Denon said it added Bluetooth accessibility to the Heos wireless multiroom sound system Tuesday. It also added compatibility with WAV, ALAC and FLAC Hi-Res audio files, including files up to 24 bit/192 kHz over Wi-Fi or USB. Coming soon is playback of DSD and AIFF audio tracks, the company said. The new platform uses an ARM A9 1.25 GHz processor with 512 MB flash memory, combined with 256 MB RAM. Pricing remains the same, a company spokeswoman said. Series 2 products are available at Amazon and Crutchfield and will replace the Series 1 line, she said. Products from the two series can work together, and adding a Series 2 speaker to a first-generation system enables Hi-Res audio support across the network, she said. Series 1 users who just want to add Bluetooth can do so with a $50 USB dongle.

Klipsch used reports of vinyl records’ continued resurgence (see 1603230040) as a chance to teach consumers how to set up a speaker system for a turntable. In a blog post Tuesday the company included traditional passive setups for speakers connected to stereo or AV receivers. It also highlighted the company’s new R-15PM powered monitors ($449 per pair) that offer “the easiest way” to hook up a turntable to a sound system. The R-15PMs have built-in amplification and an internal phono pre-amp so consumers can minimize wires and avoid extra components, Klipsch said. Additional features of the powered R-15PMs: Bluetooth connectivity and analog, optical and USB audio inputs.

Skullcandy is taking pre-orders for its Grind wireless Bluetooth headphones with on-ear cushions available in six colors. The Grind comes with a backup aux cable with mic and remote for call, track and volume control. The rechargeable battery has 12 hours’ run time per charge, said the company. The $89 headphones will be in stock April 18, it said.

A DTS:X firmware update is available for Yamaha’s CX-A5100 AV preamp processor and the Aventage RX-A3050, RX-A2050 and RX-A1050 AV receivers, Yamaha said Wednesday. The update is available as a free direct download from the Yamaha website, said the company. The products also support Dolby Atmos object-based audio.

It’s announcement week in the AV receiver category, with Denon, Marantz, Onkyo and Yamaha posting debuts and refreshes to their 2016 product lineups. Yamaha bowed four AVRs due to ship over the next several months: RX-V781 ($849, June), RX-V681 ($649, May), RX-V581 ($549, May) and RX-V481 ($449, April). The top three 7.2-channel models pack Dolby Atmos and DTS:X object-based surround formats, and the 5.1-channel RX-V481 has Dolby True HD, DTS Master Audio and HD Audio, Yamaha said. Additional features: MusicCast multiroom music streaming capability; HDCP 2.2 compliance to work with copy-protected 4K media streaming devices and 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray players; support for 4K Ultra HD at 60p 4:4:4; and HDR and BT.2020 compatibility, Yamaha said. Denon said it’s adding Auro-3D to its AVR-X4200W and AVR-X6200W AV receivers in a premium firmware update users can download from the Denon website for $199. Auro-3D adds one or two additional height channels, depending on the size of the room, Denon said. Denon AVRs containing the Auro-Codec decoder can decode an original Auro-3D mix, and the Auro-Matic upmixing engine allows existing collections of music and film soundtracks to be rendered in 3D sound, it said. The Denon receivers also incorporate Dolby Atmos and are DTS-ready. Denon’s sister brand Marantz also announced an Auro-3D upgrade for its SR7010 premium network A/V receiver and the AV7702mkII network preprocessor. Auro-3D firmware upgrades for both brands were to be available Tuesday. Onkyo introduced three network 7.2-channel AV receivers, due in April, for the high-end audio and custom installation markets. The TX-RZ810 ($1,299) and TX-RZ710 ($999) are Dolby Atmos and are DTS-ready, Onkyo said, and the TX-RZ610 ($799) have custom-spec capacitors and discrete non-phase-shift amp circuitry, a high-current design that's said to deliver music signals down to 5 Hz, Onkyo said. All three receivers include Onkyo's AccuReflex room correction technology, are 4K Ultra HD-ready and can stream content via AirPlay, Google Cast or Bluetooth, the company said.

Beginning April 1, Pioneer Elite 2016 AV receivers will come with a three-year warranty, adding 12 months to the warranty period for previous Elite models, the company said Thursday. Pioneer also announced pricing for two new Elite AV receivers and a pair of Hi-Res headphones. The LX301 ($700) and LX101 ($500) Elite network AV receivers pack Pioneer’s multichannel acoustic calibration system that tailors the sound to the room by compensating for differences in speaker size, level and distance. Both receivers include Dolby Atmos and are DTS:X-ready for a firmware scheduled for fall release. The receivers' reflex optimizer allows for Dolby Atmos 3D surround sound without the need for overhead speakers, Pioneer said. Both receivers support 4K/60p/4:4:4 24-bit video signal transmission with HDCP 2.2 technology, said the company. Wireless connectivity includes AirPlay, Bluetooth, GoogleCast, Wi-Fi and FireConnect, a wireless protocol that mirrors any audio source connected to the receiver on optional FireConnect-compatible speakers in another room, Pioneer said. Streaming music sources include Pandora, Spotify and TuneIn, and Tidal will be available via a future firmware update, it said. The company will demo the $299 SE-MHR5 Hi-Res headphones at the SoCal CanJam in Costa Mesa, California, March 19-20. The headphones have a dual-baffle back chamber that is said to (1) control the balance between the mid and low frequencies to improve the overall soundstage and eliminate resonance and (2) isolate noise. The SE-MHR5 headphones come with a standard 3.5mm unbalanced cable for standard headphone jacks and a 2.5mm, four-pole cable for a balanced output, said the company.

Vinyl continues its slow but steady march upward in dollar sales and mindshare as evidenced by increased presence at retail and in the mainstream media. Adweek ran a love letter to vinyl this week ahead of South by Southwest, saying retro turntable company Crosley Radio will staff a section of Urban Outfitters Space24Twenty. In the Crosley section at SXSW, attendees will be given the chance to “record a song live in our pop-up studio and have it pressed to vinyl instantly,” it said. The Make Your Own Record event runs 2-6 p.m. March 16-19. Adweek also reported that Crosley, as part of a push into experiential marketing, is launching a mobile record store, the Crosley Cruiser, to travel across the U.S., appearing at music festivals, pop-up shops, flea markets and record stores to promote vinyl and the Crosley brand. Crosley didn't respond to questions. Elsewhere, Barnes & Noble Chief Operating Officer Jaime Carey last week countered more gloomy news about plummeting Nook sales with a positive report on surprisingly buoyant vinyl sales in the company’s recently ended quarter (see 1603030058). Carey cited double-digit growth in vinyl record sales, calling it a relatively new category for the retailer that has done “amazingly well.” The retailer plans to up its commitment to vinyl. Nielsen figures indicate vinyl is on a 10-year upswing with 12 million LPs sold last year. Some 68 percent of vinyl sales are in the rock category, Nielsen said. RIAA’s mid-year 2015 report said 9.2 million vinyl albums had been sold, a 42 percent increase over first half 2014, while sales grew from $145.8 million to $221.8 million. CDs, by contrast, fell 27 percent in units and 31 percent in dollars, RIAA said, to 41 million units generating $494 million in sales.

Amazon announced two new Alexa Voice Service products Thursday, one for existing speakers and one designed to take on top-selling Bluetooth speakers. Amazon Tap, an Alexa-enabled portable Bluetooth and Wi-Fi speaker ($129) delivers full-range stereo sound and is positioned to take on the UE Boom ($179), JBL Flip 3 ($84) and Bose SoundLink Color ($116), all of which Amazon sells. Amazon Tap packs Dolby sound and its own streaming services: Prime Music, Spotify, Pandora TuneIn and iHeartRadio. Users can stream over Wi-Fi from Tap or via Bluetooth from a smartphone. Playback is given as nine hours on a charge. Users can tap the device’s mic button to ask for music, hear news, search for information or “order a pizza,” said Amazon. Tap accessory wraps ($19) come in six colors. Amazon’s $89 Echo Dot resembles a hockey puck and connects to speakers with an audio cable or wirelessly via Bluetooth, giving users voice control for an existing music system, said Amazon. Echo Dot has its own small speaker, allowing it to be used as an alarm clock or as a voice assistant for control of smart home devices “and more,” said the company. Leveraging Alexa Voice Shopping, Amazon encouraged Amazon Fire TV and Echo users to order the Dot by telling Alexa to "order an Echo Dot.” Meanwhile, Nest said its thermostat will soon be voice-controllable by Alexa. In a blog post, Nest's Head-Engineering Matt Rogers said the company's “first official collaboration with Amazon Alexa will go live in a couple weeks.” Using Alexa, Nest owners can turn the temperature up or down, and Alexa can also learn new skills. “So you’ll be able to say ‘Alexa, tell the thermostat that I’m too hot,’” Rogers said. Users can ask about temperature and humidity and tell the thermostat they’re leaving to set in motion a scene. Users who have integrated IFTTT (If This Then That) can access “more than 50 recipes” integrating the two, Rogers said.

Audio industry veteran Tom DeVesto started a new company, Como Audio. Most recently, DeVesto was CEO of Tivoli Audio, which was acquired last year by Serruya Private Equity (see 1505140045). In a news release, DeVesto said it's his “mission and passion” to bring to market high-quality CE products that reflect what consumers are looking for in design and performance. He didn’t expand on product or distribution plans and didn’t respond to a request for more information. DeVesto co-founded factory-direct audio company Cambridge SoundWorks with Henry Kloss in 1988.

AudioControl is shipping the 7.1.4 Concert AVR-7 and Concert AVR-9 receivers with Dolby Atmos, HDMI 2.0a, HDCP 2.2 and room correction, it said. The AVR-9 has a 7 x 200-watt-per-channel amplifier, and the AVR-7 is rated to deliver 100 watts x 7, it said. The receivers launch AudioControl’s Dirac Live room correction technology. Features include seven HDMI 2.0a inputs, four coaxial and two Toslink digital audio inputs, six stereo analog inputs, one USB Input and an ethernet port. Both models have second-zone HDMI outputs. The Concert receivers are available exclusively to custom installation dealers and are compatible with Control4, Crestron, RTI and Savant control systems, said AudioControl.