Crossword Genius

An acoustic device for discovering the opinion of the directors! (8,5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

sounding board

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'an acoustic device for' is the definition.
The definition suggests a singular noun which matches the answer.

'the opinion of the directors' is the wordplay.
'the opinion of' becomes 'sounding' (I can't explain this - if you can you should give a lot more credence to this answer).
'the directors' becomes 'board' (board of directors).
'sounding'+'board'='SOUNDING-BOARD'

'discovering' acts as a link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for sounding board that I've seen before include "Means of testing opinion" , "means of testing idea" , "One whose opinion is sought" , "Recipient of experimental ideas perhaps" .)

I've seen this clue in The Irish News.
Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.