About – Active Transducer Research Ltd

ATRL has two main areas of focus:

Active loudspeakers: Active Transducer Research Ltd (ATRL, to our friends) was formally established in 2018 by electronics and audio engineer Dr Michael J Turner. The company’s primary mission is to develop and commercialise novel control methods for moving coil loudspeakers – a technology which is able to significantly improve the performance of conventional moving coil loudspeakers. Reduced distortion, clean transient response and extended low frequency capability really make a difference to subjective sound quality. No more bloom and boom, just deep, clean, fast and articulate bass. Active control allows for much smaller enclosures, too – good bass no longer means big boxes.

Consultancy services: With over 30 years’ real-world experience in power electronics, electrical machines and circuit design, and in management of engineering R&D, product design and business operations at a senior level, director/owner Mike Turner also offers consultancy services across a diverse range of engineering topics. These services are provided via ATRL under the trading name of “Active Power Consulting”.

Power Electronics in Audio

With its emphasis on controlling, converting and delivering energy – as opposed to signals and information – switched-mode power electronics originally had little, if any, relevance to the world of audio engineering. The past three decades have, however, seen a dramatic increase in the overlap between these once quite distinct topics, with switching power supplies now ubiquitous and Class D amplification already a mainstream technology. In January 2023, as incoming Chair of the Audio Engineering Society’s UK Section, ATRL’s Mike Turner drew on 35 years’ professional experience spanning both disciplines, to deliver a talk exploring the origins of power electronics and the developments that led to its rapid growth, together with an introduction to some of the key basic technical considerations. The talk concluded with a brief look at some application examples, all, of course, with an emphasis on audio. You can view the presentation here:

You can also download a PDF copy of the slide presentation HERE.

The Audio Engineering Society

The Audio Engineering Society is the only professional society devoted exclusively to audio technology. Founded in the USA in 1948, the AES is now an international organization that unites audio engineers, creative artists, scientists and students worldwide by promoting advances in audio and disseminating new knowledge and research.

12,000+ members are affiliated with 90+ AES professional sections and 120+ AES student sections around the world that provide members valuable opportunities for professional networking and skill and career growth.

Join us today!

https://aes2.org/