results after testing it on 21 individuals by their “microphone-enabled, near-field headphones” technique.
How did they test?
During this research, the individuals got the instruction to record four one-minute audio clips. Now, to record audio clips, participants had to do them before, during, and immediately after the workout gets over. Individuals also had to go for some sort of workout for exactly nine minutes every time. This workout helped to induce huge palpitation and heavy breathing among the participants during the research. Once recorded, the pattern in the difference of sound was observed through the in-built versatile non-contact sensors (present also in Apple AirPod series). These sensors act as a breathing measurement instrument. After eliminating the acoustic distortion, researchers were able to come to a concrete conclusion.
Potential of this Apple AirPod Research
The Apple research team has clearly said that these trials were not for devising any clinical mechanism. However, the research paper can help out many in medical applications, one of which is working on cardiovascular therapy and other breathing tracking applications. But, through this Apple AirPod can create a complete revolution.
The latest trend in online music is 8D audio which has been making rounds. Often messages pop up asking to listen to some songs from YouTube with your headphones on. Claims of experiencing a sing with your brain, rather than your ears, for an out of body experience as the sound would seem not to come from the headphones but outside.
What is 8D audio?
After listening to an 8D audio song, if you wondered how sound is completely different from normal audio. The result is surprising as it feels completely out of the world. You can make out that the sound is in the environment around you rather than coming in from the headphones. The effect is very similar when you walk around in your city and all the ambient sounds that come from all around you giving you a sense of space. You can clearly say where the temple bells are ringing, how the police van siren approaches from far away and goes past you. The sound comes from all different directions. This is the similar effect that comes from 8D audio when you listen to it on your headphones.
8D audio as it might seem is new for most people. It seems to be like a futuristic technology that allows you to recreate the feeling of music being played by speakers distributed around us. This provides a sort of immersive and suggestive experience. So yes, this is definitely a new experience but not essentially a new technology. There is no real technology behind 8D audio and neither it has any true commercial applications. It is rather an effect that could be applied to any pre-existing songs and make them sound like 8D. Also, 8D would mean 8 dimensions which are not possible.
Is 8D audio for real?
The reality is that there’s no new technology but a technique that allows hearing sounds as if you were in the middle of it. That feeling of music that runs through your head, thanks to the use of headphones, is the result of equalization techniques, panning and effects combined together. In short, panning is the ability to distribute the sound on different audio channels. If you think about your earphones, they have two physical channels: left and right. You can pan the sound all the way to the left or the right or, you can choose a specific sound to be played by one or the other earphone.
The result is the so-called 8D audio (which has no sense as the physical space where we live is mapped on 3 dimensions) that let you appreciate sounds coming from different directions. You can find on YouTube or Soundcloud this kind of audio recordings from the lowest quality where the record simply moves from left to right without a real point or, you can find high-quality records where the sound is correctly located in a specific region of the 3D space and you can clearly hear it through your earphones.
The reality of the spatial audio
An even more advanced “8D audio” is the Dolby Atmos, a technology developed by Dolby that, instead of using audio channels uses sound objects. With this technology, the sound moves around you in three-dimensional space, so you feel like you’re inside the action.
In conclusion, does the 8D audio exists? Yes, but no. Yes because there is the ability to hear sounds all around you on a 360° space; no, because it’s not a new technology and it’s definitely not called 8D audio but, we can call it more properly spatial sound or 3D audio. If you don’t own a 7.1 system or a Dolby Atmos supported system, use your earphones/headphone or you won’t be able to hear the effect.
It is no new technology but simple panning and equalization techniques that give to the sound a spatial feeling and that is what this 8D trend is all about.
