[bluesyfluesy]

Hi there, I recieved my GCE A' Level results today and now I'm cracking my head over which university courses, electrical or mechanical engineering, I should apply for. I'm interested in doing stuff related to the audiophile industry - things like designing a DAP or a headphone/earphone. Any suggestions on which of these two aforementioned courses should I apply for? I'd appreciate any suggestion Thanks!

 

[superjawes]

Hm...I think that the speaker/headphone/earphone route would probably require a bit of mechanical engineering expertise, although you would still need a strong electrical background (and possibly electromagnetic fields+waves specifically). On the DAP side, that would probably require a lot of embedded software, so I wouldn't call that "electrical engineering". My university would have called it "Computer Engineering". That program included a lot more software development coursework.

If you want to go the analog route like in the realm of amplifiers, that is definitely electrical engineering (at its finest ).

One last note, the audiphile electronics industry is relatively small, and I am sure that there are plenty of engineers just here on Head-Fi who would love working in the field (I know I would), so if you really want to work in the industry, do two things:

1) Start looking for internships and special programs as soon as possible to shape your qualifications.
2) Whatever you do focus on, make sure that it is still general enough to find a job outside of the audiphile electronics industry if necessary.

Good luck!

 

[bluesyfluesy]

Hm...I think that the speaker/headphone/earphone route would probably require a bit of mechanical engineering expertise, although you would still need a strong electrical background (and possibly electromagnetic fields+waves specifically). On the DAP side, that would probably require a lot of embedded software, so I wouldn't call that "electrical engineering". My university would have called it "Computer Engineering". That program included a lot more software development coursework.

If you want to go the analog route like in the realm of amplifiers, that is definitely electrical engineering (at its finest ).

One last note, the audiphile electronics industry is relatively small, and I am sure that there are plenty of engineers just here on Head-Fi who would love working in the field (I know I would), so if you really want to work in the industry, do two things:

1) Start looking for internships and special programs as soon as possible to shape your qualifications.
2) Whatever you do focus on, make sure that it is still general enough to find a job outside of the audiphile electronics industry if necessary.

Good luck!

Thanks for taking the time to give me some advice What I can gather from your reply is that the designing of headphones/DAPs require some degree of mechanical and/or electrical engineering knowledge (or computer engineering). DAP-designing-wise, correct me if I'm wrong, wouldn't it have to do more with electrical engineering? Take for example, designing the circuits, implementing electrical components etc. DAP design certainly doesn't come to my mind when I think of computer engineering, haha. For 1), yes, I'm planning on getting an internship in the future (hopefully my future university offers them too). I think it's a really good way to gain some insight into the job. As for 2), I'll keep that in mind, thanks Electrical and mechanical engineering seem to be the more popular courses in my country though.

And please keep the suggestions coming Thanks again in advance!

 

[superjawes]

I will clarify that I have not personally designed or analyzed a DAP, but here is what I see :

1) Analog design. This includes DAC and amp circuits, but this could probably be covered by an integrated chip.

2) Embedded software design. This is the code that converts a digital file into a stream of bits for the DAC, and it could include any changes to the signal as controlled by the DAPs settings. It can also include USB interfacing to transfer data between the DAP and a computer.

3) Software design. This includes the graphical user interface and user controls. This could include an operating system, too.

4) Mechanical design. Mostly just for packaging and quality.

So yes, there is an analog (or "electrical engineering") aspect, but I would expect a lot more emphasis on the software side (even if it is only embedded software).

If you think you'd prefer something with a bigger circuit design focus, you probably want to focus on analog design. This would cover DACs and amplifiers, and most of those devices would have little to no software involved.

 

[Music Alchemist]

Transducers convert one form of energy into another. Headphones convert electrical energy to mechanical energy, so if you want to design headphones, you'll need knowledge in both areas.

 

[bluesyfluesy]

I will clarify that I have not personally designed or analyzed a DAP, but here is what I see :

1) Analog design. This includes DAC and amp circuits, but this could probably be covered by an integrated chip.

2) Embedded software design. This is the code that converts a digital file into a stream of bits for the DAC, and it could include any changes to the signal as controlled by the DAPs settings. It can also include USB interfacing to transfer data between the DAP and a computer.

3) Software design. This includes the graphical user interface and user controls. This could include an operating system, too.

4) Mechanical design. Mostly just for packaging and quality.

So yes, there is an analog (or "electrical engineering") aspect, but I would expect a lot more emphasis on the software side (even if it is only embedded software).

If you think you'd prefer something with a bigger circuit design focus, you probably want to focus on analog design. This would cover DACs and amplifiers, and most of those devices would have little to no software involved.

Thanks again for taking some time to explain 

 I do have a clearer picture now. I do see the "computer engineering" parts do make up a significant portion of DAP design. The university I'm planning to apply for does indeed have "Computer Engineering" as one its offered courses. As of now, I'm still leaning towards electrical engineering 

 

  Transducers convert one form of energy into another. Headphones convert electrical energy to mechanical energy, so if you want to design headphones, you'll need knowledge in both areas.

I see, thanks. But would you say that either electrical or mechanical engineering plays a bigger role in the design of headphones/earphones? For example, for multi-driver IEMs I'm quite sure there's quite a bit of circuit-designing to be done, such as crossovers. Or even electrostatic headphones. 

 

[Music Alchemist]

I see, thanks. But would you say that either electrical or mechanical engineering plays a bigger role in the design of headphones/earphones? For example, for multi-driver IEMs I'm quite sure there's quite a bit of circuit-designing to be done, such as crossovers. Or even electrostatic headphones. 

 
It's more mechanical, but you can't ignore the electrical part. Some audio companies invest millions of dollars developing a single headphone, so it's not something an individual can easily do. But if you look in the DIY section of the site, you can get background info on how to design basic headphones using preestablished models.
 
Here is a good article explaining how electrostatic headphones work. Those are even harder to do right.

 

[bluesyfluesy]

Thanks, that was an interesting read I'll try to look through the DIY forums like you have recommended. I've heard of members creating their own IEMs over there~ Until then I won't know which type of engineering I'd want.

 

[Music Alchemist]

Here's another idea. You can contact the headphone companies themselves and ask for advice on which areas of study to pursue.

 

[bluesyfluesy]

Here's another idea. You can contact the headphone companies themselves and ask for advice on which areas of study to pursue.

That's a really great idea! I don't think I'd have ever thought about it. Thanks for bringing it up. Hope they can spare some time to answer my questions.

 

[wuwhere]

I hate to mention it but you live in Singapore. Where do you plan to go to a university? Most companies that design audio products tend to hire engineers who graduated from universities in their own countries.

 

[bluesyfluesy]

I hate to mention it but you live in Singapore. Where do you plan to go to a university? Most companies that design audio products tend to hire engineers who graduated from universities in their own countries.

Thanks for taking the time to reply I plan to go to the National University of Singapore; I think it's rather good. True, there aren't many such companies in Singapore, but do these companies really hire based on nationality?

 

[wuwhere]

Thanks for taking the time to reply

I plan to go to the National University of Singapore; I think it's rather good. True, there aren't many such companies in Singapore, but do these companies really hire based on nationality?

 
Not nationality but the quality of education.

 

[bluesyfluesy]

Not nationality but the quality of education.

I don't think I need to worry, since the NUS is quite up there in the world university rankings

 

[wuwhere]

I don't think I need to worry, since the NUS is quite up there in the world university rankings

 
I'm not being condescending. When hiring managers reads your resume and sees that you graduated from a foreign university, you will be at a disadvantage. That's just the way it is.