News

Facing COVID-19 Fears: Eight Out of Ten Americans Fear a Second Wave

June 18, 2020 by Ted 2 Comments

A new survey from Ipsos/Axios had lots of interesting details about how Americans are feeling at this unique juncture in time, as states begin to reopen their economy, with a commensurate rise in cases of coronavirus. As many readers may know, this is an area…consumer sentiment…that I try to keep tabs on, as 70% of the U.S. economy is based on consumer sentiment.

And one piece of this research jumped off the page and grabbed me by my throat – 8 out of every 10 Americans worry about a second wave of the coronavirus (COVID-19).

See how consumers feel about COVID-19 now

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In Unusual Saturday Statement, B&W Says, In Effect, We’ll Speak for Ourselves, Thank You

June 13, 2020 by Ted 6 Comments

Just ‘Early Stage Talks’ to ‘Explore Opportunities;’ No Mention of Agreement

Late in the day yesterday (Friday), Strata-gee told you about an announcement from top multi-brand audio provider Sound United, saying they had reached a preliminary agreement to acquire Bowers & Wilkins (B&W), a leading high-performance, high end audio loudspeaker brand. It was big news that represented another step in a long saga of B&W looking for a new home, after a previous deal with EVA Automation and its CEO Gideon Yu fell completely apart.

Now as I write this today, B&W has released a rare Saturday morning press statement that gives the same news – but from the B&W side of the deal…a statement that seems shaded differently than the Sound United characterization.

Bowers & Wilkins in Preliminary Agreement to Be Acquired By Sound United

June 12, 2020 by Ted 4 Comments

In yet another twist in the long and winding saga of Bowers & Wilkins (B&W), it was announced late Friday that the company has entered into an agreement to be acquired by Sound United, the parent company of several audio brands such as Denon, Marantz, Polk Audio, Definitive Technology, HEOS, Classé, and Boston Acoustics.

See more on Sound United acquiring Bowers & Wilkins…

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PS Audio, Direct Marketer of Electronics, Launches a Record Company

June 11, 2020 by Ted 1 Comment

Boulder, CO-based PS Audio, a direct-to-consumer (D2C) marketer of higher end audio electronics products, announced this week that they are launching a record company called Octave Records. The company says Octave “is dedicated to preseving the art of high-fidelity recordings and compensating musicians fairly.”

Learn more about PS Audio & Octave Records…

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Industry Brands Take a Public Stance on Systemic Racism & Injustice

June 4, 2020 by Ted 1 Comment

YouTube social media post on social injustice and racism

It seemed as if 2020 was destined to represent a year of hardship, illness, and death in the wake of a still simmering COVID-19 pandemic – not to mention its impact on the economy. Then, a white police officer in Minnesota was filmed with his knee on the neck of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, who died. That officer, along with three others present, was charged with murder. And a fuse was lit that erupted into street protests which were largely peaceful with some acts of violence in cities around the country.

This scenario – white police officer killing an unarmed black man – is an all-too familiar one here in the United States…but this time, people took to the streets both here and around the world. And a growing list of powerful brands, including a few in our industry, are stepping forward to take a stance on the issue.

See which brands are taking on racism…

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New Research Shows Home Control System Adoption Jumps 38% in Just One Year

June 4, 2020 by Ted Leave a Comment

Wow, surprising numbers from a new research report from Parks Associates shows that control system adoption jumped a full 38% in 2019 as compared to 2018. That’s a really big jump in a really short period of time.

See more from this latest Parks Associates research…

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Crestron’s Partnership Universe Expands Creating New Experiences for Users

May 28, 2020 by Ted 1 Comment

Launches HomeTime Integrated Home Conferencing WFH Solution

No doubt about it, Crestron is on a roll. They have recently had a series of announcements – not of the ho-hum type, but of the more meaningful, perhaps industry-changing type. Now we learn about another new partnership being announced – Crestron is working with Logitech and Zoom to deliver HomeTime, an upgraded home video conferencing solution perfect for this strange new work-from-home (WFH) world in which we all find ourselves.

See more about Crestron HomeTime…

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And BAM! Just Like That, Savant Acquires GE Lighting to Become a Major Lighting Supplier

May 28, 2020 by Ted Leave a Comment

WSJ Says Deal Valued at Around $250M

On Wednesday, we learned that Savant Systems Inc. (Savant), has acquired the lighting business from none other than the mighty GE. Terms of the transaction were not released, but the Wall Street Journal reports that “the transaction valued the unit at around $250 million, according to a person familiar with the matter.” GE has been a major lighting provider for over a hundred years.

See more on this HUGE Savant & GE deal…

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Sandy Gross Steps Down from GoldenEar; Reflects on His Illustrious 50-Year Career

May 27, 2020 by Ted 14 Comments

Photo of Sandy Gross of GoldenEar — *GoldenEar founder Sandy Gross*

Telling me, “I’m just taking some time to do those things I’ve been wanting to do for a long time,” Sandy Gross, renowned² founder of three major speaker brands (Polk Audio, Definitive Technology, GoldenEar Technology), has stepped down as President Emeritus from his most recent one – GoldenEar. In a telephone interview this week, Gross shares with Strata-gee readers his reasons for making this announcement now, and reminisces on his nearly 50-year career building three popular speaker brands now in the homes of many thousands of consumers.

See more on the resignation of Sandy Gross…

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Integrators Rejoice! Peace Chimes are Ringing – Crestron & Lutron are Working Together

May 26, 2020 by Ted 1 Comment

Lutron and Crestron are now working together

OK…I don’t want to overstate this, but over the last few years, integration industry giants Crestron and Lutron have been…shall we say…a little competitive with each other. Maybe not directly so, but certainly there have been skirmishes over several lines of products. Over time, the two companies’ line extensions have been progressively encroaching more and more into each other’s territory.

Well, that’s over now, as Creston announced last week that it has forged “an alliance” with Lutron – integrating several of the lighting company’s products into the Crestron Home ecosystem. Dealers who sell both brands are undoubtedly rejoicing – Hallelujah! Peace has come!

News

Facing COVID-19 Fears: Eight Out of Ten Americans Fear a Second Wave

See how consumers feel about COVID-19 now

In Unusual Saturday Statement, B&W Says, In Effect, We’ll Speak for Ourselves, Thank You

Just ‘Early Stage Talks’ to ‘Explore Opportunities;’ No Mention of Agreement

Read more on B&W take on the situation with Sound United…

Bowers & Wilkins in Preliminary Agreement to Be Acquired By Sound United

See more on Sound United acquiring Bowers & Wilkins…

PS Audio, Direct Marketer of Electronics, Launches a Record Company

Learn more about PS Audio & Octave Records…