Technics added a $999 turntable as a lower priced alternative to the SL-1500C ($1,199), which remains in the line. The coreless, direct-drive turntable is a “cost-effective solution without significant compromise,” the company said Monday. It comes with an Audio-Technica VM95C on-board pickup cartridge that’s widely compatible with typical moving-magnet inputs found on hi-fi amplifiers, Technics said. A tonearm auto-lift feature helps preserve the lifespan of the stylus, it said.

LG bowed the Tone Free T90 true wireless earbuds, the first Dolby Atmos wireless earbuds to support Dolby Head Tracking, the company said Sunday. The feature recalibrates sound as users move their heads to create a more natural sound experience, the company said. They’re the first wireless earbuds with an audio virtualizer designed by Dolby specifically for earbuds, LG said; the feature is designed to expand spatial dimensionality for stereo listening. The T90s come with an UVnano charging case, which uses UV-C light that’s said to kill 99.9% of bacteria on buds' ear gels in 10 minutes during the powered charging cycle. The T90’s Plug & Wireless feature uses the charging case as a Bluetooth transmitter that has a voice chat function for conference calls and gaming. A supplied USB-C to Aux cable allows users to plug the case into a radio, treadmill, in-flight entertainment system, or other headphone port for tether-free operation. Battery life is given as nine hours of use on a single charge with an additional 18 hours from the case. Price wasn’t given; shipping is slated for September.

HMV in the U.K. is taking preorders on a “collector’s edition” turntable sourced from Henley Audio to celebrate the retailer’s centennial anniversary. Only 300 of the belt-drive turntables will be available when they're released for sale Aug. 27 at 399.99 pounds ($485.69) each, said HMV. The product features “luxury design elements throughout for true hi-fi sound,” including a “true hi-fi” tonearm that’s preset for “downforce and anti-skate” and a pre-installed Ortofon OM 5E cartridge with elliptical diamond stylus, said the retailer. The turntable has no plastic parts “where there shouldn’t be,” and is “carefully manufactured to ensure there are no hollow spaces inside, avoiding unwanted vibrations within the finished product,” it said.

Russound will highlight outdoor speakers at CEDIA Expo next month, the company said in a Wednesday preview. It plans to bow an 8-inch front-firing rock speaker, 8-inch rock subwoofer, 6-inch landscape speaker and 10-inch downfiring subwoofer. Russound will also display its VoicePlay multiroom audio system, it said. CEDIA Expo is scheduled for Sept. 29-Oct. 1 at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas.

Comments are due Sept. 26 on the FTC’s proposal to update its 1974 amplifier rule by requiring sellers making power claims in marketing amplifiers for home entertainment products “to calculate power output using uniform testing methods to allow consumers to easily compare amplifier sound quality” (see 2207050055), said a notice in Wednesday’s Federal Register. Numerous commenters in a 2020 notice-and-comment proceeding urged the FTC to consider imposing uniform test conditions to address consumer confusion “resulting from advertising of unrealistic power outputs,” said the agency earlier this month.

Vizio launched M-Series and M-Series Elevate sound bars in its Tuesday 2023 product release. The company extended Dolby Atmos and DTS:X support across the M-Series sound bar lineup, said Todd Baker, director-product management, on a recent embargoed product showcase webcast. The M-Series includes a 36-inch-wide 2.1 all-in-one soundbar ($199) with dual integrated subwoofers, a woofer and a tweeter on each channel, an HDMI enhanced audio return channel (eARC) input for simple setup and control, 4K Dolby Vision pass-through, Bluetooth for audio streaming and a dedicated input for a voice assistant, Baker said. Vizio brought premium Elevate technology to the M-Series for the first time, adding adaptive height speakers with aluminum discs that light up “subtly” when activated, the company said. When Dolby Atmos and DTS:X audio sources are detected, the speakers automatically rotate up to reflect sound from the ceiling for an immersive audio experience, Vizio said. The M-Series Elevate ($799) has 13 speakers, including a redesigned subwoofer said to deliver bass down to 45 Hz. In addition to dedicated tweeters and woofers, the M-Series Elevate model has separate rear speakers. Additional features include Bluetooth 5.0, 4K Dolby Vision pass-through and a dedicated voice assistant input. In addition, Baker said, all M and P series Vizio 2023 sound bars have spatial audio with Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, which renders virtual speakers around a room.

Monoprice added THX-certified speakers to its Monolith in-wall speaker lineup, the company said Tuesday. The THX-275IW ($349), with one 6.5-inch woofer, a 50mm silk dome midrange driver and a 25mm silk dome tweeter, is THX Certified Select; the THX-465IW ($699), certified THX Ultra, has four 6.5-inch woofers for larger rooms. The architectural speakers meet "strict THX performance and listening standards," the company said. All Monolith THX Certified in-wall and in-room speakers use the same drivers and crossover components, allowing speakers to be mixed and matched in any room, the company said.

The Bluetooth special interest group announced Tuesday completion of the full set of specifications defining LE Audio, the next generation of Bluetooth audio. LE Audio improves wireless audio performance, adds support for hearing aids and introduces Auracast broadcast audio, which allows an audio source device to broadcast one or more audio streams to an unlimited number of audio sink devices. The Bluetooth SIG said qualification for Bluetooth products to add support for LE Audio is now enabled. The first consumer products supporting LE Audio will come to market in the coming months, with product availability expected to ramp up before the holiday season. Nordic Semiconductor, which claims 40% share of new Bluetooth Low Energy design certifications, is seeing its first customers enter “volume production” with LE Audio products, said CEO Svenn-Tore Larsen Tuesday on a Q2 earnings call. The Bluetooth SIG calls LE Audio “the future of wireless sound, and we are in the position to accelerate the development of next generation wireless audio projects,” Larsen said. Nordic’s new development kit for LE Audio “uses the most advanced SoC we have” to take advantage of the new Bluetooth 6.0 spec due to be released by the end of 2022, said Larsen. Auracast "will open new applications for many new users," he said.

Snap One announced the worldwide launch of the Triad PDX Series of architectural speakers, comprising 13 speaker models and 19 accessories, including color grilles, rear enclosures and pre-construction brackets. The launch is the first from Triad since Snap One and Control4 combined in 2019, Snap emailed Thursday. The speakers, designed and engineered in Portland, Oregon, use high-performance materials and components such as carbon fiber, Kevlar, Teteron and dual voice coils, Snap said. A two-piece baffle/speaker module assembly allows integrators to remove the speaker while leaving the cradle and grille in the ceiling or wall, preventing the speaker from being stolen or damaged during construction; the design also allows for HVAC pressure testing for certification of occupancy.

Rockford Fosgate bowed weather-resistant speakers for marine applications, it said Tuesday. The Element Ready M2 10-inch speakers have a 1-inch horn tweeter and 10-inch midrange driver and are tuned for open-air environments, the company said. Mounting depth is 4.7 inches; the speaker fits applications where a 7-inch or 8-inch speaker typically fits, it said. Prices are $999 for the M2-10H, $1,799 for the M2WL-10H.