Bowers & Wilkins partnered with Chinese projector company Formovie on a laser projector with an integrated B&W sound system. The stereo sound system has two 70mm glass-fiber low- and mid-frequency drivers and a pair of 20mm titanium tweeters in rigid ABS enclosures. Two bass/mid drivers are ported to each side of the projector and include the audio company’s Flowport technology. The sound system has a 2 x 15-watt Texas Instruments amplifier and Dolby MS12 decoder. Dave Sheen, Sound United senior vice president-licensing and partnerships, said the partnership allows B&W’s True Sound to be included in a “new product category and a new form factor.”
Zvox Audio added the AV52 ($69) to its AccuVoice line of noise-canceling headphones. The headphones are billed as having “dialog clarification” that uses hearing aid technology to make voices clear, even at low volumes. The AV52s have a noise-canceling mic that reduces ambient noise on phone calls and videoconferences, Zvox said.
Edifier began shipping the MP230 portable music system, said the company Monday. The $99 speaker has two 440-millimeter, full-range drivers inside a wooden cabinet. Features include Bluetooth 5.0, an auxiliary input and a microSD card slot. It’s available at mall.edifier.com.
The Wireless Speaker and Audio Association announced an all-in-one WiSA-certified speaker system from new member Piega, with integrated with Spotify Connect, Roon Ready, Google Chromecast and Bluetooth. The Ace Wireless Series, which can be configured in a 7.1-channel setup, includes the ACE 50 three-way floorstanding speaker, Ace 30 two-way bookshelf speaker and Ace Center center-channel speaker. Switzerland-based Piega has distribution in Europe, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East and South America, said WiSA Wednesday.
Cleer Audio introduced adaptive noise-canceling headphones with Dirac Virtuo spatial audio technology. The $219 wireless Alpha headphones have Cleer’s 40mm Ironless Driver, Bluetooth 5.1 and Qualcomm’s cVc two-mic solution. They deliver 35 hours’ playback on a charge, the company said Tuesday.
M&K Sound bowed 10-, 12- and 15-inch THX-certified subwoofers in the X+ Series line. The 700-watt X15+ ($5,999) is certified in the THX Dominus class, whether used as a single subwoofer or in a pair; the 600-watt X12+ ($4,999) is certified Ultra; and the 500-watt X10+ ($4,499) is certified THX Select, said the company Tuesday. The THX seal verifies the subwoofer passed hundreds of rigorous tests for audio performance, said the speaker company.
Sonos introduced support for Ultra HD audio and Dolby Atmos Music on the Amazon Music streaming platform, emailed the company Tuesday. Sonos customers with an Amazon Music Unlimited subscription can access the content by downloading the latest software on the Sonos app, it said. New badges on the Now Playing screen will indicate which audio experience they’re hearing: HD, a lossless 16-bit stereo stream; Ultra HD, a 24-bit stereo stream; and Dolby Atmos, a song mixed and available in Dolby Atmos. Sonos curated two playlists on Amazon Music to showcase Ultra HD and Dolby Atmos Music via the Sonos app; the company also has a beginner’s guide to hi-res audio. Customers can hear tracks in lossless audio up to 24-bit/48kHz on Sonos speakers, as well as Dolby Atmos Music, which is supported on the Arc and second-generation Beam sound bars, it said.
Atlantic Technology’s FS-BTWS582 headphones, due to ship to consumers soon, are designed for use with TVs, movies and games, in addition to music. The headphones work with Atlantic’s Gatecraser3 ecosystem; the Gatecrasher3 PowerBar has SKAA AI and Connect Awareness to sense the presence of the FS-BTWS582 headphones. When the headphones power on, Gatecrasher3 automatically mutes its audio and switches audio to the headphones. When the $499 headphones are paired with a transmitter connected to a TV or AV receiver, users can receive low-latency signals, through manual pairing, over SKAA for private listening. Atlantic bills SKAA as a wireless alternative to Bluetooth, saying it doesn't have lip sync or game lag issues that could disrupt the viewing or gaming experience on TV. The headphones also come with Bluetooth for compatibility with smartphones. All SKAA products and transmitters feature SKAA 4:1 Streaming to transmit audio to up to four SKAA speakers, amps or headphones for multiroom or multi-user music, said the company.
KEF’s R Series speakers are on sale through Jan. 8, the company emailed Wednesday. The flagship R11s are $2,399 each, down from $3,000, the R3 bookshelf model is $1,699 each, from $2,200, and the R2 center-channel speaker is $301 off to $999. Finishes are black gloss, white gloss and walnut.
Vinyl grew 23% worldwide in 2020 retail value, reversing a previous market “cool down,” reported Futuresource. The segment had a “rush of activity" from 2013-2019, said analyst Alexandre Jornod, then slowed, before picking up again during the COVID-19 pandemic when lockdowns boosted demand for home entertainment products. Futuresource expects vinyl to overtake CDs in value this year in many markets, including the U.S. and U.K. Markets that were slow to re-engage with vinyl, including Italy and Spain, are seeing a turnaround, with the vinyl spend in Spain expected to grow by 41% this year, Jornod said. Japan, Canada, Australia and the Netherlands are also all expected to see strong growth levels in 2021, he said.