December 2023

Ten Years More Of Everything
audioXpress is committed to serving the enthusiasts and global audio engineering
community.
Editorial By J. Martins

  Even though my involvement with this publication started earlier, it was in November 2013 that audioXpress received a facelift, signaling a new life for this publication. We expanded the content and increased our focus on audio research and development (R&D), product design, and acoustic science while maintaining our roots in DIY audio and audio electronics. Over the years I have constantly re-examined those directions and more importantly worked tirelessly to expand our authors' network in line with the technology evolution and constantly evolving audio industry trends. As is always recommended on editorial projects, every year we have re-examined our mission and what was achieved, reflecting both our audience's interests and readership expansion across product and market segments.

I confess that I was surprised with the positive response we received in certain technology fields (e.g., voice, automotive audio, and DSP), while feeling frustration from the lack of contributions and response in others that we see as strategic (e.g., acoustics). As always, not everyone was positively excited with all the initial changes. Ten years later, I'm glad we stayed the course to see our original mission recognized and validated by readers, authors, and advertisers.

audioXpress continues to be committed to serving the enthusiasts and the global audio engineering community, while aiming to remain a reference for developers and designers. And its audience has expanded significantly since November of 2013, when the magazine embraced its audio development focus. Now reaching 52,000+ readers all over the world (print and digital circulation combined), while our website receives 12,000 visitors daily, on average, for the past 12 months.

As I wrote in my original editorial 10 years back: "We believe audioXpress will blossom into a fascinating publication that follows the latest audio innovation trends, independent of the application field, and share a common audience of engineers, consultants, and enthusiasts in the electronics and audio fields, most of whom are involved in R&D." Today, the magazine's renovated audience are engineers working in manufacturers' R&D departments, engineers involved in product design and development, product management, production, systems, integrators, and consultants.

Once again I would like to evoke how Edward T. Dell, Jr. (1923–2013) devoted his life to people with a passion for audio electronics and founded Audio Amateur (rebranded as Audio Electronics in 1996), Glass Audio, Speaker Builder, and finally audioXpress, which he edited until 2011. As Dell wrote in his first audioXpress editorial, explaining why readers, authors, and advertisers are the key ingredients for a magazine: "Readers are, collectively, a kind of community. In truth, authors are only an advanced form of reader. And I believe no avocational magazine can be healthy or successful without advertising."

The fourth "ingredient," Ed added was Passion. "My passion for good sound carried me along despite long hours of endless work, very slow growth, and even resorting to co-opting members of my young family. The task of producing a magazine is easier today as far as mechanics are concerned, but I think passion is still fundamental. I still look forward to coming to work each morning. Magazines stir the imagination, they surprise, they stimulate, they amuse. I am happy to report, somewhat immodestly, that I still enjoy that prospect myself."

Ten years past, audioXpress has done well in incorporating all four ingredients. Then and now, we just need more of everything we have already committed ourselves to do.

And of course I would like to recognize the essential role and support of the team that worked closely with me during these 10 years: Shannon Becker, Associate Editor; Jan Didden, Technical Editor; and KC Prescott, our publisher, and founder of KCK Media Corp. Of course, I would also like to thank Cristina Costa, our social media manager, who works hard to always be by my side, Mike Klasco and Nora Wong (always there when I need them, anywhere in the world), Vance Dickason, and all the many authors and contributors that make this publication.

Our work for 2024 has already started and we are confident that audioXpress is increasingly playing a role in inspiring all product developers, and Advancing the Evolution of Audio Technology. As always audioXpress is open to contributed articles.

J. Martins
Editor-in-Chief

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