Bryston bowed three active loudspeakers, and amplifiers designed to work with them, it said Tuesday. The Active Loudspeaker lineup includes: the 53-inch-tall Model T, the 40-inch-tall Middle T and 23-inch tall Mini T, supported by the three-channel 21B3 and six-channel 24B3 amplifiers. System prices are $33,700 for the Model-T with digital crossover and two 21B3 amps; $20,230 for the Middle T with crossover and a 24B3 amp; and $17,690 for the Mini T with crossover and one 24B3 amp. Availability is Q1 for the flagship and Q2 for the Middle T and Mini T systems.

Sennheiser is stepping out of its comfort zone at CES, previewing a sound bar based on its Ambeo 3D technology, it said Monday. The sound bar creates a “you are there” experience without the need for additional components or a subwoofer, Sennheiser said. The company also is expanding its wireless headphone line with the CX 6.00 BT in-ear headphones. It’s pitching the CX 6.00 BT to gamers, with Qualcomm’s Bluetooth aptX and support for aptX Low Latency that’s said to boost the gaming experience by keeping visuals and sound “in perfect sync.” Price is $99 with January availability, said the company. Getting back to its audiophile roots, Sennheiser also is launching the $2,399 HD 820 headphones. The closed-back stereo headphones are said to achieve “transparent sound” resulting from a Gorilla glass transducer cover that minimizes resonances to produce a natural sound field, it said.

Linkplay will introduce at CES an artificial intelligent-for-audio technology said to help smart device makers improve audio quality with a cost-efficient design. The platform uses Bambu Tech’s AWSM AiAudio on a Linkplay Wi-Fi module, applying “adaptive intelligence” to optimize incoming voice and outbound audio processing, Linkplay said. Linkplay, a system integrator for Amazon Alexa Voice Service, powers products from iHome, Jam Audio, KitSound, Anker and Fabriq. Bambu’s Advanced Wave Sound Method uses adaptive intelligence to restore fidelity to compressed streamed or stored audio, including MP3, AAC and CD-quality WAV files. “Software alone can deliver better audio quality,” said Bambu CEO Dayne Sieling, while cutting the bill of materials.

LG Electronics will partner with Meridian Audio “to bring high-performance audio to more consumers around the world,” said the companies in a joint Monday announcement scarce on product details. Partnering will give LG “a really super-high-end sound experience,” said Tim Alessi, vice president-marketing, home appliances and consumer electronics, LG Electronics USA, in a November media briefing. “We want to really push the limits for soundbars and other kinds of devices.” Meridian has “a really long heritage in innovation and performance in audio,” he said. “We think this Meridian partnership is really going to benefit us in both marketing and actual product performances.”

Global adoption of smart speakers “continues to defy expectations and there are clear signs that the market is starting to move from the early adopter phase to hitting the mass market,” Strategy Analytics reported Thursday. North America dominated in Q3 with nearly 75 percent global share, though growth in Western Europe and Asia Pacific will reduce that in Q4, it said. Amazon had the top global share with 66.9 percent, down from 93.5 percent in Q3 2016. SA pegged Google’s share at 25.3 percent. Competition “is becoming fierce as the fledgling category welcomes new entrants such as Harman Kardon, Sony and Sonos, all of whom have a much richer audio heritage than Amazon or Google,” said the researchers. They foresee that the “competitive landscape will heat up even further in 2018 and we expect to see the introduction of a new wave of third party devices.”

CTA projected headphones as a top seller in the holiday season -- with nearly 40 percent of survey respondents planning to gift headphones of some kind this year -- and Cyber Monday competition gave consumers a smooth road to purchase. Even high-end audio brand Bowers & Wilkins got into the promotional act, extending to Cyber Monday its $50 Black Friday discount on the P5 Series 2 ($129) and P3 Series 2 ($99) models. The B&W P5 wireless ($299) and PX noise-canceling ($399) weren’t discounted, we found. B&W competitor Sennheiser took advantage of Cyber Monday and dropped the price of its wireless noise-canceling over-ear model to $249 from $399 at Amazon and halved the price of the HD 579 open-back headphones to $99. Bose SoundSports were discounted 34 percent in an Amazon Deal of the Day to $99, a price found at Crutchfield and other e-tailers. In its Cyber Monday offerings, Target knocked 15 percent off the price of BeatsX wireless earphones to $149, throwing in a $20 gift card. Skullcandy drove a hard bargain in its Cyber Monday sale, taking as much as half off its full lineup in its “once a year” promotion. Skullcandy wireless headphones started at $17.99 (vs. $35) for the Jib wireless earbuds and hit the ceiling at $99 for the Crusher wireless cans (down from $199). Discounts were wide-ranging at Crutchfield, where JBL E25BT Bluetooth earphones started at $39 (from $59) and the Synchros E50BT over-ear headphones were sliced by half to $74.99. Harman’s AKG-branded headphones saw a $50 price cut to $99 for Cyber Monday at Crutchfield, and the audio e-tailer took $50 off the BeatsX in a cart-priced deal below the manufacturer’s minimum advertised price, beating the Target price by $50.

Austrian hi-fi company Pro-Ject Audio Systems debuted a turntable designed in partnership with The Rolling Stones, said Henley Audio, which exclusively distributes the brand in the U.K. Adorned with the “lips” logo first commissioned by Mick Jagger in 1970, the high-end turntable will be “a real collector’s item” for its “cosmetic appeal alone,” said the distributor. It has a synchronous motor and belt-drive system and is finished with a sturdy metal platter and an 8.6-inch aluminum tone arm with Ortofon OM 10 cartridge, it said. The turntable is available in a high-gloss black or white finish, it said. It’s priced at 329 pounds ($439) in the U.K. Pro-Ject representatives didn’t comment Friday on U.S. availability or pricing.

Sound United is integrating Virtual:X technology in its AV receivers through a firmware update, said the companies Monday. Select Denon and Marantz AV receivers will have access to the update, which will enable consumers to get a Virtual:X immersive audio experience without needing height or rear speakers. DTS previewed the technology to the news-media (see 1706130060) in June, when executives told us the technology has a future in sound bars and TVs, too. DTS research shows fewer than 30 percent of consumers who buy multichannel AV receivers connect the height speakers and fewer than 48 percent connect rear surround speakers. Sound United AVRs eligible for the update are the Denon AVR-S730, AVR-S930H, AVR-X1400H, AVR-X2400H and AVR-X340, and the Marantz NR1608 and SR5012. Additional models will get the update in January and February.

Smart speaker makers got an early Christmas present Friday when Apple said it’s delaying shipment of the Siri-enabled HomePod speaker, originally slated for December delivery. The website tells consumers it will now be available in early 2018, leaving a wider opening for lower cost audio company competitors including JBL’s Link 20 ($199), Microsoft and Harman Kardon’s Invoke ($199) and the Sonos One with Alexa ($199). The $349 HomePod will ship initially to the U.S., U.K. and Australia, Verge reported. Apple didn’t comment.

Lifestyle brand Shinola padded its audio collection for the holidays, adding an upscale headphone line. The Canfield headphone series, two years in design, joins the company’s audio lineup comprising the Runwell turntable and bookshelf speakers. The headphones include over-ear, on-ear and in-ear designs. The flagship over-ear models include stainless steel components, interchangeable lambskin ear cushions, a leather headband and in-line mic. Available now, the over-ear models retail for $595 in black and cognac, and for $650 in black, said the company, and the on-ear models are priced at $495 and $550. Due in December are the Pro in-ear monitors ($495) and the $195 in-ear starter set.