Over-ear headphones are the preferred form factor for listening at home, emailed Futuresource Friday, before Apple’s Tuesday online new product event where the company is expected to introduce the first Apple-branded cans. The company pulled third-party headphones and speakers from its stores in what industry watchers see as a shelf-clearing before release of its branded audio gear. Futuresource forecasts over-ear headphones will grow at a 5% compound annual rate, generating $10 billion by 2024. The average selling price of over-ear headphones grew from $80 in 2018 to $130, led by advanced features such as active noise canceling (ANC). Apple powered the surging true wireless earphone market, with 20% of shipments and 42% of value in the first half, Futuresource said. Features of the next AirPods, expected to be announced Tuesday, will likely include ANC and the spatial audio algorithm used in the AirPods Pro, said analyst Luke Pierce.
Sony’s introduction of the XS-AW8 adds powered subwoofers as a category to its car audio product portfolio, said the company Wednesday. The subwoofer has 160 watts of peak output power and a “sleek, shallow” design, enabling installation in “restricted spaces” inside the vehicle, it said. “To reproduce powerful bass sound from its compact dimensions, the slim enclosure is paired with a rigid subwoofer diaphragm,” it said. The XS-AW8 will be available in December at $299.
Lenbrook Americas introduced Tuesday the Dali Oberon C series, its entry-level smart speaker system due to ship in November. It’s the active version of the Oberon line, which includes Oberon 7 C floor-standing speakers ($2,499 a pair), Oberon 1 C stand-mount speakers ($1,499 a pair), On-Wall C speakers ($899 each) and the Sound Hub ($449) wireless transmission preamplifier. The speakers incorporate a wireless streaming interface, digital signal processing and two 50-watt Class D power amplifiers. With a BluOS module installed, the Sound Hub can enable wireless multiroom audio with support for audio streams up to 24-bit/192kHz.
PS Audio is offering $1,650-$3,400 discounts on its Power Plant AC regenerators through October, said the company Friday. The units improve micro and macro dynamics, audio purity, instrumental separation and soundstage width and depth; they also lower background noise for connected equipment, said the company. On sale are the DirectStream P12 ($3,349) P15 ($4,999) and P20 ($6,599). Power Plants regenerate AC instead of just conditioning it, said Scott McGowan, director hi-fi specialists. The PowerPlay feature allows users to track incoming and outgoing total harmonic distortion, voltage and wattage on a webpage.
Astro Gaming announced in-ear monitors for mobile and console gaming. The A03s ($49) have two drivers in each ear housing: one for bass, the other for mid- and high frequencies. The wired headphones have an aluminum housing, tangle-free flat cables and in-line mic and audio controls, said the company Thursday.
TCL added five models to its sound bar line, with four tagged “Roku Ready” to match with a TV certified as Roku TV Ready. The designation conveys to consumers a “smoother setup, easy access to sound settings, and compatibility with their Roku TV remote,” said the company Monday. The flagship Alto 9+ ($299), designed for screen sizes 55 inches and larger, has TCL’s Ray-Danz technology, angled speakers that beam sound waves toward reflector units to create a wide, immersive soundstage. The Alto 9+ includes a wireless subwoofer and dedicated center channel tuned for dialog clarity; it also has AirPlay 2 and is compatible with Google Assistant, said the company. The Alto 8i ($179, October) is a slim design with Dolby Atmos and dual internal subwoofers for TVs 55 inches and larger. The Alto 6 ($79) and 6+ ($129) feature a down-firing wireless subwoofer and Dolby Digital decoding. Designed for 40-inch and larger TVs, both 6 series sound bars are due this week. The compact Alto 3 ($59, October), for TVs 32 inches and up, is geared to bedrooms, dorms or apartments, TCL said.
Origin Acoustics' new D101 and D103DT in-ceiling speakers, part of the Director Collection, use the grille profile of 8-inch speakers. The lower profile is made possible by Origin's mounting system structure that allows the pivoting speakers to fit a smaller footprint. The two-way speakers are designed for large rooms with ceilings higher than 10 feet and home theaters, said the company.
Parasound added two- and four-channel power amplifiers to its ZoneMaster line for pro audio system installers. Both are rated at 150 watts per channel into 4- and 2-ohm loads,120 watts a side for 8-ohm hi-fi speakers, said the company. The ZM 4's two output zones can operate from a common source or independently from two separate zone sources. The Parasound ZM 4 will be available in early October at $995; the ZM 2 is shipping at $495.
Bluesound will begin shipping the Pulse Sub+ subwoofer late next month, said the company Tuesday. The $749 bass box has an 8-inch long-throw woofer, 150-watt amplifier with digital signal processing and is rated to deliver low frequencies down to 22 Hz. Users can pair the sub with any Bluesound product using the BluOS controller app, which also controls volume, crossover, and phase adjustment settings.
KEF updated its LS50 speaker line with acoustic materials and a wireless design, said the company Tuesday. The LS50 Mega ($1,499 a pair, available Tuesday) has a 12th-generation Uni-Q driver and material from Acoustic Metamaterials Group that’s said to absorb 99% of unwanted sound radiating from the rear of the driver. The LS50 Wireless II ($2,499 a system, available Oct. 11) has a 100-watt class A/B amplifier powering the tweeter and a 280-watt class D amplifier powering the mid/bass driver. The left and right speakers are connected wirelessly, with 24-bit/96 kHz resolution; when connected with the supplied cable, resolution is 24-bit/192 kHz, said the company. KEF's Connect app allows LS50 Wireless II customers to stream directly from Spotify Connect, and the speakers are compatible with AirPlay 2 and Google Chromecast. The wireless speakers, which support Master Quality Authenticated tracks, have jacks for connecting a TV, turntable, CD player and game console via HDMI, analog and optical and coaxial digital cables.