Dolby released a short film featuring Coldplay to promote its nascent Dolby Atmos Music object-based surround sound technology, it said Sunday. The 2:10-minute film features music from the band’s Everyday Life album, available in Dolby Atmos on Echo Studio via Amazon Music HD. Dolby describes music recorded in Atmos as a way to give it “more space and the freedom” and is working with artists, record labels, streaming services, and CE companies to make Dolby Atmos Music experiences accessible. Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group have said they will release tracks in Atmos, and high-res streaming music service Tidal is on board. Tidal is working with artists, including Jay-Z, to mix their premium catalogs in Atmos for 2020 availability, Dolby said.

Axiim’s Link wireless audio transmitter is being bundled with the updated Tuned by THX Monaco 5.1 Immersive Wireless Home Audio System from Summit Semiconductor brand Platin, said the Wireless Speaker Audio Association Friday. The bundle gives users more options to connect the Monaco system to a WiSA-ready product, said the association, spotlighting 2019 LG OLED and NanoCell TVs, all models of Xbox systems, Windows PCs and Macs. The holiday promotional price is $799, $200 off list price, it said. Features of the update -- equalization, channel trim and bass management -- are said to heighten the surround sound experience for gamers.

True wireless and noise-canceling models will fuel an 11 percent year-on-year rise in aftermarket headphones this year, reported Futuresource Wednesday. The 420 million-plus headphone shipments forecast for 2019 are valued at $31.2 billion globally, up 37 percent year on year, as consumers move to the premium end of the market, Futuresource said. True wireless will account for 30 percent of in-ear units and 65 percent of total value this year, it said. Active noise-canceling (ANC) headphone shipments are expected to rise 7 percent from 2018, to 6 percent of total headphone sales. “A lack of ANC within top-selling true wireless models has been putting the brakes on any real movement,” but that will change next year, said analyst Adriana Blanco, citing Sony’s WF-1000XM3, the Apple AirPods Pro and Amazon’s Echo Buds. Futuresource projects 62 percent unit growth in the segment next year, and growth in ANC across all form factors, driven by in-ear products with USB-C connectors, on-ear models and over-ear models at lower price points. By 2023, shipments of true wireless headphones with ANC will outpace over-ear versions, with 18 percent of true wireless headphones shipping with ANC, it said.

Klipsch and McLaren formed a multiyear partnership that includes product development and marketing. Klipsch CEO Paul Jacobs said the company’s audio expertise combined with McLaren’s technology in lightweight, robust materials will result in “the smallest, smartest” headphones and portable speakers. Klipsch branding will be featured on McLaren Formula 1 Racing team headsets beginning next year, showcasing the audio brand in one of the “loudest environments in the world,” it said.

The home speaker market is on track to end 2019 down 1.6 percent in value, 10 percent in units, reported Futuresource Monday. Home theater and computer speakers continued a “steep decline” due to the rise of sound bars and laptops, it said. In 2018, home speaker shipments fell 12 percent to 45 million, with a trade value 5 percent lower to $2.8 billion, it said. Streaming services have changed the mix of devices consumers own for music listening, and trends toward convenience are challenging the traditional speaker market, said analyst Guy Hammett. Despite the falloff in bookshelf, floor-standing, in-wall and ceiling models, the speaker market is showing some resilience, even amid consumer preference for headphones and smart devices. “There is life left in loudspeakers,” Hammett said, led by in-wall and in-ceiling speakers, which grew 7 percent year on year in 2018. The U.S. leads the market for architectural speakers, but the China market grew 15 percent last year, it said. “In addition to in-wall, floor standing speakers are also doing their bit to stave off the decline,” said Hammett, saying rising average selling prices are offsetting lower volumes. North America will generate more than 40 percent of worldwide speaker value this year, followed by Europe; next year, the Asia Pacific region will overtake Europe.

Aukey subsidiary A-ipower is taking preorders for Wearbuds, combining a fitness tracker and Hi-Res true wireless earbuds, it emailed Tuesday. The earbuds, powered by a Qualcomm smart audio chipset with Bluetooth 5 connectivity, charge by plugging into the sides of a wrist-worn fitness device, eliminating the need to carry a charging case, it said. Fitness features track heart rate, calories burned, sleep and steps; the device also includes an alarm clock and message reminder. The wristband charges using a dedicated magnetic charging cable said to go from empty to full charge in 90 minutes. The $199 Wearbuds will sell on Amazon after a crowdfunding campaign, said the company.

Enclave Audio bowed two CineHome WiSA Certified wireless multichannel surround speaker systems Monday, along with a CineHub wireless audio transmitter. The transmitter features Dolby Audio, DTS Digital Surround, uncompressed PCM and supports eARC, ARC, optical, Bluetooth and analog inputs. The 5.1 CineHome Wireless Speaker and Audio system ($999) has three front speakers, two wireless rear speakers and a wireless subwoofer. The THX-certified Pro version ($1,499) steps up to a large subwoofer and speakers; when paired with the CineHub, it’s the first THX-certified and WiSA Certified wireless home theater experience, said the company. The Enclave CineHub is available for $99 when bundled with a CineHome speaker set; $149 sold separately. The Enclave systems can also be configured to work with any WiSA Certified transmitter or any WiSA Ready devices within the ecosystem, including 2019 LG OLED and NanoCell TVs, it said. The speaker systems operate on a discrete wireless network that's exclusive to the audio system and said to safeguard them from latency, lag or interference.

High-end audio company PS Audio took advantage of the start of the holiday selling season to remind audiophiles about its “robust" trade-in program that in some cases gives customers full retail value “as if it were new” when they upgrade their audio gear. Limits depend on the price of the new PS Audio product, it said. The company sends new products via free shipping, giving customers 30 days to try it out: “Send us back one or the other: your trade in if you’re thrilled, your new PS Audio gear if you’re not.” The program applies to PS Audio gear and third-party products.

Over-ear Dali IO wireless headphones will be available in the U.S. next month, said distributor Lenbrook Americas, announcing preorders Tuesday. The IO-6 ($499) is an active noise-canceling (ANC) model; the IO-4 ($399) has the features and style of the IO-6 without ANC. The headphones use a 50mm driver with a neodymium magnet in a closed-back design. Both models can be used in wired mode.

Sonos applied Oct. 22 to trademark its own brand name on the table lamp “with embedded wireless speakers” it began selling exclusively through Ikea during the summer (see 1908020042), Patent and Trademark Office records show. Sonos began using the brand “in commerce” on the Ikea lamp “at least as early” as Aug. 1, said the application. It originally trademarked the Sonos brand name in April 2006 and renewed it in May 2015, say PTO records. Ikea is selling a $179 table lamp under the Symfonisk brand with a Sonos speaker built into the base (see 1908020042). The PTO application includes photos of the Symfonisk packaging and of the lamp's underbelly showing the Sonos and Ikea logos.