Starke Sound Launches Fiera Amplifiers for High-Performance Multichannel Applications
Starke Sound, the company founded in Los Angeles by Scott DeLoache, Spring Qin, and Dan Wiggins, has now introduced the Fiera multichannel amplifiers, built for enthusiasts seeking higher fidelity from their surround and immersive systems for both film soundtrack and music reproduction in their homes. These new models provide substantial power and effortlessly realistic sound, using Starke's own switch-mode power supplies and Class D amplifier modules.
Sumiko Audio Rebrands as Fine Sounds Americas, Aligning the Distribution Business of McIntosh Group
McIntosh Group announced a change in brand name of its US Distributor, Sumiko Audio, to Fine Sounds Americas. The name change is a rebranding effort designed to mirror the growth and transformation of the company, providing clarity for customers and partners to better express the company’s family of products and initiatives. Fine Sounds Americas is responsible for the distribution of premium audio brands including Bassocontinuo, Pro-Ject, Sonus faber, Rotel Electronics and Sumiko Phono Cartridges throughout North, Central and South America.
ATC Now Shipping New SCS70 Pro Active Subwoofer
ATC, the British manufacturer founded in 1974 by Billy Woodman to manufacture custom drive units for the professional sound industry, continues to expand on its proven philosophy of developing loudspeaker systems from component level. ATC now announced the availability the new high-performance 12" SCS70 Pro active subwoofer, featuring a new sub-bass driver, developed by ATC’s R&D team, and optimized for reproduction of the lowest four octaves of the audio band. There's also the SCS70iW Pro model, optimized for flush/in-wall mounting.
Fluent.ai and Knowles Partner on Embedded Voice Recognition for Appliances
Fluent.ai and Knowles developed a reference design for an embedded voice-controlled washing machine using Fluent.ai’s patented speech-to-intent technology, which leverages natural and flexible voice commands to trigger essential appliance actions. The solution combines Fluent.ai’s small footprint embedded voice recognition running on Knowles’ AISonic Audio Edge Processor, enabling reduced BOM costs for manufacturers of smart home white goods.
Amphion Loudspeakers Unveils New Headquarters
Responding to increased demand, Amphion Loudspeakers has announced the opening of their new headquarters in Kuopio, Finland. The 19,000 square foot facility increases manufacturing and stock space, includes a purpose-designed R&D rooms, and demo areas for the brand’s home and studio lines of monitoring. This is a major upgrade from Amphion’s previous offices and represents a sizable investment in the brand’s future.
Microtech Gefell Introduces New M 330 Small-Diaphragm Condenser Microphone
Following an earlier unveil at Prolight+Sound 2022, Microtech Gefell GmbH has now launched the new M 330 condenser microphone, extending its proven M 300 "pencil-type" small-diaphragm condenser microphone series. The new M 330 is a wide-cardioid and expands the range of applications in challenging situations, being particularly suitable for vocal and instrumental recordings in both mono and stereo applications.
New MARIAN Clara E PCIe Card Supports up to 1024 Dante Channels
Since 1996, MARIAN GmbH has been developing systems for computer audio of the highest performance, gradually allowing the Leipzig-based manufacturer to gain recognition beyond its roots in Saxony, Germany. Specializing in PCIe interface products, MARIAN products are in use around the globe and its technology is adopted by well-established brands and system integrators. The company now launched the Clara E PCIe audio solution, enabling large channel-count applications from audio computers in Dante networks.
Speakers: The Evolution of Production Line Rub & Buzz Measurements
This important article revisits the evolution of Rub & Buzz measurements in loudspeakers, headphone drivers, and microspeakers production lines, and how these are being addressed using the next-generation of perceptual algorithms. Steve Temme offers a valuable comparison with what can be accessed today using modern methods, and what to apply to access production faults, determine thresholds for production yields, or understand the real impact on consumer's perception. This article was originally published in audioXpress, April 2022.
Thum+Mahr GmbH Sells System Integration Business and Establishes Yellowtec Brand as Separate Company
Yellowtec is a brand firmly established in broadcast environments, particularly in radio stations. With the popularity of home studio, podcasting and web streaming, Yellowtec saw explosive growth in its m!ka mounting system business, originally designed for radio microphones, but now adjustable to computer monitors or even webcams. Thum+Mahr GmbH, where the Yellowtec brand was created, now decided to spin-off that business into a separate company.
QSC Confirms Split Q-SYS and QSC Pro Audio Operations
Anyone that attended InfoComm 2022 could notice that something was changing when, in place of QSC, the booth was taken by a company called Q-SYS. Small signs in that booth still showed the QSC logo and the slogan "This Is Q-SYS". Now QSC announced the appointment of the new QSC Pro Audio division with the appointment of a new leadership team of "veteran staff." QSC/Q-SYS remains a single company for now, and still shares the same board, with Joe Pham, as Chairman and CEO, and Jatan Shah as President, and Chief Operating Officer.