AES@NAMM 2018 Pro Sound Symposium Receives Support from Industry-Leading Brands and Companies
Registration is now open for the inaugural AES@NAMM Pro Sound Symposium: Live & Studio, a unique education and training program from the Audio Engineering Society targeted at working professionals in the live sound, recording and performance-audio communities. These must-attend classes will be held within the Anaheim Hilton Hotel’s NAMM U Education Center, adjacent to the new pro-audio exhibit space. The 2018 NAMM Show, January 25-28 in Anaheim, CA.
Generics Says Stop Tolerating Poor Fitting, Uncomfortable Earphones
Generics is a new company in the field of personal audio, pitching new high-tech earphones that are both affordable and personalized to each user's ears - literally. The Lebanese tech firm claims to solving the ill-fitting earphones problem with a combination of its clever scanning app, algorithms and 3D printing. Now launching its custom-made earphones with a Kickstarter campaign, Generics is backed by the UK government.
Two Swedish Microphone Manufacturers Reunited: Milab Acquires Pearl Microphones
Swedish microphone manufacturer Milab Microphones AB (Milab) has agreed with the owners of Pearl Mikrofonlaboratorium AB (Pearl) to acquire 100% of the shares in Pearl and consolidate Pearl’s operations and product portfolio into Milab. The two Swedish companies share the same history that goes back to 1941, but went separate ways almost 40 years ago.
Professional Microphone Market to Grow More Than 50% by 2021
Futuresource Consulting has just published its new "Global Professional Microphone Report," looking at overall market value, technical innovation and trends influencing the segment, brand leadership and future opportunities. The comprehensive new research finds that the professional microphone market is expected to surpass 7 million units by 2021, up from 4.6 million in 2016. In 2016, a little more than half of vendor revenues came from wireless microphones.
Gibson Brands Closes Cakewalk, Inc.
Sad news for the audio industry. Gibson Brands announced that it is "ceasing active development and production of Cakewalk branded products." Gibson Brands acquired the Boston-based music production software company from Roland Corporation in 2013. Since then, Cakewalk has been consistently updating all products, under the leadership and vision of Craig Anderton. Cakewalk was one of the few remaining historical music software companies solely dedicated to the Windows platform.
DTS Virtual:X Immersive Audio Technology Now Available on Select Denon and Marantz A/V Receivers
DTS announced the integration of DTS Virtual:X technology in A/V receivers for the first time. Select Denon and Marantz A/V receivers are now able to receive a firmware update to offer immersive sound in home theaters without the need for height or rear speakers. DTS Virtual:X technology in an A/V receiver offers immersive audio - virtual surround and virtual height - from simple soundbars, or traditional stereo and surround configurations (5.1/7.1 channel).
CEntrance Debuts BlueDAC Portable Balanced DAC/Amp with Wired and Wireless Connectivity
Following a very successful and engaged crowdfunding campaign, CEntrance, announced immediate availability of BlueDAC, it's newest portable D/A converter and headphone amplifier. BlueDAC combines the best of CEntrance portable digital technologies to date, including a long-life rechargeable battery and a 24-bit/384kHz USB interface, and adds a brand new, custom, high fidelity Bluetooth radio receiver, allowing also wireless connectivity.
Sanus Expands Wireless Speaker Stand Series to Accommodate Sonos PLAY:5 Speaker
What's better than the Sonos PLAY:5 speaker? Two Sonos PLAY:5 speakers! And there's nothing better than adding the new WSS51 stands, from Sanus Wireless Speaker Stand, engineered to securely hold the Sonos PLAY:5 speaker in either vertical or horizontal orientation. The newest addition was especially designed for the largest of the home sound system's family of wireless speaker products, providing ideal audio dispersion and bass response.
Teenage Engineering, Raven and Baidu's Collaboration on New Smart Speaker Concepts
Baidu, a company known as China's search engine is investing heavily in its own voice engine, artificial intelligence (AI), and even hardware technologies, following Google's footsteps. Earlier this year, Baidu acquired Raven, a Beijing-based smart home startup, and the first results of that investment have now been revealed with two voice-activated speakers that run on the company's own AI platform. The design was the result of a cooperation with a Swedish start-up, Teenage Engineering.
Shinola Introduces Canfield Headphone Collection
The Detroit-based design and manufacturing brand Shinola announced the introduction of a new range of headphones adding to the company's Shinola Audio range of products, which already includes the gorgeous Runwell Turntable, and Bookshelf Speakers. The new Shinola Canfield Headphone Collection includes four new models that are distinctive in every detail, including two in-ear models tuned in partnership with Campfire Audio.