Strategy in TECH...
Sonos Inc. and Lenbrook Industries announced today that they have reached a settlement agreement bringing the patent litigation brought by Sonos to a close. The agreement is confidential, so no terms were disclosed.
On Tuesday, Lenbrook invited members of the media to an “intimate album listening party” in Manhattan’s trendy Soho district. Despite the fact that the weather was less than cooperative – with warm, extremely humid temps, and at times torrential rainfall – there was an bar and hors d’oeuvres, which is always a strong draw. Maybe a strong enough draw to entice an editor from New Jersey into Manhattan in the traffic and the rain!
But this listening party turned out to be a bit of a preview opportunity for an interesting and relatively new product – a streaming amplifier. And not just any streaming amplifier, mind you – but a streaming amplifier being launched in the NAD Master series. That got my attention…
NAD Electronics announced this week that it will begin incorporating Dirac Live room correction technology in certain yet-to-be-introduced models in the near future. Saying that this development is a “Strengthening [of] its commitment to provide customers with an unparalleled home theater listening experience…”, NAD hailed Dirac as “the global leader in platform optimized sound enhancement technology.
Pulse – A High-Performance SoundbarHistorically, the consumer electronics industry is broken down into basically two types (genders) of products. A product is either designed for the masses with affordability and popular technologies – think wireless Bluetooth streaming speakers for less than $50; Or, serious, high-performance specialty AV products – think a component home theater system with Dolby Atmos/DTS:X/Auro3D built-in for more than $20,000. Like East not meeting West – never the twain shall meet. Until now…
Back in the Fall of 2013, we told you about the birth of a new brand called Bluesound – a new networkable, high-quality wired and wireless multiroom music system. Almost simultaneously, and in response to the obvious success of Sonos we suspect, new systems from Bose, D&M Holdings (HEOS), and Lenbrook were all introduced. But Lenbook officials maintained that their system had an advantage over most of the other systems – they had created their own operating system called BluOS.
This week in New York City, executives from Lenbrook America and Bluesound conducted a media presentation informing them of a major update to the Bluesound brand, which is distributed in the U.S. by Lenbrook America along with NAD and PSB. It is the first major line update since the brand was first launched in 2013. With this update, called “Generation 2,” the Bluesound brand appears to have gained solid momentum – or at least enough traction for the company to justify a significant investment in further product development.
Saying they want to move their traditional audiophile customers into the exciting new world of digital music – while at the same time offering higher sound quality solutions to attract the “digital native” computer music lover – NAD Electronics today in a press preview in New York launched three new digital audio products it calls “The New Digital Generation.” Staking out the high ground, NAD hopes to be able to offer affordable access to better quality digital music…while at the same time, offering an upgrade path to the ultimate digital system performance.
