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Economists Predict Rapid Ramp-Up in Residential Construction

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NAHB LogoWe were fortunate enough to receive an invitation from the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) allowing us to participate in their annual Fall Construction Forecast presentation, a webinar put on for the benefit of  their members last week. Boy! Are we glad we attended! Not only did the organization offer up a roster of world-class economists with really interesting insight into what’s going on in the economy – they also offered reams of really valuable data delineating the latest trends in construction.

Their predictions were – to put it mildly – shocking! Read below to find out why…

[Read more…] about Economists Predict Rapid Ramp-Up in Residential Construction

Nortek Releases Q3 Results; Has AV Turned a Corner?

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Nortek LogoNortek, Inc., a diversified manufacturer of commercial and residential products largely targeted towards the new construction business, announced on Monday the financial results of the third quarter of their current fiscal year. Overall, the results were mostly positive, although two of their business units saw revenues decline in the quarter. Surprise…surprise…neither of them were the newly designated AVC (Audio Video Control) segment, as you (and we) might have suspected.

AVC showed a sales increase. Does this mean AVC has turned a corner in results?… [Read more…] about Nortek Releases Q3 Results; Has AV Turned a Corner?

Everything’s Fine, Says Control4; But Investors See Monsters Under the Bed

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Control4 logoThis story is being written on Halloween – hence, the “monsters” in the headline. On Thursday, Control4 released the financial results for their fiscal third quarter and held a conference call for analysts and investors. The numbers all looked good and the management team rightly crowed about their prowess. But during the Q&A session tough questions emerged…

See what had some analysts a little spooked… [Read more…] about Everything’s Fine, Says Control4; But Investors See Monsters Under the Bed

Ingram Micro’s Q3 Financials Show Sales Up; Profits Down

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Ingram Micro logoIngram Micro, Inc. released the financial results for their fiscal third quarter (the period ending Sept. 27, 2014) showing generally positive results. Sales for the quarter increased to $11.2 billion, a $1 billion or 11% increase over the $10.2 billion for the same period last year. According to Ingram Micro CEO Alain Monié, the increase was due primarily to “new wins” and “strong market share.”

But while gross profits were up, gross margins, operating income, and net income were all down for the period…and that fact led us to take a closer look.

See our report below on the financial results for Ingram Micro… [Read more…] about Ingram Micro’s Q3 Financials Show Sales Up; Profits Down

You Knew It Was Dying, But LG Makes It Official – Plasma is Dead

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LGs logoYesterday in South Korea, LG Electronics made formal what we all knew was coming – they are ending production of all plasma display panel products. Even though we knew it was coming, somehow…it still hurts. We’ve had many an engineer tell us the plasma was the most accurate picture available – many saying they own it themselves. Certainly, they are sure to be ruing this day.

See more on this dramatic – and somewhat sad – announcement from LG… [Read more…] about You Knew It Was Dying, But LG Makes It Official – Plasma is Dead

Is Beta Better? Yamaha Launches First Earphones with Beta-Titanium Tubes

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Photo of Yamaha EPH-M200

Yamaha Corp. announced today that it has launched a new line of earphones that includes a model with what it claims is the “world’s first” to use a beta-titanium sound tube. Yamaha’s EPH-M200 also features a “large-caliber” or diameter driver for better quality sound – and features a striking design available in three different colors.

Learn more about this unique new series of earphones from Yamaha… [Read more…] about Is Beta Better? Yamaha Launches First Earphones with Beta-Titanium Tubes

In First Step of Transformation, Thiel Terminates Reps

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New Thiel logo black backgroundIn a notice emailed to dealers last Thursday sporting a spiffy new corporate logo, Thiel took what appears to be the first step in what is promised to be a stream of “regular communications from us” regarding the company’s transformation from a legendary audiophile loudspeaker brand to a…well to what, we just don’t know yet. But what we do know is that the company has begun this transformation by terminating its entire national independent sales representative sales force.

See what Thiel told dealers was the reason for terminating their local sales rep…

[Read more…] about In First Step of Transformation, Thiel Terminates Reps

D+M Group Issues Response to Sonos Lawsuit

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BREAKING NEWS

Earlier today, we reported that wireless music system powerhouse Sonos had filed a lawsuit against Denon in regards to its HEOS line of wireless music systems. The lawsuit alleged, among other things, infringement on four of their patents and asked the court for an injunction to stop HEOS products from being sold.

Today, we received a statement from D+M Group, the parent of Denon, in response to this lawsuit.

See the D+M Group’s statement on the Sonos lawsuit… [Read more…] about D+M Group Issues Response to Sonos Lawsuit

D-Tools & Spring Deck Announce Strategic Partnership

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Spring Deck logoD-Tools, Inc., one of the industry’s largest proposal generation software companies, and Spring Deck, LLC, a new and rapidly growing app-based sales presentation software company, have joined forces to offer a virtual end-to-end sales and proposal solution for the custom integration industry. The two companies plan to integrate their respective software platforms, offering integrators a streamlined solution that will facilitate everything from the initial sales presentation to an efficiently created proposal to final installation illustrations and materials.

See more about this partnership offering an all-new unique solution…

[Read more…] about D-Tools & Spring Deck Announce Strategic Partnership

Sonos Sues to Halt HEOS

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Photo of HEOS product line
HEOS product line

Congratulations Denon, your new HEOS system is so successful that wireless music monster Sonos has taken notice…and filed a lawsuit to stop it. It has been a open secret since we first learned of HEOS this past June that HEOS is meant to attack the same wireless music player market that Sonos essentially invented. Many have tried to take on Sonos…but none have come close to replicating the features and performance Sonos introduced to consumers. Until HEOS…

See more on this development. Will Denon fight? Or license?… [Read more…] about Sonos Sues to Halt HEOS