Atlantic Technology announced what it called the first in-ceiling speaker specifically designed to reproduce "object based" elevation channels in a surround-sound system. The company cited Dolby Atmos and DTS' plans for an upcoming object-based algorithm system designed to “envelop” a home theater listener with “a bubble of sound” from above. The object-based sound systems and compatible soundtracks have been developed to place the audience in an immersive sound field, Atlantic said Thursday. The round, IC-6-OBA speaker ($325 each) has a high-dynamic range 6-inch woofer, matched with a pair of one-inch tweeters, in a “wide scatter” design that differentiates it from other in-ceiling speakers with more narrow dispersion, the company said. It compared the “scatter” approach to that of a theater where elevation speakers are typically “30 to 40 feet” above the listener. "It is the closest we can get to a true movie theater experience," said Atlantic Technology President Peter Tribeman.

CEA member companies are free to license the Hi-Res Audio logo from the Japan Audio Society as long as they follow the society’s product guidelines and performance requirements, CEA and the society said Thursday in a joint partnership announcement. CEA member licensees can use the logo for product promotions, advertising and merchandising, and CEA agreed to promote the logo at CES and throughout the year to its membership and to consumers, they said. High-res audio will be defined as "lossless audio that is capable of reproducing the full range of sound from recordings that have been mastered from better than CD quality music sources," said CEA, the Digital Entertainment Group and the Recording Academy in a joint announcement earlier this year with Sony Music, Universal Music and Warner Music (see 1406130065).

Audio Design Experts launched its Riva lifestyle audio brand Tuesday with the announcement that it’s shipping its first product, the Turbo X Bluetooth mobile speaker. The $349 system incorporates the company’s Trillium technology that’s designed to offer immersive sound through a surround-sound mode that’s said to enhance sound in movies and video games. The Turbo X packs three 60mm full-range drivers and delivers 45 watts of power, while offering a 26-hour battery life, the company said. The Turbo X is being sold at www.rivaaudio.com, along with Huppin’s, Listen Up and World Wide Stereo, with more retailers to follow in 2015, the company said.

DTS subsidiary Phorus said it began shipping the PS5 wireless speaker that offers Play-Fi, Bluetooth and AirPlay streaming. The $229 speaker supports files with resolution up to 24 bit/192 kHz directly from a mobile device or via a connected DLNA server, DTS said Monday. The PS5 supports multizone streaming and can be configured with another PS5 for stereo playback, DTS said. The speaker is available from Phorus.com, plus Amazon and Crutchfield.

British audio retailer Unilet Sound & Vision and sister company Custom Cable plan the Jan. 30 launch of a two-day consumer audio show in London "dedicated to the finest portable audio and digital streaming products available," the retailer said Friday. Called the "Headroom Show," the event will be at Metropolis in southwest London, described by Unilet as "Europe’s premier recording studio complex." Thirty-five of the world’s "premium audio brands" have committed to exhibiting at the event, which will give visitors "the chance to see, touch and hear one of the largest collections of portable and digital audio products in the same place ever assembled in the U.K.," it said. "Digital audio is also highly catered for with portable and desk-top audio products and music streaming services featured heavily." Admission costs 10 pounds, and children under 15 can enter for free when accompanied by a paying adult, organizers said.

Denon unveiled the PMA-50 stereo amplifier ($599) Thursday, calling it a lifestyle audio product with next-generation music playback options. The amp section incorporates Direct Digital Feedback Amplifier technology from CSR and the output stage circuit has discrete construction said to offer a higher signal-to-noise ratio and lower distortion than conventional class D amplifiers. It’s rated at 50 watts into 4 ohms. Connectivity includes analog stereo, optical, coaxial, USB-B and Bluetooth, Denon said. The USB-B connection allows users to play high-res PCM (up to 24-bits/192-kHz) and DSD audio (2.8MHz and 5.6MHz) tracks through a PC or Mac, the company said. Near-field communication allows users to play music from an activated NFC-enabled Bluetooth device by placing it next to the N mark on the PMA-50’s side panel with no need for manual passcode entry, Denon said. Delivery is slated for January.

BSX Electronics said it integrated AirPlay Direct Connect into the JookBox to create what it calls the first “truly portable” wireless speaker. The speaker runs independently of a Wi-Fi network, allowing users to stream music from any iOS device by broadcasting its own 2.4 GHz dedicated wireless network. Up to 10 JookBoxes can be paired together to hear the same song in different rooms or to hear different tunes in different rooms, the company said Wednesday. The JookNet network delivers a “consistent audio experience” without the delays, skips or drops that can occur with overcrowded home networks, it said. Using the JookBox app, other users can stream their music to a paired JookBox speaker or add songs to a “socially curated” playlist that's maintained by the host device, the company said. The 10-watt JookBox has two 2.5-inch mid-high range drivers and runs on a rechargeable battery with 10 hours’ playback time, the company said. JookBox is being funded on IndieGoGo and will retail for $199; delivery to backers is slated for late Q1, the company said.

NAD said it added Rhapsody to its BluOS platform for Bluesound wireless music systems. Bluesound’s U.S. customers will be offered a two-month trial subscription for Rhapsody Premier, which they can sign up for through the NAD BluOS controller app, the company said Wednesday. Rhapsody boasts a library of 32 million songs. The premier subscription is $9.99 per month for unlimited access to music, personalized radio suggestions, song-skipping capability and the ability to play music on mobile devices, PCs and home audio gear.

Thiel Audio at CES will take the wraps off the 3rd Avenue Collection, a line of speakers designed for two-channel and home theater sound. The line represents the “revitalization of the Thiel brand,” said the company, looking to come back after the death of founding engineer Jim Thiel and the sale of the company by co-founder Kathy Gornik. The $5,798 TT1 speaker uses a four-driver array and multi-order crossover in a heavily braced vented medium-density fiberboard enclosure, the company said. Shipping is slated for January, it said.

Superlatives were many, but specifics were few, in Meridian Audio’s announcement Thursday that it will commercialize early next year a lossless coding platform that’s "poised to change the way people enjoy music all over the world." Billed as "a revolutionary British technology," the innovation, called Master Quality Authenticated (MQA), was launched at a London briefing Thursday. MQA has been designed to "reverse the trend, in which sound quality has been continually sacrificed for convenience," Meridian said. "Vital elements of our music have been thrown away to fit thousands of songs into a pocket or millions in a cloud. With MQA there is no sacrifice; it brings us right back to the enthralling sound of live music. MQA captures and preserves nuances and vital information that current music files obscure or discard, but in a file that is small and convenient to download or stream." MQA allows listeners to experience "every intricate detail the microphone heard, offering music fans the purest ever sound," the company said. "And it’s based firmly in science. For the first time in history, music fans will be able to hear at home what the artist created and approved in the recording studio, and MQA confirms its exact delivery."