Strategy in TECH...
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.
Emerald Expositions (NYSE: EEX), owner of the CEDIA Expo, CEPro, Commercial Integrator, and more, has formally announced on its website that it has decided to “indefinitely postpone” the Total Tech Summit. Quite a buzz erupted on social media as word of this decision spread among those in the custom integration industry.
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.
The Consumer Confidence Index surprised economists in January after experiencing a small uptick in December. According to The Conference Board, after a 5.1-point upward revision of December’s early reading, the index fell a surprising 9.7 points in January to a reading of 84.5 (1985=100). This is the most pessimistic that consumers have felt about the current situation and the near-term direction of the economy in 12 years!
La Verne, Ca-based Harmonia Distribution, a national distributor of select high-end, high-performance audio brands, has announced recent changes to its leadership structure in the wake of the departure of former President David Schultz, who left the company at the end of 2025. Taking over as President is Jesse Luna, who was promoted from his previous role as Vice President of the company. Also, Jeff Coates has assumed the role of Director of Sales. Coates was also an internal advancement from his previous position as US Sales Manager.
Sonos, Inc. (Nasdaq: SONO) introduced on Tuesday the launch of a new model called the Amp Multi, its first such launch in more than a year. Targeted for the professional integrator channel, Amp Multi is, as the name suggests, a multi-channel streaming amplifier that appears to be designed to encourage integrators to incorporate more Sonos products in larger, more sophisticated residential installations.
But will integrators go along with this scheme?
The industry is all abuzz ever since this past Tuesday, when Sony Corporation announced that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with TCL “for strategic partnership in home entertainment field.” The announcement goes on to describe, in really sketchy terms with virtually no details, an idyllic or almost utopian vision of how this “partnership” would operate.
But it’s all code. The media has scrambled to spread the news of what they know…which is virtually nothing. Let me help you decode the important meaning of this announcement.
On Wednesday, a new company, RLS Creative Services, announced that it was relaunching Connected Design, a business-to-business, trade media property previously owned and ultimately shut down by former publisher CT Labs’ owner, Messe Berlin (owners of the IFA, an international technology show in Germany). In a formal announcement, the new owner pledged a “renewed commitment to serving the design-forward build environment.”
Crestron Electronics announced this week the launch of an all-new 80 Series Touch Screen line, its most advanced touch screen design ever. What specifically has changed in this series as compared to previous versions? According to a company source, only one thing has changed: everything!
On Wednesday, the Custom Electronic Design & Installation Association (CEDIA) announced the roster of new members joining the Global Board of Directors after a “slate” vote by members recently. The trade association also announced a historic first – for the first time in its history, a woman has been selected as Chairperson of the organization.
