Case Study: APx515B Series Two-Channel Audio Analyzer Elevates Audio Production Test

Project Background

In today's competitive consumer audio market, manufacturers must verify the performance of every unit that leaves the production line. A mid-sized audio electronics manufacturer producing amplifiers, headsets and portable speakers needed a measurement platform capable of testing hundreds of devices per shift without sacrificing accuracy. The company turned to the Audio Precision APx515B Series two-channel audio analyzer — supplied through a trusted distributor of electronic test and measurement equipment — to replace an aging, slow and partially manual test bench.

The Challenge

• Manual testing was too slow to keep pace with rising production volumes.
• Existing equipment produced inconsistent pass/fail decisions and required frequent re-calibration.
• Operators needed an instrument that was easy to set up and simple to automate across multiple production stations.

The Solution: APx515B Series Two-Channel Audio Analyzer

The APx515B Series is a performance audio analyzer optimized for production test. It is a best-in-class instrument offering a powerful combination of speed, performance, automation, reliability and ease-of-use, and it can make all key audio measurements in less than three seconds. Despite its low cost, the APx515B still delivers excellent performance, with a typical THD+N of –106 dB, 1.2M point FFTs and up to 216k digital I/O, together with the one-click automation and ease-of-use common to all APx B Series audio analyzers.

Like all AP instruments, the APx515B comes with ISO:17025 Accredited Calibration and a three-year warranty, so its results are trusted everywhere. The instrument can operate either as a stand-alone test unit with its own user interface, or it can be controlled by a master .NET or LabVIEW application. In either case, an operator can control the APx515B with a keyboard, foot switch or barcode scanner, or the system can be totally automated. Switchers and external devices such as pass/fail lights are also supported.

Standard Measurements Included

The APx515B Series provides a comprehensive standard measurement set, including:

• Crosstalk, DC Level and DC Level Sweep
• DUT Delay, Frequency Measurement and Frequency Response
• Interchannel Phase, Level & Gain and Level Ratio
• Measurement Recorder, Noise and Q-peak Noise
• Pass / Fail, SINAD and Signal-to-Noise Ratio
• Signal Acquisition and Transfer Function
• Stepped Frequency Sweep and Stepped Level Sweep
• TEDS Data and THD+N

Optional Capabilities

Additional performance can be unlocked through I/O and software options. AES/SPDIF is standard on the B Series APx515 and provides AES3, AES/EBU balanced digital I/O on XLR, unbalanced SPDIF digital I/O on BNC and TOSLINK optical digital I/O. The ASIO option enables direct connection to ASIO-enabled devices, supporting up to 16 channels. Software options include Electro-Acoustic Production Test (SW-SPK-PT), High-Speed Test (SW-HST) and the Advanced Measurement Library (SW-AML), which adds IMD, Maximum Output Level, dynamic range and FFTs.

Key Specifications

Results and Benefits

• All key audio measurements completed in under three seconds per device, dramatically increasing line throughput.
• Consistent, repeatable pass/fail decisions backed by ISO:17025 Accredited Calibration.
• Flexible automation via .NET, LabVIEW, foot switch or barcode scanner, integrating cleanly into existing production lines.
• Reliable operation and a three-year warranty that lowered the total cost of ownership.

Summary

For manufacturers that need fast, accurate and dependable audio verification, the APx515B Series two-channel audio analyzer is an ideal production-test solution. By combining best-in-class speed and performance with automation and ease-of-use, it helped this customer move from a slow, manual test bench to a fully automated, high-throughput production line — with measurement results that are trusted everywhere.