Lady Gaga is headlining through Oct. 31 at Dolby Live at Park MGM, an integrated performance venue on the Las Vegas Strip offering live concerts in Dolby Atmos. Dolby and MGM Resorts announced Dolby Live Thursday as a way for consumers "to enjoy a Dolby Atmos experience while deepening and expanding our engagements with the artist community,” said CEO Kevin Yeaman. Dolby engineers designed, calibrated and tuned the playback system for the 5,200-seat theater, which has a 140-foot-wide stage, nine HD and 4K projectors and a 240-foot-wide projection surface. The space will be used mostly for live concerts but can support musicals and esport events, they said. Dolby Atmos “takes performances to the next level by taking listeners inside the music to reveal details with unparalleled clarity and depth,” they said. In Lady Gaga Jazz & Piano, the artist will perform "stripped-down" versions of her hits alongside music from the Great American Songbook, said the venue. Tickets started at $239 on Ticketmaster Thursday. Upcoming acts include Bruno Mars, Aerosmith and Cher.
Bowers & Wilkins updated the Zeppelin tabletop stereo system, named for its horizontal, oval design. The streaming music system, which has AirPlay 2 and Bluetooth aptX Adaptive audio and Spotify Connect, offers instant access to services including Deezer, Last.fm, Qobuz, Soundcloud, Tidal and TuneIn via the Bowers & Wilkins Music app, said the company Wednesday. A new 5.9-inch woofer is mounted at the center of the cabinet to avoid “rocking” at high volumes; it’s surrounded by two decoupled double-dome tweeters used in the original system paired with B&W’s Fixed Suspension Transducer technology found in its floor-standing speakers. Alexa is built in but not Google Assistant. The 240-watt system will be multiroom-capable next year with a software upgrade making it compatible with B&W’s Formation product line. The system has switchable, dimmable ambient lighting designed to create a “halo” lighting effect on its metal pedestal stand. Dimensions are 25.6 by 8.26 by 7.6 inches. Price is $799 in midnight or pearl gray.
Diodes, Inc. bowed a Class D stereo power amplifier for AI-enabled speakers and portable musical instruments, it said Wednesday. The device drives 12 watts per channel into 4 ohm speakers with 92% efficiency, said the company. Its integrated synchronous boost converter with pulse frequency modulation can reduce circuit board space and cut bill-of-materials costs, the company said. The PAM8965 is 99 cents each in 3,000-piece quantities.
Petra partnered with Raycon to bring its wireless earbuds, headphones and speakers to a wider reseller market, it said Wednesday. Raycon’s mission is to “democratize” technology. The company gives out products to music, sports and entertainment celebrities “to get their feedback and to make sure the products live up to their strict demands.” Raycon represents "the next generation in products and marketing style,” said Petra President Tate Morgan. Raycon's strategy to position the brand with influencers builds "a loyal fan base that’s a mix of celebrities and their fans," Morgan said, saying the approach is targeted to a younger demographic. The product line, starting at $39 for a portable Bluetooth speaker, includes wireless earbuds, speakers and headphones.
Hisense’s latest projectors were certified WiSA Ready by Summit Technology’s Wireless Speaker and Audio Association, said the consortium Wednesday. The Hisense L9G TriChroma short-throw projector ($5,499), dubbed Laser TV, is now available in the U.S. and supports 5.1.2 audio. Buyers of the 100- and 120-inch projectors can connect a WiSA Certified 5.1 speaker system to WiSA Ready products to get wireless surround sound “in minutes,” said Ken Welty, Hisense director-laser TV. In a launch promotion, Hisense is offering free installation, valued at $475, from authorized resellers.
German headphone company Grell introduced its first true wireless headphones, which went on preorder Wednesday, with November shipping. The $199 TWS/1 earbuds feature Sonarworks' SoundID personalized audio technology, custom 10mm dynamic drivers and 28-hour battery life with active noise cancellation turned on, said the company. The headphones' Bluetooth range is given as 164 feet.
Sony joined the ranks of headphone companies branching out to wireless neckband speakers, and its SRS-NS7 is the first to deliver Dolby Atmos sound, when paired with select Sony Bravia XR TVs, said the company Monday. The SRS-NS7 ($299), a supplied WLA-NS7 wireless transmitter and a Sony Bravia XR TV are said to deliver a customized “cinematic experience” that users can create with Sony’s 360 Spatial Sound Personalizer app. A firmware update will be available by January for the Bravia XR TVs and is required to use 360 Spatial Sound, it said. The 360 app takes a photo of the user’s ear and analyzes its hearing characteristics by estimating the ear’s shape, creating what Sony calls the “ideal arrangement of virtual Dolby Atmos speakers around the user.” SRS-NS7 users can also experience Sony’s 360 Reality Audio when listening to compatible music services such as Deezer, Tidal and nugs.net, Sony said. The experience can also be created with select Sony headphones when used with the WLA-NS7 wireless transmitter ($59) and select Bravia XR TVs, said the company. The neckband speakers and transmitter are available for preorder; Amazon showed a Nov. 1 release date Monday.
Perlisten Audio’s S7i in-wall speaker, “designed for the largest private theaters” of up to 6,500 cubic feet, is the first to land THX Dominus certification, said the audio specialist company Wednesday. The speaker debuts in November at $7,495 each. Dominus is the newest class of THX certification meant to bridge the gap between large home theater speakers and those used in commercial movie theaters, said Perlisten. The company distributes many of its products through the custom-integrator channel.
Ikea and Sonos updated the Symfonisk table lamp speaker, introduced in 2019. The revamped model -- $179 in glass, $169 with a textile shade -- has a smaller base in response to consumer feedback. The lamp and shade will be sold separately when they arrive in stores Oct. 12, said the companies Tuesday. The lamp supports more bulb types with an E26/E27 socket, and a custom waveguide is said to improve the listening experience from any angle.
Jooki introduced a screenless kids’ speaker with streaming music and audio capabilities with built-in Spotify access. Users can operate the speaker using figurines or tokens placed via radio-frequency identification to trigger playlists that parents preset with an app, said the company Tuesday. The $113 player connects through Wi-Fi for music and audiobook streaming and Bluetooth for wireless headset listening.