Strategy in TECH...
A new high-end, high-performance, direct-to-consumer audio company called Austin AudioWorks is officially launching the brand during the upcoming AXPONA show at the Schaumberg Convention Center in Chicago, IL from April 12-14. The company says its products “are very different from the mainstream” and show attendees will want to stop by and audition the new line in person at the show.
Leading consumer speaker brand Klipsch announced this week that it is partnering with Marvel Animation’s X-Men ’97 as the official home speakers for the series which launched on Disney+ Wednesday. If you have kids, you likely know the popularity of the X-Men franchise, which with this new series looks to trade on that popularity to the benefit of both partners.
Cambridge Audio announced today that it is introducing VU meters to its Evo models. A once ubiquitous feature of audio amps and recorders for decades – and an accouterment near and dear to this former recording musician and record producer’s heart – the company says VU meters are a “much-requested feature” that will now be available for the company’s award-winning all-in-one players.
Premium Audio Company, a division of VOXX International, this week announced two new Pioneer branded A/V receivers – the VSX-835 and the VSX-535 – that they say are feature-packed “Immersive Sound Audio Video Receivers.” Said to be targeted at home theater and gaming enthusiasts, these appear to be the first new Pioneer products for 2024.
This week we learned that the Sonos, Inc. (Nasdaq: SONO) plans to launch a new product into a new “multibillion-dollar” product category – strongly rumored to be headphones – has hit a snag, despite its best efforts. Company management has been enthusiastically talking up this diversification into an entirely new category for months – suggesting it will add at least $100 million to revenues this year. But now…those plans have had a monkey wrench thrown into them…
This week, Josh.ai held a significant launch of several new products, app improvements, and new integrations as it continues its journey from a voice interface into a full system control provider. While a voice update was part of this announcement, it felt deemphasized as the company pursued a greater role in the industry as a full control solution provider by launching a richer app user experience (UX), the introduction of a touch panel interface, and a round of new integrations.
The Nikkei is reporting a robust revival in Japan of sales of prerecorded analog cassette tapes, a format once thought dead and gone. Now, the report says, the humble cassette tape “is experiencing a renaissance, charming a new generation of music enthusiasts with its nostalgic appearance and distinctly warm and rich sound.”
Cambridge Audio, a funky, music-centric audio brand based in London whose tag line is “Made by Music” announced today a successor to its award-winning CXN V2 (the first streamer ever inducted into the What Hi-Fi? Hall of Fame) called the CXN100. Saying it is a “true generation step up in sound quality” the CXN100 brings a fresh design, new higher-grade components and is said to deliver added functionality and better overall value.
Crestron Electronics, a leading industry supplier of smart home and next-gen workplace technology, announced today in Barcelona, Spain at the ISE 2024 show that its popular DM NVX AV-over-IP solution is approaching one million units installed – a major milestone achieved in just a few short years. The company salutes the integrators and their projects incorporating the technology for propelling widespread adoption of DM NVX around the country and the world.
Sonos [NASDAQ: SONO] announced this week that it will launch an all-new 8-inch in-ceiling speaker that it designed in conjunction with Sonance. Part of the company’s Architectural lineup of speakers, this new model extends both the size and the range of performance of the line.
