Origin Acoustics is now the exclusive global distributor for all Ambisonic Systems products, it said Tuesday. Ambisonic’s Landscape Ribbon Six, designed by founder Jeff Coombs, is positioned as the step-up model in Origin’s outdoor speaker lineup, emailed Origin Director-Marketing Aaron Cattoir.

DTS’ Sound Unbound, a 3D audio solution that includes DTS Headphone:X, is available on Xbox One, said the Xperi company Wednesday. Headphone:X is said to boost engagement with multichannel games using surround-sound technology that renders sounds from above, below and close to the gamer with localized sound cues. Sound Unbound launched on Windows 10 last fall.

LG and Samsung announced four-figure, multichannel additions to their premium sound bar lineups. Samsung’s HW-Q950T and HW-Q900T are 9.1.4- and 7.1.4-channel models with Dolby Atmos and DTS:X immersive audio. The HW-Q950T includes two wireless rear up-firing speakers, a wireless subwoofer and additional left and right wide-channel speakers in the bar. Both models include enhanced audio return channel support. By connecting the sound bars to compatible Samsung 2020 QLED TVs, Q-Symphony technology activates and plays surround sound from both the TV’s speakers and the sound bar for "audio synergy" with the TV, said the company Wednesday. The sound bars feature Samsung’s SmartThings app and Alexa voice control. Tap Sound allows users to send music directly from their phones to the sound bar. Height of the sound bars was reduced to 2.74 inches from the 3.27-inch-high 2019 models; both are wrapped in a textile covering from Danish firm Kvadrat. B&H Photo showed the HW-Q950T Wednesday as “coming soon” and available for preorder at $1,797; $1,297 for the HW-Q900T. LG’s $1,299 GX sound bar, Hi-Res Audio certified with lossless playback up to 24-bit/96kHz, has 3.1 channels, Dolby Atmos and DTS:X. It supports Dolby Vision and 4K pass-through and is designed to pair with the company’s OLED TVs. LG’s AI Sound Pro analyzes and automatically matches the optimum sound settings to the content, said the company. Availability is July 20.

Legrand announced Apple AirPlay 2 support for Nuvo players running software version 2020.2. The integration allows users to stream content from iOS devices to multiple Nuvo players simultaneously and to control playback using Siri voice control, it said Tuesday. Nuvo's P600 DIN Rail Player and the P5050, P5100, and P5200 Professional Series players natively support AirPlay 2. Other players installed in a system can be grouped with those players to extend AirPlay to additional areas in the home, said the company.

Panasonic is shipping Technics-branded true wireless headphones it launched at CES. The EAH-AZ70W has an ambient sound mode to let users hear external sounds while listening to music and connects to iPhone and Android smartphones via an app. The $249 earphones have built-in micro-electromechanical system mics and a “labyrinth” cabinet structure that’s said to suppress wind noise. They’re compatible with Siri, Google Assistant and Alexa for voice control.

The global Bluetooth headphone market is projected to grow at a 12.3% compound annual growth rate, to $17.5 billion, through 2025, said Million Insights Friday. It cited 3D sound, on-board storage, gesture recognition, noise cancellation and digital hearing aid features as drivers. North America is expected to have the highest growth, 12.9%.

Denon is pitching its new AVR-S960H AV receiver as 8K-ready and built for gamers. Its enhanced audio return channel input accepts uncompressed and object-based audio from the TV via HDMI, and the receiver identifies the best available surround format for decoding, said the company. The $649 receiver, available in July, has a dedicated 8K input enabling 8K/60Hz and 4K/120Hz video pass-through and HDMI 2.1’s Quick Media Switching that allows a source to instantly switch resolution or frame rate to eliminate screen blackout. The 4K/120Hz pass-through and variable refresh rate are said to reduce frame tearing and improve precision in game play. New to this model are HDR10+ and Dynamic HDR support, joining HDR10, hybrid log gamma and Dolby Vision. Audio features include Dolby Atmos, Dolby Atmos height virtualization technology, DTS:X and DTS Virtual:X. The seven-channel receiver is rated at 90 watts per channel. It comes with Audyssey room calibration, Heos multiroom audio capability and works with Alexa, Google Assistant, Josh.ai and Siri voice control. A Hi-Res Audio digital-to-analog converter decodes up to 24-bit/192-kHz ALAC, FLAC and WAV lossless files and Direct Stream Digital 2.8 MHz and 5.6 MHz tracks through front-panel USB or network connected devices, said the company. It supports Bluetooth and Apple AirPlay 2.

LG’s Xboom Go Bluetooth speakers with Meridian audio are available at LG.com and authorized dealers, said the company Tuesday. The water-resistant portable speakers support voice commands and multi-phone pairing. Two speakers can be linked to create a broader sound field, it said. The PL5 ($129) and PL7 ($179) have a multicolor LED lighting feature that detects a song's tempo based on sound waves and pulses in sync with the beat. Playback is up to 24 hours per charge on the PL5 with lights off.

Citing an overdependence on “foreign manufacturing,” Como Audio CEO Tom DeVesto said Thursday his company is launching a 90-day equity crowdfunding campaign on Start Engine to raise capital for a U.S. factory. “The COVID-19 pandemic has taught all of us valuable lessons in that the U.S. is overly dependent on foreign manufacturing and is in dire need of creating high-paying jobs,” he said. The campaign is intended to bring a factory to the Boston area, where DeVesto’s other audio companies were headquartered. Before launching Como with tabletop music systems in 2016, DeVesto launched brands at Advent, Kloss Video, Cambridge SoundWorks and Tivoli Audio. He's positioning Como to be “more economically resilient and less dependent on global supply chains and making Boston once again the manufacturing center for audio products.” The Start Engine website warns of a 'high degree of risk," including the "possible loss of your entire investment."

Bowers & Wilkins refreshed the 700 Series loudspeaker line with two new models that bring in technology from the 800 series, it said Wednesday. The stand-mount 702 and floor-standing 705 Signature speakers borrow from the high-end 800 Series Diamond speakers with a tweeter-on-top assembly, Continuum cone drivers and aerofoil profile bass drivers, said the company. It also upgraded crossover designs and components, including bypass capacitors sourced from Mundorf, larger heatsinking and in the 702 an upgraded LF capacitor on the bass section of the crossover. The new Datuk Gloss black finish combines real-wood veneers with the environmental benefits of a sustainably-sourced supply from Italian manufacturer Alpi, said the company. The 702 ($6,499 a pair) and 705 ($3,999 a pair) Signature speakers will be available next month at 25% premiums over the non-Signature versions. Distribution for the 700 series models is similar to the that of the 800 series and "not transactional online," a spokesperson emailed: "Consumers truly need to experience the new model in person to understand the care that has gone into developing these new models."