Sonos didn’t comment on widespread reports it’s finally introducing a portable Bluetooth speaker. Tech websites have been following leaks of the rumored device that would allow users to take a Sonos speaker on a road trip, a picnic or to the backyard and listen to music out of Wi-Fi range. The Verge reposted an item from German tech website WinFuture showing a black Sonos speaker sitting on a credenza, with a built-in handle and base station in a housing a bit more oval than the Sonos One. Sonos users have been clamoring for years (see 1801230051) for a speaker with Bluetooth, while Sonos has used Bluetooth as a foil for comparisons to its Wi-Fi technology. At its New York store in 2016, a chart comparing Bluetooth speakers with a Sonos system (see 1607200023) touted the ability to keep playing even after the smartphone source left the house through its long list of music services. The rumored Sonos portable speaker would connect at home like a standard Sonos system over the dedicated peer-to-peer Sonosnet, according to reports. A Sonos spokesman emailed us Thursday: “We’re always working on new experiences for our customers,” but wouldn’t comment on Sonos’ product road map. The company is holding a news-media event in New York Monday for an announcement embargoed until Sept. 5. Bose announced its own portable Bluetooth speaker Thursday (see 1908220047), an Alexa and Google Assistant-enabled smart speaker, due in stores Sept. 19.

Denon launched two hi-fi components -- an integrated amplifier and a CD player -- that will be in stores next month. The 70-watt-per-channel PMA-600NE integrated amp ($399) has a user-selectable analog mode that can disable digital and Bluetooth inputs to avoid high-frequency interference from digital sources, it said. The DCD-600NE CD Player ($299) supports CD, CD-R/RW, MP3 and WMA formats, it said.

MSE Audio bowed a planter speaker in the Rockustics line. The SquareRoot 6.5, 17x17 inches, is designed to accommodate live plants, said the company. The omnidirectional coaxial speaker is designed for pools, decks and patios.

Cleer Audio introduced four headphones, including the $179 Enduro 100s with battery life that can span four days, said the company Wednesday. The Hi-Res Audio Bluetooth headphones claim 100 hours of battery life from a full tank and have a quick-charge feature that delivers an hour of listening from a five-minute boost, said the company. The over-ear headphones have Google Assistant Fast Pair for quick Bluetooth setup with Android devices. Cleer’s Ally Plus ($199) wireless earbuds have active digital noise cancellation, a 10mm neodymium driver and Fast Pair, plus a 20-hour battery case. The company’s over-ear Flow II noise-canceling headphones ($279), with 20 hours’ playback when noise canceling is engaged, have a Google Assistant voice interface. The $149 Halo is a neckband headphone design that drapes over users’ shoulders with up-firing speaker drivers directed toward the ears. In a quick test of the Halos during an indoor July pre-briefing, we found the nontraditional over-shoulder neckband design appealing since it didn’t put pressure directly on the ears. We wondered if the sound would suffer in a noisy outdoor environment and if the wearable speakers would become uncomfortable hanging around the neck. Battery life is 12 hours, Cleer said.

Wireless Speaker and Audio (WiSA) developer Summit Wireless updated its view of the addressable market for WiSA technology Wednesday, saying it expects 20 million WiSA Ready TVs to be available globally next year and 3 million-5 million WiSA transmitting devices. “As WiSA, its members, and retailers roll out a new wave of innovative product with entry level price points under $1,000 for a 5.1 immersive audio system, we believe a $45 million serviceable available market (SAM) is created for Summit Wireless in 2020 and beyond,” said CEO Brett Moyer. Summit’s WiSA Association announced Tuesday that TPV, which markets Philips TVs in most markets outside of North America, will introduce WiSA-ready TVs, bringing to seven the number of TV brands that have committed to the technology (see 1908060023).

NAD released a software update for Apple AirPlay 2 Tuesday, allowing customers to stream audio content from an iPhone, iPad or Mac to select products. The update is for the Classic Series C 658 BluOS streaming digital-to-analog converter and the Master series M10 BluOS streaming amplifier; the company also released a BluOS module for upgrade slots in the C368 and C388 integrated amplifiers to enable BluOS multiroom streaming and AirPlay 2 functionality. With AirPlay 2, users will be able to stream music services, podcasts, audiobooks, movies, games, YouTube audio, TV sound and stored music from an Apple device, and they can control playback via Siri voice control, it said.

Yamaha announced a sound bar for enterprise applications Tuesday with a “collaboration kit” bundling an artificial intelligence-powered wide-angle USB camera from Huddly. Yamaha “tweaked” its sound bars for enterprise use, including adding a conference mode that optimizes output for speech and a hotel mode for content sharing in a lobby environment, a spokesperson emailed. A normal-regular mode provides standard sound bar features, she said. The sound bars, available through Amazon and CDW, are also available to the integrator channel.

Growing use of the internet, smartphones and fitness activities is fueling a global premium headphone market expected to grow at a 15.2 percent compound annual rate through 2027, said a Tuesday Coherent Market Insights report. Sound quality, price, brand name, headphone type and wearing comfort are the key factors driving customer buying behavior for the $300-$500 segment, it said. Though demand for premium features in headphones is rising in North America and Western Europe markets, Asia Pacific is expected to be the most lucrative market for premium headphones over the forecast period due to increasing adoption of paid digital audio subscriptions, growth of a fitness and sports industry and rising disposable income. China’s per capita disposable income grew by 6.5 percent from 2017 to 2018, it noted.

Sam’s Club is carrying Liberty hearing aids with Lucid Hearing technology that communicates with an iPhone via Bluetooth to provide noise reduction and low-level and impulse noise suppression, said Lucid Thursday. Sam's stores are selling 24-channel hearing aids for $1,399 a pair (starting at $46 a month with financing) and 16-channel versions for $999. The entry model has dynamic feedback cancellation, feedback suppression, enhanced speech in noise with a dynamic directional mic, it said.

Helm Audio’s TW5 true wireless headphones dropped from $99 on Prime Day to $64.99 in an Amazon Deal of the Day Wednesday. The headphones include Bluetooth 5.0, Qualcomm’s aptX HD Bluetooth codec and offer six-eight hours’ play time per charge with an additional 30 hours play time available from the charging case. Suggested retail price of the TW5 is $129.