AES New York 2019 Presenter or Author
Robert Muniz
Primary Affiliation: Harmonic Power Conversion LLC - Douglas, MA, USA
Bob Muniz is an independent consultant specializing in analog/switching-power design and product development. He has been involved with electronics since his early teens, helping his father repair TVs and radios in their Philadelphia garage. Anxious to advance his knowledge, he pursued an in Electrical Engineering degree at Drexel University, specializing in analog design. After graduating in 1989, Bob moved to California to work with Harman Motive developing power amplifiers for the Chrysler Infinity brand, just in time for the Northridge earthquake. Undaunted, this early position marked the start of a long career in audio, emphasizing analog design within a manufacturing environment.
The early 90s brought a radical change to the audio industry. Markets were demanding ever increasing power density while advances in materials and technology enabled widespread incorporation of switching power supplies into power amplifiers. These same advancements allowed Class-D amplification to achieve pro-audio performance levels and become a practical alternative to competing analog designs. Bob joined QSC in 1994 at the start of this revolution and began training under some of its earliest pioneers.
Incorporating switching power into an audio amplifier and launching a viable product into the marketplace presents a unique and difficult set of challenges. Disparate systems must seamlessly coexist. Regulatory compliance is essential. Expertise is required across many disciplines and experience and training cannot be overemphasized. Building on his 12-year tenure at QSC, Bob traveled to Copenhagen in both 2005 and 2009 to study and exchange ideas with top leaders and fellow innovators in the field of Class-D amplification. This diverse experience and training allowed Bob to master not only the design of switching power converters but also their successful integration and conversion to commercially viable products.
Following product development roles at both SONOS and EAW, Bob began work as an independent consultant in 2008, founding Harmonic Power Conversion. That same year he partnered with Extron Electronics as one of two original members of the then fledgling Audio Power team. Through his development of their highly successful line of 1RU Full-Rack amplifiers, his work enabled Extron to establish a foothold in the installed sound amplifier market while allowing the company the bandwidth to advance their long-term goal of establishing an in-house engineering team. Bob’s 11 years with Extron brought to market many high volume, high reliability products and put in place technologies and infrastructure which forged a foundation for their leadership role in AV Technology.
More Info: https://harmonic-power.com
Session List
Oct 19:
EB5: Transducers
Noise and Distortion Mechanisms Encountered in Switching Audio Power Amplifier Design (Author)