German TV maker Loewe joined the Play-Fi multiroom audio camp and will introduce products with the technology first half of this year, said DTS Tuesday. Adding Play-Fi will allow Loewe customers to have surround-sound configurations, wirelessly, for any room, said Matthias Claus, Loewe director-audio.
Crestron partnered with Origin Acoustics on a co-branded line of in-wall, in-ceiling and landscape speakers, it said Monday. The control company also announced the DM NAX matrix/amplifier and streaming music player for high-performance audio-over-IP and native integration with the Crestron Home platform. Partnering with Origin allowed Crestron to fill a need in the residential market for a “no-compromise” solution combining speakers and distributed audio that “scales across project sizes,” said John Clancy, Crestron vice president-residential. The company identified a gap in the market for an audio solution that could “fully integrate into a smart home platform" and provide high-resolution and high-output audio for discerning audiophiles, he said. Clancy told us Crestron has had numerous audio and video distribution solutions over the years, and its NVX video distribution system “defines the industry standard.” The company sees an opportunity to do the same with audio via DM NAX, he said. Crestron will continue to work with other third-party partners, he said, “but market shifts and advancement in audio-over-IP technology has seen increasing demand from custom integrators for solutions that work actively with our systems,” he said: The development of DM NAX and work with Origin on the speakers created an “integrated high-performance solution that has been missing from the market.” The speaker line divides into two performance series: Reference and Ultimate. The baseline Reference tier of in-ceiling, in-wall and landscape models have Origin’s patented silk tweeters and glass fiber drivers. The step-up Ultimate speakers use carbon-fiber components and ceramic-coated aluminum tweeters; it also has a marine-grade option. The DM NAX matrix/amplifier line offers native connectivity with music streaming services Pandora, Sirius XM and iHeartRadio, with "more to come," said a spokesperson. Crestron Residential Speakers made by Origin Acoustics are due to ship in April; the Crestron DM NAX line is slated for early June. Preorders for both product lines begin March 30. Several distributed audio companies have teamed with speaker makers over recent years. Control4 bought Triad before its acquisition by SnapAV. The SnapAV website said Monday Triad’s “fully custom high-performance speakers are coming soon.” And Sonos inked a partnership with Dana Innovations in 2018 for co-branded Sonos and Sonance architectural speakers, also for the custom channel.
Atlantic Technology bowed the 360-watt Gatecrasher3 sound bar with left, center and right speakers. The three-channel system can be matched wirelessly with SKAA-standard speakers to create a 5.1-channel system. It can also be paired with SKAA-compliant active subwoofers for more bass. The $799 Gatecrasher3 uses AI for simplified setup, said the company. It counts among its 13 audio input sources Spotify, Tidal, Deezer, Qobuz, free internet radio and Digital Living Network Alliance sources; physical connectors including optical, coaxial, HDMI arc and stereo RCA; and wireless sources via SKAA, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Wired digital and analog inputs let users play high-resolution music directly from external digital-to-analog converters, CD players, tape decks or turntables. Dolby decoding includes Dolby Digital and Pro-Logic.
Lenbrook Americas bowed $2,499 per pair speakers in the Dali Oberon series. The floor-standing three-way Oberon 9 models have two long-throw 9-inch woofers, a dedicated 7-inch midrange driver and a 1.14-inch soft-dome tweeter with a dome material that Lenbrook said is half the weight of those of more conventional tweeters. Availability is expected late March.
New $329 earbuds from JVCKenwood offer feature voice control targeted to specific voice assistants, said the company Thursday. The WS-A1 for Amazon Alexa and the WS-A1G for Google Assistant allow hands-free access to voice assistants’ functions including news, personal calendars, phone calls and smart device control, said the company. Voice enhancement mode, activated with a tap and hold on the right earbud, improves sound intelligibility, it said. A slide control on the side shifts listening from ambient sound mode to noise cancellation.
Qualcomm is working with global audio brands to drive a “new era for wireless audio,” blogged the company Thursday, saying new technologies offer premium sound quality, extended battery life, “robust connectivity” and clear voice calls. The growth of the true wireless earbud market is creating demand for longer battery life, improved smartphone interoperability, active noise cancellation, wake-word-activated voice assistants and hearing enhancement, it said. Gaming and video consumption are driving a need for low-latency Bluetooth audio connectivity, said the company.
KEF introduced the KC62 compact subwoofer ($1,499) for compact spaces. The 9.78x10.1x9.8-inch bass box has a 1,000-watt amplifier and the company’s Uni-Core technology. Smart distortion control helps correct abnormalities by measuring the current in the voice coil and detecting and correcting any nonlinear distortions, said the company. Room-placement equalization presets help users optimize bass for the room.
Audeze launched closed-back planar magnetic in-ear headphones for audiophiles. The $1,299 Euclid earphones have a maximum sound-pressure level of 120 dB. Bluetooth and 4.4mm balanced cables are due in March, said the company. The earbuds' gold-plated MMCX plug terminations are said to provide a secure and durable connection.
KEF introduced true wireless earphones with active noise cancellation. The $229 earbuds, created by industrial designer Ross Lovegrove, have 0.3-inch drivers, Bluetooth 5.0 and an ambient mode that disengages noise cancellation with the press of a button, said the company Thursday. The splash-proof earbuds have a five-minute "fast-charging" feature for one hour of use, it said.
KEF launched the $1,499 KC62 subwoofer Thursday with updated Uni-Core technology that enables a smaller cabinet size without affecting output. Uni-Core’s force cancellation configuration and single-motor system, with concentrically arranged voice coils, allows the cabinet size to be reduced by a third from previous designs while equaling or exceeding the driver excursion of a much larger subwoofer, said the company. The 31-pound sub measures 9.7-by-10-by-9.8 inches. Uni-Core “allows us to pack two drivers into a tighter space without compromising their performance," said Jack Oclee-Brown, KEF head-research & development. Each driver is powered by a 500-watt class D amplifier. The subwoofer's Smart Distortion Control technology is a sensorless motional feedback system designed to correct signal anomalies and transients for accurate bass with less colorization and distortion. Digital signal processing algorithms, designed in-house, continually analyze the signal to prevent clipping, it said. A new P-Flex surround in the sub resists acoustic pressure inside the cabinet without limiting sensitivity, KEF said, comparing the surround's design to origami paper folding.