Ben Duncan

Ben making radio-frequency measurements of audio parts, with test gear by HP, Marconi, & Tektronix, at test station No 5

Profile

Ben Duncan is a prolific British polymath, his works being internationally recognised across multiple fields since the 1970s, with numerous innovations and 'world firsts'.  

Of particular interest to HIFICRITIC readers, is that he has researched many audio phenomena, and with colleagues and co-workers,  has established or helped to establish, amongst other things, objective measurements of capacitor-induced distortion, conductor  and cable anomalies and directionality, and a simple method that correlates distortion measurements with audible results.

Ben Duncan's 'Job description' has caused some complications when a traffic policeman has had to fill a tiny box, as it includes 'Independent' at its head, then audio scientist & researcher, then analog electronics engineer, manufacturing consultant cum product trouble-shooter, music technologist, and author, reviewer and columnist for diverse audio & electronics magazines, some 25 publications - with some 1000 magazine articles published, along with multiple books, including thede-facto world-reference hardback book on high-quality power amplifiers. 

Since the mid-70s, he has designed hundreds of electronic & audio products (including 20 years of presenting leading-edge designs for high-end DIY, in Hi-Fi News), as well as helping worldwide colleagues to develop (for example) some of the world's smoothest electronics CAD, and even IT security systems. More than a few of Ben's audio designs, concepts, and bespoke works have seen use by top music artistes. 

Circularly, the intense creativity has been inspired by a very wide range of music - often playing in the lab - firmly earthed by an enduring resonance with spacey ambient, and visceral 40s thro' 70s UK/US rock, blues, be-bop, free jazz, soul & funk.  

Wearing a totally other hat, as a landowner, Ben Duncan has designed and created organic gardens, a nature reserve, organic farm and 30 acres of new parkland with hundreds of specimen trees, the significance being a paradise in which festivals and national music events are nowadays able to be staged, with natural acoustics. 

The inspiration came with his involvement in the early Glastonbury Festivals of the 80s, but Ben also recalls organising his first pop concert in 1974 after designing stage lighting for plays, Brecht thro' to Gilbert & Sullivan. In the classical field, a best friend at that time is now a notable UK classics composer in residence while another founded a CD label for church music. 

BD's audio designs are recognised for master-class electronics engineering finesse, alongside exceptional sonic qualities. Both equipment he's co-designed for diverse makers and his own bespoke units, and also Ben's sonic-upgrades of well known equipment, are known and respected across the normally "hermetically  isolated" worlds of high-end hi-fi, professional recording studios, and, live sound production, and by diverse musicians, sound engineers, as well as by academics and physicists.

Ben making radio-frequency measurements of audio parts, with test gear by HP, Marconi, & Tektronix, at test station No 5
Founded over 30 years ago, probably while listening to Cado Belle, Chicago, The Average White Band or Al Stewart ... Ben Duncan Research has provided special professional services to hundreds of organisations  across the world.  As the founder, Ben operates arguably one of the audio world's best-resourced test labs, with very wide and deep range of  instruments and knowledge available to make new discoveries, solve tough engineering problems, and develop new test methodologies for audio quality. Other than the BDR website, over 1000 3rd-party websites and forums (mainly hi-fi) discuss or cite some of Ben's works.

A brief word from Ben...

Ben was asked for his opinion on Class D audio power amplification for HIFICRITIC (Vol 1 No 6), and while not used, we reproduce it below with permission.
Find HIFICRITIC articles by Ben Duncan in the Annual Indexes.