T

TN102

2700 Series ATS-2

APx500 Series

Using Audio Precision HST: Quick and Reliable Testing against Limits
A p p l i c a t i o n a n d Te c h n i c a l S u p p o r t f o r A u d i o P r e c i s i o n U s e r s
by Bill Rich, Daniel Knighten and Dave Mathew

Introduction to Audio Precision HST

This Technote describes HST (High Speed Tester) version 2.0, an Audio Precision application that gives you simple tools to easily set up comprehensive tests for a wide range of audio devices.

Closed-loop and digital operation added Earlier versions of HST and Quick Test were specifically written to test personal media players, using external source playback signals (open-loop mode) and the analyzers analog inputs. The current version, HST 2.0, continues to support personal medial players and adds closed-loop and dual-domain operation, testing DUTs with analog or digital outputs; DUTs with analog or digital inputs; DUTs that convert from one domain to the other, such as ADCs or DACs. HST can quickly and reliably test against limits in a production environment. The application is an AP Basic macro designed to function with either Audio Precision 2700 Series or ATS-2 analyzers. See Hardware and Software requirements, below. HST measures DC offset output level frequency response deviation phase deviation distortion noise, and crosstalk. HST compares the results to values stored in a limit file, indicating pass or fail. These results, with identifying information, are displayed on-screen and are also saved in a spreadsheet file for later review or inclusion in a database.

AP2700 version 3.30 or ATS version 1.60 control software, as appropriate. In the 2700 series, HST supports SYS-2722, SYS-2712, SYS-2622, SYS-2522 and SYS-2422 instruments. HST supports any ATS-2 instrument. The controlling PC must satisfy the minimum requirements for the control software and be equipped to communicate with APIB.
HST does not support System One or any System Two system running under APWIN.

Installing the HST software

The assumption is made that you have a properly functioning Audio Precision analyzer system as described above, running under Audio Precision control software. Installation of HST adds macros, shortcuts and support files to your analyzer system.

HST and HST Setup Shortcuts for AP2700 (left) and ATS (right).

The HST software is distributed with this Technote (TN102) from the Audio Precision Web site. All the HST components and documentation for both AP2700 and ATS are included in one installer called HST_2-0.exe.

Run the Installer When presented with the Choose Components dialog in the installer, select whether you want to install HST for AP2700 or ATS, or both.

Hardware and Software requirements

HST is designed for Audio Precision analyzer systems with both analog and DSP capabilities, running under either

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AP2700 or ATS
The HST installer supports both AP2700 software and ATS software. Naming of test files, macro files and folders differs between the two analyzer systems. Whenever there is such a difference, in this Technote the AP2700 naming will be shown first, followed by the ATS naming in [brackets].

Note: HST Setup requires that you view four analyzer bar graph panels as you make adjustments. For these bar graph panels to be visible, the control software workspace must be viewed at a size of at least 1024 by 768 pixels. If the control software workspace is not large enough to show all four bar graphs, close HST Setup. Launch the control software, resize the workspace and exit the control software. Then Launch HST Setup again.

Test Setup
For closed-loop testing, you must connect your DUT to the instrument inputs and outputs. If your DUT is an open-loop playback device such as a personal media player, instead of connecting to the instrument generator outputs you must use the audio signal files provided. Either upload the files to the DUT or copy them onto a compatible media such as optical disc or flash card. See page 6 for more information about open-loop testing.

Input/Output Settings The first box on the setup page contains the Input/Output Settings. Select the instrument Generator Output and Analyzer Input connections (such as Analog Unbalanced, etc.) that you will be using. For closed-loop testing, choose the generator level you want to use (1dBV, for example) and enter it in the Level field. If your DUT is a playback device (open-loop), choose None (External) for your Generator Output setting. See page 6 for more information about open-loop testing. Setting DUT Output Level Before testing can begin, you must determine the DUT output level for your test so that the analyzers can properly range the signal. The DUT output level is a function of the test signal level and the DUT gain. If your DUT has a volume control, you must adjust it to produce the best output level for your test. For closed-loop testing, turn on the Generator by clicking the Outputs button. For a playback (open-loop) device, play the Reference test signal. See page 6 for more information about open-loop testing. Four bar meters will open in a control software window on the PC, as shown here on the next page. The upper bar graphs show the input level in dBV for the left and right channels. The lower bar graphs show the measured distortion (THD+N) for each channel.

The HST Setup utility The HST Setup utility is an AP Basic macro that helps you set the input and output configuration and DUT output level for HST testing. You can also adjust the default pass / fail limit settings used by HST. Your HST setup can be saved. Running HST Setup Be sure your instrument hardware is switched ON, and that the control interface and audio inputs and outputs are connected from the instrument to the PC and the DUT.

What is the best level for testing?

For any audio test involving a stimulus signal, you must determine reference level settings for the stimulus and for adjustable gain components in the DUT. In some cases, these are specified by others and you must only match the values in the specification. In other cases, you must determine which reference level is best for the test you will be performing on the DUT. In HST, the digital levels in the stimulus files are fixed at optimal levels for the tests. However, the DUT playback gain (typically set by the Volume control) must be set to the correct value for best test performance. If the DUT volume is set too low, the signal-to-noise ratio measurement will be degraded. If the DUT volume is set too high, the distortion measurement will be degraded.

HST Setup

Launch HST Setup by clicking the shortcut in the Start Menu or on the Desktop. The HST Setup macro will open the control software and display the HST Setup dialog.

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Adjust the volume of the DUT to the specified value for your test. As you adjust the volume, you will probably hear the ranging relays switching within the analyzer.

Multitone?
Audio Precision has perfected the use of multitone stimulus signals for specific applications. A multitone is an audio signal that contains several sine waves of different frequency. The precise characteristics of the signal are provided by the multitone generator to the multitone analyzer, which acquires and processes the signal using FFT analysis. One multitone acquisition can provide DC offset, frequency response, phase response, THD spectrum, noise spectrum and crosstalk results simultaneously, bringing a great speed advantage. For this Technote, Audio Precisions application engineers have created a multitone stimulus optimized for personal media player testing, and have provided this multitone as both a linear digital audio file (a WAV file ) and as an encoded MP3 digital audio file. The multitone has 5 tones on each channel, at approximately 20 Hz, 1 kHz, 3 kHz, 10 kHz and 20 kHz. The tones around 10 kHz are offset by a few hundred hertz to provide a crosstalk stimulus.

For each type of DUT, there will be a volume setting and input ranging combination that is optimal and sets up conditions that will produce the most favorable test results. If the volume setting is too high or the input ranging is too low, the test results will show increased distortion. If the volume setting is too low or the input ranging is too high, the test results will show increased noise. Once you have determined the correct settings, click SAVE and HST will save the input ranging information. You must note the volume setting on the DUT, and ensure that this DUT and others of the same kind are always set to the same volume level for testing. For more information on this subject, we recommend the Audio Engineering Society publications AES6-ID and AES17, both of which discuss methods used to determine the best levels for testing.

Multitone HST uses a multitone stimulus to measure several parameters very quickly. If you are using a digital generator output or playing a multitone test file in a digital player, you must match the sample rate of the multitone to a sample rate available in your DUT. If you are using an analog generator output, you may use a multitone file of any sample rate. In either case, however, you must select the sample rate of the multitone file you intend to use in the Sample Rate list. This action sets the Multitone Analyzer for proper synchronization. Measurement Limits HST tests a number of performance parameters against preset limits. As installed, HST provides default values for all these limits, but you may edit these values to set your own pass / fail limits.

Typical multitone spectrum.

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Measurement DC Offset (V) Output Level (dBV / dBFS) Upper Output Level (dBV / dBFS) Lower Frequency Response Deviation (dB) Phase Deviation (deg) Total Complex Distortion and Noise (dB) Noise in the Presence of Signal (dB) Crosstalk (dB) Table: HST default limit values.

Default limit value 0.01 13.0 15.0 5.0 5.0 55.0 80.0 70.0

The Measurement Limits area displays the current Pass / Fail limits for each measurement. To change any of these limits, enter a value in the New field to the right of the current limit values. Edited limits can be saved to become the current limits.

Press the ENTER key to begin the testing cycle. If you are using open-loop testing on a playback device, play the file Multitone.wav (or Multitone.mp3). Thats it. When the analyzer recognizes the HST multitone, it acquires and processes the signal. The analyzer derives measurement results from the acquired signal and compares these results with the preset limit values. If the measured value in a test result falls within the limits, that test is assigned a Pass status. If the measured value falls outside the limits, that test is assigned a Fail status. You can continue testing the same DUT or other similar DUTs by entering a name or number in the Serial Number field. When you are finished testing, click Stop. This ends the testing cycle. To close the macro, click Close. The results are saved in a comma-separated-value (CSV) database file that can be opened in Microsoft Excel or other spreadsheet or database applications. See Saved Results on page 5 for more information.

Running HST
Be sure to connect your device and use HST Setup before testing with HST. For open-loop testing, you must upload test files or copy them to playable media. See page 6 for more information about open-loop testing. Launch HST using the desktop or Start Menu shortcut.

Save Acquisition When HST is in the Stopped condition, the Save Acquisition checkbox is available at the lower left of the HST panel. When this box is checked, the digital acquisition of the audio presented to the analyzer inputs is saved for later investigation each time the macro is run. The acquisitions are saved in a proprietary Audio Precision format that can be opened by Audio Precision control software. View Saved Acquisition If you have chosen to save the acquisition, you can see an FFT graph of the acquisition data. Click View Saved Acquisition to see the graph and refresh the measurement results.

A closer look at the measurements

DC Offset This is a measurement of the DC component found in the DUT output. Units are volts. Ideally, there should be no DC offset. The default limits are 0.01V. Output Level This is a measurement of the capability of the DUT to produce a given output level. Units are dBV or dBFS, depending upon domain. Default limits are 13dBV (dBFS) and 15dBV (dBFS). Frequency Response Deviation This is a measurement of the deviation in frequency response across the audio band. Units are dB. The default limits are 5dB.

HST panel

Click Start. Enter the serial number of the DUT, or some other identifying number or name for your reference.

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Phase Deviation This is a measurement of the deviation in phase response across the audio band. Units are degrees. The default limits are 5. Total Complex Distortion plus Noise This is a measurement of the distortion for each channel, expressed as a ratio against the output level (OL) measured for that channel. Units are dB. The default limit is 55dB. This distortion measurement includes harmonic and intermodulation distortion products as well as noise. Total Complex Distortion is a measurement description used with multitone testing, much like THD+N (total Harmonic Distortion plus Noise). Since a multitone contains several frequencies, the THD for all tones and any IMD between the tones and their harmonics are included in the measurement. Noise in the Presence of Signal This is a measurement of the noise at each DUT channel output, measured in the presence of signal and expressed as a ratio to the output level (OL) measured for that channel. Units are dB. The default limit is 80dB. Crosstalk This is a measurement of the crosstalk from each channel to the other, measured at approximately 10kHz and expressed as a ratio. Units are dB. The default limit is 70dB.
CSV file opened in Notepad

The current test limits (saved in HST Limits.txt) are also included in the saved results CSV file. If you plan to change your test limits or other settings during the day, you should rename the CSV file created in the first sessions to preserve a record of the original Limits or Input Ranging settings.

Saved Results
The results are saved in a CSV file in the Reports subfolder. A CSV file can be edited with a simple text editor, and can be opened in Microsoft Excel or other spreadsheet or database applications. The results for each successive pass are appended to the existing results in the file. The file is named with the test date, in the format HST_Data_2.0_MM-DD-YYYY.csv.

Easy formatting for saved results You can format your results any way you choose by loading the CSV file into a spreadsheet, database or word processor application. We have included a Microsoft Excel file containing a macro that will format your results for you. You must have Microsoft Excel installed on your PC to use this macro. Navigate to the Reports subfolder and open the file AP2700_Display_Results.xls [ATS_Display_Results.xls].. You must have the security level in Microsoft Excel set to enable macros.

CSV file opened in Excel, with Display Results macro applied.

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The initial Excel worksheet will be empty. In Excel, go to Tools > Macro > Macros. In the dialog box that appears, highlight the macro FlagLimitErrors and click Run. Excel will open a file browser. Navigate to your CSV results file and click Open. The macro will open the file and format it, re-sizing the columns and highlighting the limit failures in red, as shown on page 5.

Open-loop testing with HST

HST requires a level-setting reference tone and a specific multitone test signal for stimulus. These must be uploaded, recorded on media or otherwise provided as playback signals for the DUT in open-loop testing.

Test signal files for open-loop testing Navigate to the HST test signal folder, typically located at \My Documents\Audio Precision\AP2700 3.30\Technotes\ TN102 (HST) 2.0\DUT Test Signals\ [My Documents\Audio Precision\ATS 1.60\Technotes\TN102 (HST) 2.0\DUT Test Signals\]. The following files are provided:
Test signal file Multitone44.mp3 Multitone48.mp3 Reference44.mp3 Reference48.mp3 Multitone44.wav Multitone48.wav Multitone96.wav Multitone192.wav Reference44.wav Reference48.wav Reference96.wav Reference192.wav Sample Rate 44.1kHz 48kHz 44.1kHz 48kHz 44.1kHz 48kHz 96kHz 192kHz 44.1kHz 48kHz 96kHz 192kHz

Choose a sample rate suited to your DUT and your testing requirements.

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NOTES

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 2007 Audio Precision, Inc. All rights reserved. pn 0055.0102 rev 1 VII1204152218

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