Last week I shared some of my first impressions of CES 2023, which was truly "back and thriving" as the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), rightfully claimed. This week I am following up with a few more audio technologies that I had the privilege to see firsthand, confirming how important this event is for the audio industry, from a developers and manufacturers perspective.

Just last week I hastily mentioned how Apple had not made any announcements post-CES this year. For many years Apple kept a tradition of making major announcements right after CES (the iPhone, the iPad...) basically killing all media impact of the products launched at the Las Vegas, NV, show. I should have been more careful because - sure enough - without warning and a week later than expected Apple fired a round of M2 silicon updates about its MacBook Pro and Mac mini computers, immediately followed by the launch of the HomePod (2nd generation), which is causing general astonishment since no one saw that coming.

There were virtually no smart speakers launched for quite a while and none at CES 2023. The largest technology companies, starting with Amazon and Google, have been focused on other display-oriented form-factors and are all rethinking their strategies toward the smart home. The HomePod is another fresh reminder of how Apple continues to move the market forward. Virtually everyone - innovators and copycats - tend to stand still when Apple apparently doesn't move in a certain direction (or so everyone assumes) - until "the bomb" drops. Then, they all start racing again chasing after the new concept, forgetting everything else they were doing, and inevitably, losing even more ground to Apple on the next category.

The only way that other manufacturers can compete with mighty Apple consists of creating an ecosystem of technologies and platforms, combined with third-party software that eventually helps to create products that more closely match the features that Apple offers, although never with the level of integration and user friendliness that Apple achieves with its own ecosystem. It is precisely because of this that a powerful showcase of technologies and solutions such as the one that can be accessed at CES every year (other shows don’t have the same focus on consumer electronics) is increasingly more important. Eventually, something comes up that is not only different from what Apple offers, but also opens further innovation fronts, allowing new opportunities for product developers.

When looking at the announcement of this HomePod update, it becomes clear why Apple waited until now. Much like the HomePod mini, the HomePod (2nd generation) is truly a hub and interface to the smart home and needed to be Matter compatible to truly "matter." And here we have - the first audio-centric Matter announcement that we were waiting for in 2023 - and which I have no doubt, will be followed by many more now (to be seen at CES 2024?). But the second HomePod is also an even better speaker than the original, reinforcing that basic user-case that many disregard - the fact that Apple always intended the HomePod to be basically a very good, highly versatile speaker. And the second generation adds Bluetooth streaming, HDMI eARC so that it can be connected to an Apple TV and become a component for a home theater, and finally and probably the most strategic for Apple, it expands the Spatial Audio (Dolby Atmos) music ecosystem that the Cupertino company is promoting. We still need to see how effective it will be in these uses, but I'm certain the Apple engineering team worked hard on those goals.

At the same time, I can't help to note the fact that the HomePod (2nd generation) doesn’t have Wi-Fi 6 (never mind 6E) support, and I would like to also see some mention of high-res audio streaming options. Since Apple Music has been streaming CD-quality lossless (ALAC) from the hi-res masters for quite some time, it certainly says a lot that Apple's marketing department has preferred to mention Spatial Audio support (which as we all know is not exactly exciting using only one speaker), instead of mentioning that thanks to the updated AirPlay 2 protocol. In a world of mediocre Bluetooth audio streaming the HomePod (2nd generation) is truly the first smart speaker to offer high-quality wireless multiroom audio streaming. Note, I said Smart Speaker…

Inside the new HomePod there's also interesting work with custom drivers, including the use of recycled neodymium magnets (a big win for Urban Mining Co. - now Noveon?) and an interesting evolution of the adaptive processing (spatial awareness) that senses the speaker's location in a room and automatically adjusts the audio accordingly. Now powered by a much more powerful S7 System in Package (SiP), this is an interesting design to inspire the industry to take the concept even further.

As I intended to discuss this week, at CES we've seen a lot of activity in the development of innovative transducers and speaker-related technologies, on par with digital signal processing associated with active acoustics in many application domains, including automotive. Most of the large speaker driver manufacturers have invitation-only suites showcasing their latest products and projects, and most of what we see there is not something we can publish - at least immediately.

No longer seen at CES 2023, smart speakers have been diluted into all sorts of portable and compact lifestyle, and multiroom-oriented speakers, giant party speakers (with karaoke features), new compact desktop speakers, and naturally... soundbars. This paves the way to experimentation and opportunities for all manufacturers of speaker drivers, most of which conducted business from invitation-only suites.

On the driver design, the trends go clearly toward very efficient small full-range round and rectangular-shaped designs, with multiple attempts to also achieve long racetrack-shaped midrange and low-profile low-frequency drivers to extend the response in very slim cabinets. This is precisely where speaker innovators such as Resonado Labs and Tectonic Audio Labs excel.

Since its time as a startup, audioXpress has closely followed Resonado, a venture-backed company now with headquarters in Chicago, IL. The company's Res-Core proprietary speaker motor enables a new category of speaker drivers that the founders have worked hard to promote and turn into a viable alternative to the traditional speaker technology. Now, with solid industrial alliances (GGEC and Zylux) and manufacturing expertise finally in place, it seems that the market trends are aligning for Resonado to see widespread use in the latest products from small and large brands.

At CES 2023 we learned that Resonado is focusing exclusively on engineering efforts and supporting its product design wins, as the company has agreed to exclusive rights of its efforts in the recreational vehicle, marine, and commercial bus industries - where it saw its first commercially available custom projects - to Lippert Components, a manufacturer and supplier of components for RVs, marine, and automotive. In this way, Resonado is now pursuing solely the refinement of its driver technologies that have already resulted in contracts with companies such as Klipsch.

Not surprisingly, at the Resonado CES 2023 suite, the demonstrations highlighted its latest-generation drivers for soundbars, desktop speakers, and other form-factors. Resonado's Res-Core flagship technology enables slightly thinner, lighter, and more efficient speakers. But the key differentiator of its novel electrodynamic loudspeaker architecture as we could hear in available demo prototypes is in the high performance as racetrack drivers compared with similar efforts that use conventional voice coils underneath the long diaphragms. The Res-Core topology delivers more efficiency and higher linear excursion in these form factors thanks to the unique voice coil and spider geometry, split gap plate design and the vertically symmetric open-back motor.

At CES, the demos we heard included a Long All-In-One soundbar that sounded excellent, and a Bookshelf Speaker design that showcased what Resonado's latest drivers can do. The Soundbar, equipped with three Resonado NW7 low-frequency drivers and four passive radiators was able to reach a much tighter and impactful bass in a very slim design. But this soundbar sounded very balanced in all frequencies also thanks to the five 2" full-range drivers (including two upward firing Atmos drivers), which were in fact Balanced Mode Radiator (BMR) drivers from Tectonic. This combination allowed for an extended frequency response from 40Hz to 20kHz and 104dB (Max SPL) in the very slim enclosure.

The two-way Resonado Bookshelf Speakers demo, using the new NW7 Gen2 Woofer, a passive radiator, and a 1” soft dome tweeter, also sounded convincing and powerful for the form factor. Nothing mind-blowing, but compared with many other demos I've heard, at least above the rest. This new Resonado NW7 woofer platform with a 3:1 aspect ratio at a length of 7” on the long axis represents a great achievement for the young company. This iteration, able to respond below 50Hz and a usable range above 2kHz, features neodymium bar magnets, a double-sided aluminum bobbin with a planar copper voice coil, proprietary split gap design, and a center-balanced suspension system.

With a much longer history spanning back a few decades, Tectonic was at CES 2023 with a discreet but enthusiastic presence, now under the helm of newly appointed CEO, Fuat Koro. The company seems to have a clearer plan with his product and market approach, focused on helping manufacturers and brands explore the full potential of its Balanced Mode Radiator (BMR) speakers, including for TVs, soundbars, and automotive sound.

The company expanded its range of established round and square BMR drivers - which are extremely good already, since the talented engineering team has been optimizing every single aspect of its unique topology based on the latest modeling and simulation approaches. For 2023, Tectonic is now launching four completely new base models. The new Basalt 3:1 racetrack form factor based on a single central motor; the Andesite low-profile woofer that combines force-cancelling radiators and high linear volume displacement; and the Flint, a new patented dual-driver architecture that minimizes motor size, able to combine the performance of a 3.5" driver and a 1" tweeter. Finally, Tectonic will also introduce the much larger Slate driver based on the same topology as the Flint, but in a 5.25" size.

All the demos I had the chance to enjoy were effective and convincing at demonstrating the benefits of BMR drivers, having in common the fact that they were all very slim and compact enclosures. One of the highlights was the new Drop BMR1 Nearfield Monitors, which are available for preorder January 31, translating the unique signature of Tectonic drivers, with a natural soundstage and excellent imaging capabilities. These Bluetooth speakers will be retailing for $129 and are designed around two BMRs, coupled with force-canceling passive radiators, responding from 80Hz. After the demo and comparing it with what I heard during the Resonado demonstration, my advice would be to build something that combines the BMR with a Resonado NW7 Gen2 woofer in a form-factor similar to the Resonado Desktop prototype, which was several levels above the sound of the Drop BMR1, thanks to the extended bass.

Still, as I mentioned, the Tectonic demos were all extremely convincing in terms of showcasing the BMRs capabilities. And that included an excellent demonstration of the Audioscenic technology that I declared Best of Show in my previous editorial. The compact BMR-based soundbar is certainly a great starting-point for any brand that intends to enter the under-monitor format.

Another great Tectonic demo was the compact cubic BMR80T32 demonstrator using two drivers per cabinet, designed and tuned as a full-range mini-monitor covering a frequency range of 65-25kHz. It features a net volume of 3.5l with the port resonance tuned to 75Hz. The speakers were not tuned for a linear on-axis response but to generate a more pleasing and impressively powerful response - and that was fully achieved. A great small full-range concept for Dolby Atmos rooms?

Of course, there were more great speaker presentations at the Audio & Loudspeaker Technologies International (ALTI) Association's first Hospitality suite at CES, and the associated Menlo Scientific business suite, which hosted other audio companies for more reserved business meetings. At the very well located ALTI suite, Dinaburg Technology demonstrated its patented concentric coplanar speaker cone technology - effectively a dual diffuser coaxial driver design with a passive ring radiator, that Mike Klasco explained some time ago in this article, and which the company has been steadily evolving into a series of very convincing prototypes. Both simulations and measurements have demonstrated excellent results - and we wouldn't be surprised to see Dinaburg creating a major impact in the speaker industry very soon.

The other ALTI demonstration was from ServoBass and its Motion Feedback Desktop systems for low-frequency reproduction enhancement, designed by Zami Schwartzman, and described in this recent audioXpress article. The demonstration of this technology left everyone in awe at how effective it was, even under the extremely unpredictable circumstances of the demonstrations at CES. Not surprisingly, ServoBass returned from the show with very significant manifestations of interest from major players - and many studio monitor companies would do well to reach out quickly before some large company gets hold of what ServoBass can offer.

At the ALTI Association hospitality suite, which in 2024 will likely need to triple its size to accommodate the requests received, Composite Sound was holding meetings with many speaker brands and OEM/ODM companies visiting Las Vegas - in a clear sign that the new Composite Sound Metamodal technology is bound to continue to expand in many new revolutionary products. Everyone has seen the mind-blowing PerListen speakers by now, and it is more than certain that many loudspeaker brands will want to follow their example.

Finally, a major speaker announcement in the ALTI Association suite was from Radian Audio, which used this CES to launch the new LM10n Planar Ribbon midrange driver, and showcase its second-generation Planar Ribbon family, side by side with the soon to be relaunched CRS series of round frame coaxial drivers with a planar ribbon HF section. The details about this new surprising planar ribbon driver are in an article that audioXpress already published. What I can share from the demonstrations is that hearing this LM10n in its raw form showcases the high quality of Radian and loudspeaker engineering veteran Igor Levitsky. This driver, combined with the recently improved Radian LT3 or LT2 Gen2 tweeters, is pure planar ribbon heaven.

This article looks at the practical test and measurement angle of bone conduction technology, as used in product development for headsets and in-ear devices. It showcases new possibilities for manufacturers to better evaluate device performance, since no appropriate test equipment and methods were commercially available until now. Hans Gierlich details HEAD acoustics' approach, complementing a Head-and-Torso Simulator (HATS) with an actuator capable of generating structure-borne sound in the artificial ear. This way, a realistic simulation of the human structure-borne voice signal for in-ear headsets is possible. This article was originally published in audioXpress, January 2023. Read the Full Article Now Available Here

The intriguing W4-2356 driver from Tang Band Speaker (TB Speaker) is positioned in the popular 2" to 4" diameter full-range category but is significantly more innovative. The TB Speaker W4-2356 driver is built on a proprietary and patented injection-molded polymer four-spoke frame that allows the voice coil not to be centered in the 4" injection-molded polypropylene cone, but offset by about half inch. The aim for this original off-axis design, according to TB Speaker, is to solve "the difficult diffraction problems" and make cabinet design easier. In reality, as Vance Dickason explains upfront, this design aims to defeat concentric cone modes, a well-known source of coloration in round voice coil transducers. Otherwise, the TB Speaker W4-2356 full-range driver combines an injection-molded poly cone suspended by a Santoprene surround and a cloth spider, with a three-sided aluminum phase plug, underhung neodymium ring magnet motor structure, and 1" (25.4mm) diameter voice coil. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, September 2022.  Read the Full Article Now Available Here