Product Design | Audio Electronics | Acoustics | DIY | Audio Innovations
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CEVA Introduces Bluebud Turnkey IP Wireless Audio Platform for TWS Earbuds and Bluetooth Audio Devices |
Expanding on its market position as a leading licensor of wireless connectivity and smart sensing technologies, CEVA unveiled Bluebud, a highly-integrated wireless audio platform aimed at standardizing DSP-enabled Bluetooth audio IP for fast-growing applications, including True Wireless Stereo (TWS) earbuds, hearables, gaming headsets, smartwatches, and other wearable devices. The solution fully supports Bluetooth 5.2 and LE Audio design and is ready to support brands in the transition from Bluetooth Classic. Read More
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MISCO Introduces ToneSpeak Guitar Speakers |
Introducing a new brand from an American loudspeaker manufacturer is reason for celebration. But it is better still when MISCO, the venerable St. Paul, MN-headquartered company, announces a completely new line of guitar speakers under the name ToneSpeak. MISCO has been diversifying its business in the last few years with the acquisition of Oaktron and the introduction of its latest high-end driver brand, Bold North Audio. And ToneSpeak clearly reinforces the company's position. Read More
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LG Electronics Opens webOS TV Platform to Other Manufacturers |
LG Electronics (LG) announced the availability of its popular webOS TV platform ecosystem to other TV brand partners, offering a superior alternative to Android-based interfaces and proprietary user experiences across different manufacturers. More than 20 TV manufacturers have already committed to the webOS partnership, and the ecosystem will be supported by technology partners such as Realtek, Nuance, Gracenote, CEVA, and Universal Electronics, among many others . Read More
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HP Inc. To Acquire HyperX, the Gaming Division of Kingston |
Aiming to accelerate growth in peripherals and expand its gaming ecosystem, HP announced a definitive agreement to acquire HyperX, the gaming division of Kingston Technology Co. The acquisition is said to support HP’s strategy to drive growth in its Personal Systems business, where gaming and peripherals are attractive segments. HyperX’s product portfolio spans a range of gaming peripherals, including headsets, keyboards, mice, mouse pads, USB microphones, and console accessories. Read More
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Knowles Releases Bluetooth Standard Solution Development Kit to Speed Up Voice Integration |
Knowles Corp., a leading provider of advanced micro-acoustic microphones and speakers, audio processing, and precision device solutions, has announced the AISonic Bluetooth Standard Solution, a complete development kit that enables fast voice integration to Bluetooth devices. The kit is built upon the Knowles AISonic Audio Edge Processor IA8201, a high-performance, ultra-low-power audio-centric OpenDSP, and includes SDK, pre-integrated mics, and integration support for Bluetooth chips. Read More
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Noveto Promotes SoundBeamer Headphones Alternative on Kickstarter |
Noveto is the Israeli company that successfully demonstrated its sound-beaming technology for web conferencing and automotive zoning applications at CES 2018, and more recently partnered with electronics giant Foxconn to bring to market its own audio chipset. Now, the company has launched a limited pre-sale Kickstarter campaign to bring to market proof-of-concept of its technology with the SoundBeamer 1.0 integrated speaker . Read More
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Powersoft Extends Free Warranty to Five Years on All Rack Amplifiers |
Italian audio manufacturer Powersoft has announced a further 12-month warranty on its renowned rack amplifiers for all users who register their products for free on Powersoft’s online portal, MyPowersoft. This free extension brings the total warranty length, including the four-year standard warranty, to five years. As of Monday, February 22, 2021, anyone buying Powersoft amplifiers on or after this date will need to register their products on MyPowersoft within 30 days of purchase to benefit from the extended extra year warranty . Read More
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Alcons Audio Introduces New CRMS Wide Dispersion Cinema Speaker |
Dutch sound innovator Alcons Audio continues to expand its range of cinema speakers, now introducing the CRMS-SRIW/9090 model to enable more output and coverage from less depth. The new versatile, wide dispersion design can be used as a reference main/screen system, or a compact surround system in immersive sound-for-picture applications. The Alcons CRMS-SRIW/9090 can also be used as a full-range sound system in any installed audio application, where a very high-quality sound reproduction with inconspicuous in-wall or on-wall mounting is required . Read More
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Guest Editorial
Alexandre Jornod
(Market Analyst, Futuresource Consulting)
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Spotify HiFi Announcement
What It Means for the Consumer Audio Market
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During its “Stream On” event, Spotify announced that it plans to launch a Hi-Fi streaming plan offering lossless streaming in CD quality later this year in selected markets.
This announcement is significant. Spotify has been historically reluctant to offer lossless streaming, which demonstrates a shift in consumer expectations. As Spotify is the leading streaming player with 155 million subscribers globally, it means that high-quality audio will finally be within reach of mainstream adoption. This is particularly true as if both Spotify and Amazon Music are offering lossless streaming, Apple Music could also launch a similar plan, which would corroborate with its positioning as a premium audio brand, notably following the launch of the AirPods Max.
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Spotify decided to introduce Spotify HiFi as a lossless CD-quality option for its premium service, simultaneously tying the new higher quality service to its Spotify Connect mode - where streaming is done directly via Wi-Fi to speakers or other connected devices. |
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Amazon Music HD has been available for over a year now, which has helped drive mainstream awareness around high-quality streaming and has ultimately created favorable grounds for Spotify to launch its HiFi plan.
The timing is also interesting. In 2020, consumers had more time to consume content due to COVID-19, which drove a desire for having good sound at home to improve comfort during this period. Futuresource has notably seen a surge in demand for premium audio products in 2020, for instance shipments of $1,000+ soundbars jumping 32% year-on-year in the period Q1-Q3 2020. Moreover, adoption of fast Internet is accelerating, with the roll-out of 5G in many markets, coupled with people upgrading to fiber for remote-working, which further facilitates the consumption of high-quality audio at home and on the move.
In July 2020, Futuresource published the results of its consumer research “Audio Tech Lifestyles,” which interviewed 10,000 audio hardware owners across the US, UK, Germany, Japan, and China. One of the key findings was that among streaming users, higher audio quality was by far the most requested feature respondents wished they could add to streaming services. Spotify also confirmed similar findings among its users, which highlights that the desire for high-quality audio is not solely exclusive to audiophiles and that sound quality expectations have increased, notably among the mass-market. Futuresource will be updating this survey in Q2 2021, further exploring attitudes to premium audio.
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The size of the streaming industry will generate a much larger business than the global music industry ever did at its highest point. Because it is much more than just music. Spotify is calling it an “audio renaissance.” |
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The way Spotify will price its HiFi tier will be key in determining its success. Price sensitivity with streaming plans is high and competition in the lossless streaming market has intensified since the launch of Amazon Music HD, forcing other lossless players such as Qobuz or Deezer to match their pricing with the $14.99/month of Amazon Music HD. While Tidal Hi-Fi remained at $19.99/month, it is helped by an established user base of audiophiles. In addition, with Amazon discounting Amazon Music HD to its Prime members at $12.99/month, Spotify will need to take this into account to remain attractive, especially given the major boost to the number of Amazon Prime members during the pandemic. In addition to this, Amazon Music HD offers millions of songs in Ultra HD (24-bit), when Spotify plans to offer exclusively CD quality (16-bit).
Futuresource’s “Audio Tech Lifestyles” consumer survey found that among respondents who expressed interest in having better audio quality on their streaming services, more than 50% said that they would be willing to pay between $1 and $3 more per month than a standard $9.99/month subscription for this feature, which would put a $12.99/month pricing in the sweet spot.
Finally, for audio manufacturers, this news is a particularly exciting development. More people having access to high-quality audio is likely to accelerate adoption for premium audio devices as consumers will want to make the most out of their lossless streaming subscription. This opens up significant opportunities to introduce the mass-market to premium audio and get more people in the high-end audio funnel. Once consumers have tasted high-audio quality, they are more prone to keep upgrading their systems to improve their listening experiences, which is ultimately expected to drive long-term value for the consumer audio market.
To find out more about Futuresource's “Audio Tech Lifestyles” consumer research, visit:
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SoundBetter is a music production marketplace, helping musicians worldwide connect and hire top music professionals, from producers and songwriters to session musicians and mixing and mastering engineers. The company was acquired by Spotify in 2019, and the community is now part of the Spotify for Artists service. |
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Widex Moment mRIC RD Hearing Aid
By Brent Butterworth
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In this article Brent Butterworth reviews the Widex Moment mRIC RD hearing aids. In a first for his career as a regular reviewer of headphones, hi-fi components, and other consumer audio products, Butterworth spent considerable time with the Widex Moment, one of the newest entries in the high-tech hearing aid category. And it's not because there was something wrong with his hearing, but because he was challenged by audioXpress to explore the manufacturer's claims that they sound "much more natural than other hearing aids," and can actually rival high-end headphones. audioXpress has been extensively following the evolution of true wireless stereo (TWS) earphones and the response from hearing aid companies to the new "hearables" category in the consumer space. This Fresh From the Bench article, objectively looks at the differences and similarities in the critical sound experience. This article was originally published in audioXpress, February 2021. Read the Full Article Now Available Here
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Phase, Group Delay, and Impulse Response: A Quick Primer
By Christopher J. Struck (CJS Labs)
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Focusing on the technical knowledge in its last edition for 2020, Voice Coil included an article by Chris Struck (CJS Labs), which offers a quick primer on Phase, Group Delay, and Impulse Response. This short reading is mainly focused on the definition and interpretation of phase, helping to make sense of complex data, also to remain as reference. This article is an expanded version of a previous Lab Note published by CJS Labs, and is certainly a great summary of essential knowledge in speaker design. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, December 2020. Read the Full Article Now Available Here
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