The global speaker driver market will grow to $23.8 billion this year, up from $22.4 billion in 2021, as integration of AI and smart speaker technology gains traction in chipsets, reported Business Research Thursday. AI chipsets are being used in speakers that offer voice control, improved audio quality and enhanced battery life, said the research firm. Upgradeable AI speakers can gain additional capabilities over time as the AI assistant learns new skills, it noted. The company highlighted the high-res LG XBoom AI ThinQ WK7 as a voice-controlled, AI-powered speaker with Meridian sound and built-in Google Assistant; the Bluetooth speaker can link to other Chromecast or Chromecast audio devices, soundbars and wireless speakers with Chromecast. The speaker driver market is expected to reach $31.1 billion in 2026, it said.

Worldwide smart personal audio shipments fell 1.7% year on year in Q2 to 98.1 million, reported Canalys Tuesday. Growth of 55% in India couldn’t offset the overall global decline, led by China with a 13% drop; the U.S. was down 1%. True wireless stereo earbuds bucked the trend, growing 8% to 63 million units, but they declined 2.9% in value, it said. Apple held its market lead in TWS shipments, growing 13.1% year on year in Q2, on the strength of the Beats by Dre brand; AirPods’ growth slowed to 2%, with 15.3 million units shipped, it said. Apple will have to rely on the next-generation AirPods Pro for shipment and revenue growth in wearables in coming quarters, said analyst Sherry Jin: “To drive replacements and new buyers, the next-generation AirPods Pro must not only improve on the basics, such as battery life and sound performance, but must also deliver new and practical wow factors, such as unique ecosystem-integrated content consumption and health-tracking features,” said the analyst. Samsung will likely leverage its TWS lineup as an “ecosystem play” to boost prospects at the higher end of the lineup amid a weaker economic climate, she said.

LG announced pricing and availability for its latest Tone Free true wireless earbuds, the first to support Dolby Head Tracking, it emailed Thursday. Dolby Head Tracking works with Dolby Atmos to enhance detail and clarity in the listening experience, LG said. The T90Q earbuds ($229) are the first wireless earbuds with a Dolby-designed audio virtualizer that’s said to expand spatial dimensionality for stereo content. The TF8Qs ($199), for active use, have SwivelGrip technology to keep the earbuds in place. The TF8Qs also have active noise-canceling and Meridian Headphone Spatial Processing technology for an improved soundstage, LG said. Both models ship with a UVnano+ charging case, which uses UV-C light to kill 99.9% of bacteria on the earbuds’ eargels in 10 minutes during the powered charging cycle, the company said. The earbuds’ Plug & Wireless feature allows users to connect through the charging case to devices that don't have Bluetooth, it said.

PS Audio will begin shipping a new flagship monaural power amplifier this month, its last collaboration with audio engineer Bascom King. The PerfectWave BHK 600 ($32,498 a pair) is rated at 600 watts into 8 ohms, has an input stage with vacuum tubes and an N-channel MOSFET output stage, the company emailed Thursday. The amp has RCA single-ended and XLR balanced inputs.

Bluesound is taking preorders for the Powernode Edge, a single-zone wireless streaming amplifier, it said Wednesday. The $649 device has a 40-watt-per-channel stereo amplifier, AirPlay 2 and plays hi-res audio files up to 24-bit/192kHz, plus Master Quality Authenticated files, the company said. Bluesound bills the unit as “just add speakers” high-fidelity audio “for the modern age.” It has over 20 integrated music services, and “thousands” of internet radio stations are controllable from the BluOS Controller app. It has wired and wireless subwoofer outputs and is voice controllable via Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant and Apple Siri. Shipping is to begin in October.

Sony’s HT-A3000 sound bar went on presale Tuesday at Amazon and other retailers for $699 and can pair with existing SA-RS5 ($599) or SA-RS3S ($349) wireless rear speakers, the company said. The HT-A3000, a 3.1-channel sound bar with Dolby Atmos and DTS:X decoding, has three front speakers, a dedicated one for dialogue and a built-in subwoofer for bass. The sound bar has Sony’s Vertical Surround Engine and S-Force Pro front surround technology and 360 Spatial Sound Mapping that creates multiple phantom speakers so users feel immersed in the sound anywhere in the room, Sony said. It works with Google Assistant-enabled devices with Chromecast built-in or Amazon Alexa-enabled devices. Users can play music on the sound bar using Bluetooth, Chromecast, Spotify Connect or Apple AirPlay 2.

Anker’s Soundcore brand introduced the Space Q45 over-ear headphones and Space A40 earbuds with an updated noise-canceling system, the company said Thursday. The over-ear model ($149) has three-stage noise canceling and 50-hour battery life, 65 hours with noise canceling off, it said. A five-minute charge can provide up to four hours’ playing time, it said. The A40 earbuds ($99) reduce up to 98% of external noise using noise-sensing mics and passively blocking external sound, soundcore said. Battery life is 10 hours on one charge and 50 hours with the charging case; 10 minutes of charging time gives four hours of play time. The case is Qi-compatible for wireless charging.

Sennheiser introduced a transmitter-earbud combo designed to boost volume and dialogue clarity when connected to a television. TV Clear ($399) true wireless earbuds have five speech clarity levels, with up to 20 decibels of high-frequency amplification, to allow users to listen to TV audio without disturbing others, the company emailed Tuesday. Users can set a preferred volume level on the earbuds separately from that of the TV, while others in the room listen at a volume that’s comfortable for them, the company said. An ambient awareness mode allows users to hear ambient noise and conversation in the room. It can be switched off for more privacy. The transmitter’s low latency streaming technology keeps audio and video in sync, Sennheiser said. An app guides users through setup and can be used to customize sound; it also has a “find my earbuds” feature. Battery life is given as 15 hours on a charge when used with the transmitter; the supplied charging case adds 22 hours of battery life. TV Clear links to a TV with the transmitter via an optical or audio output and can also connect to a smartphone, PC or tablet via Bluetooth. The TV’s audio output format has to be set to PCM or stereo, not Dolby, Sennheiser said. One transmitter can be paired with an unlimited number of earbuds.

JVC expanded its true wireless headphone lineup with two sub-$50 Bluetooth 5.1 models offering three sound modes, the company said Tuesday. The HA-A6T Gumy True Wireless earbuds ($29) have 22-hour battery life and an IPx4 “rainproof” rating, JVC said. The company’s HA-EC25T earbuds ($39), in the Fitness Series, have an ear hook for a secure fit, an IPX5 waterproof rating, 30-hour battery life and touch sensor controls, plus auto on and off, it said.

EarFun introduced its second wireless earbud, the Air S ($69). An accompanying app allows users to adjust equalization levels to their preference, and they can assign default inputs on the devices using button mapping, the company said Monday. Active noise cancellation is said to suppress noise by up to 30 decibels. Two Bluetooth-enabled devices can be paired with the new Air S simultaneously. The earbuds use the Qualcomm QCC3046 processor; play time is given as 30 hours, with six hours on a single charge and an additional 24 hours using the supplied rechargeable storage case. The fast-charging feature enables two hours’ playback from a 10-minute charge. The Air S is rated to meet IPX5-level sweat and water resistance, the company said.