Earphone makers are targeting the hybrid work market with earphones integrating MultiPoint software. Sony is adding MultiPoint connection capability to its LinkBuds S true wireless earphones, launched in May, and it added a blue version ($199) of the active noise-canceling (ANC) earbuds, with a marble pattern, that's due in stores by the end of October. All models in the LinkBuds series, plus the WF-1000XM4 headphones, will get a MultiPoint software update in November, allowing users to connect to two devices at the same time. If a user is listening to music on her PC and a call comes in, the phone automatically goes into hands-free mode, without a need to switch connections, it said. Sony is also adding a Microsoft Teams-certified model, LinkBuds UC ($249, winter), that’s said to optimize audio on a videoconference call. Jabra bowed the Evolve2 Buds Tuesday, promoting the earbuds for hybrid work. They’re certified for virtual meeting platforms including Microsoft Teams and Zoom and are said to reduce disruptive background noise to enable “cleaner” calls. Adjustable ANC allows users to block out or reduce external sounds to their listening preference to minimize distraction, the company said. The Evolve2s come with a USB plug-in adapter that extends the Bluetooth range of the devices to 65 feet, Jabra said. The $269 earphones are due in late November.

USound is sampling the Tarvos 1.0 UC-P3010 audio amplifier for its microelectromechanical system (MEMS) speakers. The application-specific integrated circuit amplifier can drive USound MEMS speakers up to 40kHz with low power consumption and high efficiency to extend the battery life of personal devices such as true wireless stereo earbuds, hearing aids and augmented reality/virtual reality glasses, it said. The new amplifier, due for mass production next year, enables design of “ultra-compact" audio modules that take “modularization to the next level," said Chief Technology Officer Andrea Clerici.

Bowers & Wilkins launched a special version of the Px8 headphone, the 007 Edition, to commemorate “two iconic British brands” and celebrate 60 years of British “style, performance and music,” the company said Wednesday. The Px8 007, in midnight blue to celebrate the tuxedo worn by James Bond in Dr. No 60 years ago, carries a $100 premium vs. the standard Px8 headphones ($699) and will be sold exclusively at bowerswilkins.com and 007Store.com through Tuesday, then to select retailers, B&W said.

Skullcandy announced a Street Fighter collaboration to celebrate the video game franchise’s 35th anniversary. The Skullcandy x Street Fighter Plyr multiplatform wireless gaming headset, a limited-edition release, is available at Skullcandy.com for $149, the headphone company said Tuesday. Features include Bluetooth 5.2, a hearing test to customize sound to the user, up to 24-hour battery life with rapid charge, and built-in Tile location technology.

Mercedes-Benz teamed with Dolby, Apple Music and Universal Music Group (UMG) on creating an in-car experience they said Sunday is “the benchmark for music production and playback quality.” The collaboration builds on the integration of Dolby Atmos immersive audio in the Burmester 4D and 3D sound systems that’s optional in Mercedes-Benz vehicles with the latest generation of the carmaker’s Mbux entertainment system. UMG is giving recording artists a chance to base their song approval process on how the final mix sounds in a Mercedes vehicle and introduced the seal “Approved in a Mercedes-Benz” as a “gold standard of sound,” it said. The music label plans to set up a studio environment in Sindelfingen, Germany, based on its Capitol Studios’ Studio C, a global reference music studio for Dolby Atmos mixing. The Burmester 4D sound system uses eight in-seat resonators with “sound massage” and surround speakers integrated into the seats, Mercedes said; on the audio side, it has 31 speakers, including six 3D speakers that emit sound from above, four near-ear speakers in the front seats, an 18.5-liter subwoofer, eight sound transducers and two amplifiers rated at a total 1750 watts of power, it said. Dolby Atmos will first be available in the Mercedes‑Maybach S‑Class, the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, plus the EQE, EQE SUV, EQS and EQS SUV.

H2O Audio introduced the TRI headphones ($99) with a built-in MP3 player and Bluetooth. The waterproof headphones have a neckband to support a secure fit for swimming, paddling, running and working out, the company said. The headphones, with 8 GB memory and nine hours’ battery life, have an IPX8 rating for submersion to 12 feet underwater, the company said.

Cleer introduced the Roam Sport earbuds Wednesday with noise-canceling up to 25dB. The $99 true wireless stereo earphones are IPX4-rated for sweat and water resistance, the company said. Battery life is given as 20 hours, including 15 hours with the included USB-C wireless charging case.The earbuds come with multisize Freebit wings for a comfortable and secure fit, Cleer said. The Roam's 5.88mm drivers feature AptX Adaptive audio, the company said.

EMarketer lowered its forecast for weekly podcast listeners in 2022 by 1.9 million to 98.4 million, a 6.8% year-on-year increase, less than half of 2021’s growth rate, it said Tuesday. EMarketer estimates 124.5 million Americans listen to podcasts monthly. The analytics firm expects weekly podcast listeners to comprise 29.2% of the U.S. population this year vs. 36.9% for monthly listeners, said analyst Jeremy Goldman. Spotify is still growing its monthly active users but at a slower rate than expected, Goldman said, projecting Spotify podcast listeners will rise 13.8% this year to 32.2 million, outpacing general podcast listener growth of 5%. EMarketer expects a 5.8% increase in the number of Spotify paid subscribers, up 0.7% from its previous forecast but a third of last year’s growth, Goldman said. It predicts 49.3 million Spotify premium customers by year-end, which “could be concerning to Spotify since, unlike many popular entertainment services, Spotify did not raise its subscription fees this year,” Goldman said; that makes it hard “to blame slow growth on fee increases.” EMarketer trimmed its monthly active user (MAU) growth projection for Spotify from 7% to 6% for the year, for a total 88.4 million MAUs. It projects Spotify podcast listener growth to decline each year from 2023-2026, reaching 4.2% growth, 119.4 million weekly listeners, by the end of the forecast period. Despite the slowing growth rate, EMarketer sees a “huge opportunity” for marketers to reach listeners via podcasts. Advertisers will spend about $13.70 per podcast listener this year, “significantly less than the $52.10 for on-air radio listeners,” Goldman said. Podcasts continue to be a large portion of total digital audio consumption, with the percentage of digital audio listeners that don’t subscribe to podcasts expected to drop below 50% next year, said Goldman.

Platin Audio began taking preorders Tuesday for the eight-channel Monaco 5.1.2 speaker system with WiSA SoundSend, making it the first wireless audio system to incorporate true Dolby Atmos up-firing speakers, the company said Tuesday. The $1,499 system will be available at select stores nationwide and online beginning mid-October, it said.

Dan Clark Audio launched a flagship open-back headphone with an acoustic tuning system that's said to eliminate standing waves that can cause high frequencies to sound unrealistic and fatiguing, the company emailed Monday. The patent-pending Acoustic Metamaterial Tuning System (AMTS) is an inline device located between the headphones’ transducers and the user's ears. AMTS integrates waveguides, diffusion control, and quarter-wave and Helmholtz resonators into the compact structure, it said. Suggested retail price of the Expanse headphones is $3,999.