THX launched its first headphone amplifier as part of an expansion into component technologies, it said in a Monday announcement. The THX AAA amplifier is said to reduce harmonic, intermodulation and crossover distortion by 20-100 times to create a “realistic” and “fatigue-free” listening experience. The amplifier is optimized for low noise and minimal power consumption, said the company. AudioControl, meanwhile, announced availability of DTS:X and DTS Neural Surround for its Concert AVR-7 and AVR-9 AV receivers and the Maestro M9 processor. The THX surround formats can be added to AudioControl models in the field through a firmware update, said the company.

Denon’s latest firmware update for the Heos wireless multiroom audio system adds Control4 drivers, said Denon. Installers will benefit from added functionality, including the ability to access music services directly from the listen menu; access to device-specific commands for favorite stations and playlists from the programming menu; and playback of DSD, FLAC, ALAC hi-res audio files from media servers and USB inputs.

Sonos released version 7.0 of its software, which allows users to use the Spotify app on a smartphone to control their Sonos speakers at home. Users can send music they’re listening to on Spotify to any Sonos speaker in the home, group rooms together, turn up the volume on all speakers, transfer a song from headphones to a Sonos speaker and using Wi-Fi share their Sonos systems with friends who have the Spotify, said Sonos' release notes. The update also allows Sonos owners to use the Trueplay feature on the Sonos app on an iPhone or iPad to tweak home theater settings on a Playbar. Trueplay bounces sound off various surfaces in a room, analyzes the distance from each wall to the speakers and adjusts equalization and loudness for speaker drivers to make sure sound arrives from every direction in sync and at the right volume, said the company.

Thirty-four model year 2017 vehicles will come with HD Radio receivers, including 14 arriving this year, DTS announced. Models include the Acura NSX, Infiniti QX30, Q60 and QX60; Kia Niro; Lincoln Continental; Nissan Pathfinder and GT-R; Toyota 86, Yaris iA and Corolla iM; Volvo S90 and V60 and Jaguar F-Pace, said the company Wednesday. Nearly 20 new makes and models will debut with HD Radio receivers in early 2017 from brands including BMW, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Ford, Honda, Jeep, Kia, Mercedes-Benz, Tesla and Toyota, it said. Three dozen automakers with more than 200 vehicle models are part of the HD Radio ecosystem, and more than 2,300 radio stations are using HD Radio broadcasting technology, said DTS.

Altec Lansing added Bluetooth speakers and headphones to its portfolio for the holiday season. The Life Jacket 3 ($149) speaker is built to withstand water, shock, snow and dust and has a 50-foot wireless range, 30-hour battery life and built-in smartphone charger. The step-down Mini version ($99) delivers 16-hour battery life, said the company. The Evolution 2 headphones ($49) boast 12 hours’ battery life and a 33-foot range, while Altec’s waterproof earbuds ($29) offer 10 hours’ battery life and 33-foot range, it said.

Saying “no audio jack required,” Logitech bowed wireless sports earbuds Thursday, appealing to iPhone 7 buyers who can’t use wired headphones without an adapter. Logitech’s “sweatproof” Jaybird X3 sport headphones have Bluetooth 4.1 connectivity, allowing users to pair two sets of X3s to one device and pair one set of X3s to two devices simultaneously. Voice prompts let users know when the phones are successfully paired with a Bluetooth device and whether the headphones are on or off, said Logitech. Users can customize sound settings with the MySound app, it said. Battery life of the phones is given as eight hours. The $129 X3s began selling at jaybirdsport.com Thursday and will arrive in Best Buy stores next month, said the company.

Sennheiser is kicking off a live performance series Thursday at 7 p.m. with Roc Nation and Tidal artists Mayaeni and Kevin Garrett at its pop-up store in New York’s SoHo neighborhood. The performers will use Sennheiser mics and wireless systems, said the company. The store opened Friday as one of two new Manhattan demo spaces for Sennheiser products. The curated performances in the series will take place over the next four months and are designed to highlight emerging local talents.

NAD Electronics has become a Roon partner, enabling BluOS-enabled devices from Bluesound and NAD to be Roon Ready. NAD and Bluesound owners can subscribe ($119/year or $499/lifetime) to Roon’s library management software that helps users explore connections among artists, composers, performers and producers in their music libraries. The company’s RAAT (Roon Advanced Audio Transport) technology is behind its audio distribution solution, and is designed to support a range of software and hardware applications “without format support restrictions or quality compromises," said the website. RAAT provides “rich user experiences” by integrating with displays, buttons, volume controls and source switching capabilities, said the company.

Klipsch is adding two speakers to its 70th Anniversary Heritage speaker lineup. The company will handcraft 70 pairs of the Cornwall ($6,000 per pair) and La Scala ($14,000 per pair) speakers at its Hope, Arkansas, factory, each with cabinets made from Australian Walnut veneer with a silver luster grille cloth, special edition logos and an accompanying plaque, said the company. The Cornwall, which launched in 1959, was the first Klipsch loudspeaker designed to operate from a corner or against a wall, said the company. Klipsch discontinued the Cornwall in 1990, but a customer campaign led the company to bring back the speaker, now in its third iteration. La Scala launched in 1963 when Klipsch made the speaker for Arkansas gubernatorial candidate Winthrop Rockefeller to use as a public address speaker, said the company. La Scala was considered portable, and some consumers chose to put the horn-loaded three-way speakers in their living rooms.

Sonos began taking preorders Tuesday for a white version of its SUB subwoofer at the same $699 price. The center hole of the subwoofer is framed in black. Units will deliver by Oct. 25, Sonos said. The SUB pairs with Sonos Play:5, Play:3, Play:1 and Playbar products, which are also available in black and white, said the company.