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About Joao Martins
Since 2013, Joao Martins leads audioXpress as editor-in-chief of the US-based magazine and website, the leading audio electronics, audio product development and design publication, working also as international editor for Voice Coil, the leading periodical for the loudspeaker industry. Covering Audio and Video technology for more than 30 years - Broadcast, Film, Computer Graphics, and Music - as founder and editor of several leading publications in Portuguese and Spanish languages, (he's also fluent in French!), he benefits from a broad and rich perspective of those sectors and its multiple verticals. Marketing and Communication Specialist working at the intersection of media and technology for over three decades, Joao Martins started as a musician and studied visual arts and cinema before founding its own (short-lived) advertising agency. After a career in marketing and sales in film, television, radio and pro audio systems, transitioned full time to magazine publishing, founding new

All items written by Joao Martins
Sonos Releases pyFLAC Library for Realtime Lossless Audio Compression in Python
May 31, 2021 by Joao Martins

Sonos Releases pyFLAC Library for Realtime Lossless Audio Compression in Python

FLAC is the most universal compression algorithm for audio, allowing to maintain a perfect reconstruction of the original data. As an audio manufacturer that supports FLAC in all its home audio (Wi-Fi) products, Sonos decided to improve its own development tools by creating an efficient alternative to using the original FLAC library (libFLAC) written in C, and created a Python implementation for lossless encoding/decoding focusing on real-time streams. pyFLAC is now available as a free-to-use package.
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The Cell Alpha Triphonic Speaker Design from Syng. A Revolution in Spatial Audio?
May 27, 2021 by Joao Martins

The Cell Alpha Triphonic Speaker Design from Syng. A Revolution in Spatial Audio?

Chris Stringer is a longtime Apple designer and the reason why the unveiling of its latest project caused so much buzz on the usual gadget-oriented click-bait websites. His new company is called Syng and its first product is called the Cell Alpha Triphonic Speaker. A mysterious designation to describe a lot of very ambitious technologies and a bold design that normally would makes us suspicious, if it wasn't for the fact that a lot of great names in speaker engineering are involved.
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Merging Technologies Introduces Music Recording Software for Anubis AoIP Network Interface
May 26, 2021 by Joao Martins

Merging Technologies Introduces Music Recording Software for Anubis AoIP Network Interface

As promised, Merging Technologies expanded the software features of its compact AD/DA converter and audio network recording interface Merging+Anubis. Merging calls its approach to application-oriented software sets "Missions". And following the original Monitor Mission, Merging now introduced Music Mission, a complete set of recording and processing features with a fully-featured low latency mixer and many configuration possibilities.
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McIntosh Announces MB20 Class 1 Bluetooth 5 Transceiver with AAC and aptX HD Support
May 24, 2021 by Joao Martins

McIntosh Announces MB20 Class 1 Bluetooth 5 Transceiver with AAC and aptX HD Support

Many high-end audio manufacturers offer embedded technologies in specific products, such as amplifiers and wireless speakers, that users quickly learn become obsolete sooner or later. As a leading brand in prestigious home entertainment and ultimate-quality audio for over 70 years, McIntosh Laboratory understands that some things are better kept separate. The McIntosh MB20 Bluetooth Transceiver was designed in that spirit. It will also be obsolete eventually, but at a suggested retail price of US $500, that's OK.
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Spotify Uses Audio Weaver in Audio Front-End Development for Car Thing
May 20, 2021 by Joao Martins

Spotify Uses Audio Weaver in Audio Front-End Development for Car Thing

Spotify partnered with DSP Concepts to build and deploy the audio front-end (AFE) software for its limited release of Car Thing, a dedicated smart player for the car. Spotify did the development for Car Thing using TalkTo, DSP Concepts’ proprietary AFE that acts as a ‘microphone cleaner’ by combining advanced signal processing techniques to create clean audio signals so Car Thing can detect voice commands regardless of road noise and other in-cabin sound.
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Stenheim Unveils New Reference Ultime Two Speakers
May 18, 2021 by Joao Martins

Stenheim Unveils New Reference Ultime Two Speakers

Stenheim speakers are not for the faint of heart. Designed and built in the best tradition of extreme high-end Swiss audio brands, Stenheim aims to create only musical reference products for the ultimate music enthusiast. The company’s latest design brings the exceptional quality of the brand’s Reference Ultime speakers to smaller spaces and at lower price point of a mere $150,000 USD for the pair.
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Goertek Announces Rox Earbud Reference Design with Support for Qualcomm Snapdragon Sound Technology
May 18, 2021 by Joao Martins

Goertek Announces Rox Earbud Reference Design with Support for Qualcomm Snapdragon Sound Technology

Goertek has unveiled a new earbud reference design to help manufacturers looking to implement Qualcomm Snapdragon Sound technology speed their time to market. Powered by the Qualcomm QCC5141 Bluetooth Audio SoC, the Rox reference design is optimized for use in TWS earbuds and hearables and is designed to deliver high-resolution music, crystal-clear voice calls, and lag-free gaming — with superior connectivity and extended battery life.
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Apple Confirms Lossless Audio and Spatial Audio Are Coming to Apple Music June 2021
May 17, 2021 by Joao Martins

Apple Confirms Lossless Audio and Spatial Audio Are Coming to Apple Music June 2021

Apple announced that Apple Music will be offering Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos tracks, as well as offering its entire catalog in Lossless Audio, at no additional cost for subscribers, starting June 2021. Lossless will use ALAC file format, and support 24-bit/48kHz as standard, with Hi-Res Lossless Audio files available up to 24-bit/192kHz. Apple is even promoting the fact that Hi-Res Lossless will require external equipment, such as a USB digital-to-analog converter (DAC)!
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Morph InfiniConnect Bluetooth Earbuds Support Rapid Switch Between Bluetooth Audio Devices
May 17, 2021 by Joao Martins

Morph InfiniConnect Bluetooth Earbuds Support Rapid Switch Between Bluetooth Audio Devices

Morph Audio announced an interesting concept for true wireless earbuds, focusing on the charging case design and Bluetooth pairing experience. The new Morph InfiniConnect TWS earbuds, which have been successfully crowdfunded - 1600% funded on Kickstarter - allow users to pair with an infinite number of devices, and to seamlessly switch audio connection anytime to any device, across any operating system, via a smart control case.
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Bose Unveils SoundControl FDA-Cleared Direct-to-Consumer Hearing Aids
May 11, 2021 by Joao Martins

Bose Unveils SoundControl FDA-Cleared Direct-to-Consumer Hearing Aids

Bose was the first company to receive an FDA approval for an over-the-counter (OTC) hearing assistance device. The audio industry has been waiting for the actual product announcement. Now, Bose unveiled the SoundControl Hearing Aids, which as the name implies, are actual self-fitting, direct-to-consumer hearing-aids. They can be personalized using a mobile app, but the SoundControl Hearing Aids do not stream music or take calls and they retail for $849.95.
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