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AudioControl Launches Exciting New Hyperion Series High-Performance Home Theater Lineup

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New AudioControl Hyperion APR-16 Home Theater Preamp/Processor
Hyperion APR-16 [Click to enlarge]

AudioControl announced today the launch of the all-new Hyperion Series line of high-performance home theater products. This Hyperion Series is a completely updated line that builds upon AudioControl’s decades of experience in innovative high-performance audio system design, combined with sister company AVPro Edge’s cutting-edge video capabilities and system networking expertise.

The resulting redesigned Hyperion Series – a dramatic departure from past AudioControl designs – looks, feels, and I’m sure sounds like what might be one of the most contemporary high-performance home theater lines on the market today.

Learn more about AudioControl’s all-new Hyperion Series home theater line…

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Video Projector Maker Barco Acquires Audio Company VerVent, Owner of Focal and Naim

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[Photo: Barco]

In a move that has some of Strata-gee’s sources perplexed and scratching their heads, high-end commercial and pro video projector and display manufacturer Barco (Euronext: BAR) announced this week that it has reached an agreement in principle to acquire VerVent Audio Holding (“VerVent” and “Vervent”). VerVent itself was created by the merger of French loudspeaker maker Focal and British high-performance audio electronics manufacturer NAIM some years ago.

See more on the merger of Barco and VerVent…

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Savant Brings Switzerland’s Silent Gliss to Its Recommended Partner Program

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Silent Gliss 7650

Savant Systems, Inc. announced today that it has added Silent Gliss, a Swiss manufacturer of precision window treatments, to its Recommended Partner Program. Silent Gliss was founded in 1952, and Savant says it has been “a leading global manufacturer of precision window treatment solutions since it introduced the world’s first silent curtain track system” then.

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Housing Starts Had Nice December Bump, But Dropped in Full Year 2025

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New home being constructed - a housing start

The government is normally a very reliable source of key economic data. Lately, however, it has been thrown into a bit of disarray ever since the first government shutdown, and now again into a second partial shutdown, causing a delay in the delivery of its reports. In any event, we now have December 2025 residential construction data, which shows an increase in housing starts compared to November. However, December’s starts remain below the rate set in December 2024. Starts for the full year of 2025 dropped for single-family and overall starts.

See more on the housing starts data for December…

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WiiM Dramatically Expands Presence in U.S. CI Channel by Adding Multiple Rep Firms

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WiiM product

WiiM, maker of a line of digital audio and streaming products that make a premium high-fidelity audio experience accessible to all, announced today that it is dramatically expanding its salesforce network in the U.S. It is doing this via the addition of at least six new independent manufacturer representative firms across the country.

Learn more about WiiM’s salesforce expansion…

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Masimo Acquired by Danaher: Is This the Conclusion to an Epic Saga?

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Danaher Corp has acquired Masimo Corp

Four years ago, in February 2022, Masimo Corporation (Nasdaq: MASI) acquired the major audio company Sound United from Charlesbank Capital Partners in a transaction valued at $1.025 billion. That was a momentous time for Masimo and Sound United, which was about to embark on a crazy sequence of events that would see Masimo’s stock value crash, the company attempt to enter consumer health, the emergence of an activist investment group, a huge lawsuit ensue with Apple, a massive change in the governing Board, founder Joe Kiani quit (or was fired, depending on who you ask), a major cyberattack, and three years later, Sound United sold to Harman International Industries in a deal worth $350 million.

What was also momentous in February 2022 was that Strata-gee began its coverage of Masimo and took that wild and crazy ride along with them. But why am I writing about Masimo now? They’re back by popular demand…

Read all about the latest developments at Masimo…

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Sonos Q1/2026 Shows Little Progress; CEO Gives Clues to His Turnaround Plan

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Cover page for Sonos fiscal 2026 first quarter results

Sonos, Inc. (Nasdaq: SONO) reported its results for the first quarter of fiscal 2026, the period that ended on December 27, 2025. The results paint the picture of a company going through a painful transformation. And while some progress has clearly been made, there is still a long way to go – and it remains unclear whether the company will ultimately be successful. However, we’ll look at where they are right now, the plan they roughly sketched out for next steps, and you can see what you think.

Learn all about the Sonos quarterly earnings for Q1 of 2026…

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Gentex, Parent of Onkyo & Klipsch, Announces Fiscal 2025 Financial Results

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Gentex booth at CES 2026
[Click to enlarge][Photo: Gentex]

Gentex Corporation (Nasdaq: GNTX) announced the results of its financial performance for the fourth quarter and full year of fiscal 2025 – the period that ended on December 31, 2025. Management expressed satisfaction with 2025’s results, which it says were achieved despite several challenging headwinds impacting performance.

Learn more about Gentex’s fiscal 2025 results…

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At ISE 2026, JBL Synthesis Launches 9 New Speakers & 3 Advanced AV Processors

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A home theater featuring JBL Synthesis loudspeakers

Holy Cow! The Harman Luxury Audio Group lion has reared back its head and roared AUDIO!!! I mean, the company is launching a total of 24 brand-new audio products at the 2026 Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) show. Even for a company the size of Harman, that’s a lot! For now, I’m going to focus on the moves the company made with its JBL Synthesis Custom Loudspeaker line, which includes nine new speakers and three new “next-generation” AV processors.

Learn all about the new JBL Synthesis Custom Loudspeaker and processor introductions…

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Sonance Goes Big at ISE 2026 with Expanded Presence & New Ultra Thin-Line VX Speaker

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Sonance at a recent show

Sonance, a long-time leading manufacturer of custom integration gear valued by integrators all around the world, has announced its plans for the Integrated Systems Europe Show 2026 (ISE) taking place now in Barcelona, Spain. Key to the announcement is that the company will display in two different “stands” (the European name for a “booth”), one optimized for the professional/commercial channel and another optimized for the residential/marine channel.

The company also announced the launch an all-new, high-performance Ultra Thin-Line VX Speaker.

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