PS Engineering has introduced the PMA8000BTi audio selector panel, a version of the its PMA800BT that includes IntelliAudio spatial audio technology.
IntelliAudio is technology that PS Engineering has licensed from the United States Air Force Laboratory. When activated, the IntelliAudio application places the Com 1 audio signals at the relative 10 o’clock position and COM 2 audio signals at 2 o’clock relative position to the pilot. This allows the pilot to take advantage of the multi-talker or cocktail party effect, where the brain automatically interprets and differentiates conversations at different locations for reduced listening effort and greater comprehension.
“When we introduced IntelliAudio two years ago, we were amazed at the reaction from the pilots when they heard IntelliAudio for the first time,” says company founder and CEO Mark Scheuer. “From air shows to flight PIREPS, pilots love it, so we decided to add it to our flag ship audio panel. What’s more, we didn’t raise the price, only the bar.”
The PMA8000BTi carries the same list price as the PMA8000BT, $2,095, and includes all of the features: Bluetooth telephone and music connectivity, patented IntelliVox automatic VOX intercom, Alternate Intercom Function (AIF), digital aircraft radio playback, Swap Mode, a front panel utility jack, marker beacon receiver/indicator, and multiple music muting modes.
IntelliAudio can be easily switched on or off from the front panel, “but I never turn mine off,” reports Scheuer.
The PMA8000BTi is a plug-and-play replacement for the PMA8000-series audio panels, as well as the Garmin GMA340, he added.