Sonos applied Oct. 22 to trademark its own brand name on the table lamp “with embedded wireless speakers” it began selling exclusively through Ikea during the summer (see 1908020042), Patent and Trademark Office records show. Sonos began using the brand “in commerce” on the Ikea lamp “at least as early” as Aug. 1, said the application. It originally trademarked the Sonos brand name in April 2006 and renewed it in May 2015, say PTO records. Ikea is selling a $179 table lamp under the Symfonisk brand with a Sonos speaker built into the base (see 1908020042). The PTO application includes photos of the Symfonisk packaging and of the lamp's underbelly showing the Sonos and Ikea logos.

The half-dozen dealers selected to market and sell Yamaha’s new flagship 5000 series were picked by region and for their experience and expertise in selling hi-fi gear, emailed Rebecca Lynn, marketing manager, consumer audio. On whether the limited-distribution line will be sold through other retailers, Lynn said, “We’ll determine that down the road. For now, we want to make sure to deliver the right experience at these six centers.” Dealers include Abt Electronics and Music Direct, Chicago; Shelley’s Stereo, Los Angeles; Soundlux Audio, Miami; Stereo Exchange, New York; and Gramophone, Gaithersburg, Maryland. The series, comprising NS-5000 speakers ($14,999 a pair), C-5000 preamplifier ($9,999), M-5000 power amplifier ($9,999) and GT-5000 turntable ($7,999 due early 2020), launched Tuesday as a premium component lineup targeted to audiophiles. Lynn said Thursday the six dealers chosen to bring the products to market have experience centers where consumers can listen to an entire 5000 series system in an “acoustically-exceptional environment.” The dealers understand "every element of the system" and can support sales and service, she said. On whether the launch of the audiophile series marks a different direction for Yamaha, Lynn said the company continually evolves product offerings to address changing consumer desires: “We still see demand in the Hi-Fi category.” Yamaha called the 5000 series, eight years in the making, a continuation of the company’s 1000 and 2000 series components and “the biggest statement in the Hi-Fi market since it coined the term ‘Hi-Fi’ 65 years ago.” The company plans to use elements of the line in future products.

Audio mastering engineer Bob Ludwig received the first dCS Legends award at a reception in New York Wednesday, held in conjunction with the 147th Audio Engineering Society convention and Data Conversion Systems. The award recognizes “outstanding efforts of an elite group of recording, mixing and mastering engineers." Ludwig, recipient of 11 Grammy awards, has been described as a “mastering engineer’s engineer.” His credits with Gateway Mastering Studios include the Rolling Stones’ Let It Bleed, Bruce Springsteen’s The River, George Strait’s Cold Beer Conversation and the Blu-ray Disc of Eric Clapton’s Slowhand at 70. Ludwig nabbed Grammy awards for Album of the Year in 2013 for Mumford & Sons’ Babel, in 2014 for Daft Punk’s Random Access Memory and in 2015 for Beck’s Morning Phase.

Sony announced commercial availability of its immersive audio ecosystem called 360 Reality Audio that encompasses creation, distribution and playback of music content. Based on object-based spatial audio technology, 360 Reality Audio will be available on 1,000 songs late this year from artists including Mark Ronson and Pharrell Williams and via streaming services including Amazon Music HD, Deezer, nugs.net and Tidal, it said. The company's working with Napster to develop a 360 Reality Audio streaming solution for service providers, it said Tuesday, and on the label side, it’s working with Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group, Live Nation, music distribution services and other music organizations. 360 Reality Audio can be experienced on headphones and wireless speakers from most manufacturers when combined with an Android or iOS smartphone offering participating streaming service apps. Users can also experience the immersive audio technology using select Sony headphones and the company's Headphones Connect app. The app analyzes listeners’ hearing characteristics using a Sony-designed algorithm, it said. Speakers require a Sony decoder; compatible songs can be played back from Amazon Music HD using Echo Studio, Sony said. Sony partnered with platform and chipset providers Qualcomm (see 1903200022), MediaTek and NXP to make the technology usable in future connected devices, it said.

Although Onkyo USA “was never part" of the Sound United acquisition announcement in May -- the term sheet agreement was dissolved last week (see 1910040021) -- the Americas distributor for the Onkyo brand revamped its organizational structure, it said Wednesday, “to align sector expertise with the company’s new business vertical approach.” The realignment allows Onkyo to “move beyond any uncertainty to focus on increasing market share, strategic partnerships, consumer engagement and expanding our portfolio of premium brands,” said Chief Operating Officer Joe Petrillo. Mike Criscitiello joined Onkyo in August (see 1908200017) as national sales manager for the newly defined retail business unit, and Jim Pelech will lead the custom installation segment, said the company. Robert Vieira was promoted to custom channel director-product marketing, training and brand localization, and Integra Director-Sales Keith Haas will assume a role alongside Scott Sefton to develop the newly created premium brands business unit focusing on esoteric and other premium brands, it said. “We will continue to invest in high-level performers to provide our business partners and ultimately the end user with a higher level of service and accommodation,” Petrillo said. Last month, Onkyo USA announced (see 1909110050) it's an authorized distributor and online retail partner for Sonos. It plans more announcements of other premium brands for its portfolio in coming weeks.

Skullcandy bowed the Vert wireless earbuds ($79) in its Adventure Audio line with a Bluetooth dial that gives users access to call, track and volume control, it said Wednesday. Features include 12-hour battery life and Rapid Charge technology that delivers two hours’ battery life from a 10-minute charge. It also launched Method Active Bluetooth earbuds ($59) with 10 hours’ battery life and an IPX7 waterproof rating. The Ink+d Active wireless earbuds ($59), with a neckband, have 15 hours’ battery life.

Summit Wireless, founding member of the Wireless Speaker and Audio Association, said Wednesday it received $1.2 million in gross proceeds resulting from several existing investors’ exercise of equity warrants. The company will use the funds for planned Q4 product launches, it said. An 8-K filed with the SEC Tuesday reported Summit expected to receive gross proceeds of approximately $862,000 from the exercise of warrants. The company said an amended Form 8-K was to have been filed Wednesday.

CasaTunes announced support for AudioControl’s line of network amplifiers Monday. CasaTunes can monitor AudioControl systems for AC line voltage fluctuations, thermal overheating of the system and zones, zone short circuits, clipping, ultrasonic and DC offset, and they can be configured to notify customers or dealers if issues are detected, said the company. CasaTunes music servers offer both music and intelligent matrix amplifier control, native apps for Android and iOS smartphones and tablets, voice control, premium streaming music, local CD playback, AV receiver integration, room grouping, and waking and sleeping to music.

3D audio is “interesting, and we are watching it closely,” emailed a Sonos spokesperson in response to questions on Amazon’s move in that direction with the recently introduced Echo Studio smart speaker (see 1909300022). “If it proves to be popular with consumers and the industry, we’ll consider supporting it,” he said: “Artists tell us that when they are in the studio with the right content and perfectly calibrated equipment, 3D audio can be quite impressive.” The challenge -- and what’s most important -- is “making it easy for customers to replicate that experience in the home,” he said. Amazon raised the bar for smart speaker sound quality in its Sept. 25 announcement, launching an Echo speaker capable of playing back 24-bit/192 kHz tracks and Dolby Atmos recordings in the “Ultra” tier of its recently launched Music HD streaming service, which Sonos speakers can’t do. The spokesperson told us Sonos is “focused on creating a better listening experience,” saying its products have been designed toward that end, along with the choice of partners it has brought to its platform. Its independence and the ability to offer customers the freedom to choose “any sound, from any service, is one of our strongest differentiators,” he said. Sonos will "continue to build a system that works together across ecosystems -- making room for every voice assistant, every streaming service, and any company that wants to build with us -- and we’ll deliver products with premium sound that are easy to set-up and control.”

Focal Naim America announced Wednesday the opening of a Focal powered by Naim store in Scottsdale, Arizona, Oct. 30, its first such store in the U.S. The speaker and component audio brands have showrooms in Asia and Europe and plan to open more around the world, they said.