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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
PSI Audio Updates Flagship Three-Way A25-M Studio Monitors for 2021
February 4, 2021 by Joao Martins

PSI Audio Updates Flagship Three-Way A25-M Studio Monitors for 2021

Swiss manufacturer PSI Audio announced a new version of its flagship three-way speaker A25-M for 2021. Following on the improvements announced in 2019 with the flow guide introduced in the A23-M monitor, and a larger, more powerful woofer engine, the A25-M boasts an entirely new midrange driver. The Extended Dome Driver (EXD) combines a larger dome and new cone formula, effectively offering the best of both worlds in the process. The new driver system is still mounted to a rotatable baffle to enable vertical or horizontal speaker placement at optimum dispersion.
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Devialet Introduces Improved Phantom I All-in-One Speaker
February 4, 2021 by Joao Martins

Devialet Introduces Improved Phantom I All-in-One Speaker

Since its release, Devialet’s flagship compact speaker Phantom established a new reference in home audio. By combining a radical design with a series of innovative, proprietary technologies, Phantom consistently shattered expectations in terms of sound reproduction, while establishing a whole new business model for the French brand. Now, for 2021, Devialet updated the original Phantom with a new audio processing SoC, new matte finishes, and all the latest wireless audio technologies.
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Soundboks Introduces New and Improved Gigantic Soundboks Bluetooth Speaker
February 4, 2021 by Joao Martins

Soundboks Introduces New and Improved Gigantic Soundboks Bluetooth Speaker

When Soundboks introduced its "Bluetooth-speaker-for-parties" that looked like a Peavey guitar speaker, we couldn't stop laughing. Particularly at the suggestion that this would be a "portable" solution, loaded with battery-packs the size of a car battery (and as heavy) - the promotional images showed a guy carrying the "thing" on a backpack while riding a bicycle, and another one hiking through a mountain! Five years later, the Danish company has the last laugh with 50,000 units sold and introducing it's third-generation Soundboks speaker.
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Roon Labs Previews New Roon 1.8 Unified Music Experience
February 3, 2021 by Joao Martins

Roon Labs Previews New Roon 1.8 Unified Music Experience

Roon Labs is teasing existing and potential new users with its upcoming Roon 1.8 software, the front-end for its unique and powerful music aggregation platform. Designed from early stages to transform the digital music ecosystem, Roon always focused on the interface of its software and the almost tactile experience of selecting, discovering and enjoying music. Now, Roon is ready to introduce a new look and feel, that refines the user experience, improves search, and much more.
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Daniel Weiss Awarded 2021 Technical Grammy
February 1, 2021 by Joao Martins

Daniel Weiss Awarded 2021 Technical Grammy

The Recording Academy announced its annual 2021 Special Merit Awards Honorees that include artists Selena, Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five, Talking Heads, Lionel Hampton, Marilyn Horne, Salt-N-Pepa and more, and also names Daniel Weiss, the founder of Weiss Engineering as this year's Technical Grammy Award recipient. Daniel Weiss, will be recognized at the 2021 Grammys ceremony, scheduled to be streamed in March.
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Michael von Keitz Acquires 100% Ownership of VUE Audiotechnik
January 29, 2021 by Joao Martins

Michael von Keitz Acquires 100% Ownership of VUE Audiotechnik

Michael von Keitz, the veteran international pro-audio entrepreneur, has acquired 100% ownership of VUE Audiotechnik, the company he co-founded in 2012, with Ken Berger, Jim Sides, and Mike Adams and which experienced fast growth since its inception. Michael von Keitz is the owner of Speaker Trade in Solingen, Germany, the group that combines also the brands SE Audiotechnik and Mivoc, with offices in Germany, Singapore, and its own manufacturing facilities, Speaker Electronic (SE) in China.
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Best Kept Secrets: The Continuous Search for Reference Speakers
January 28, 2021 by Joao Martins

Best Kept Secrets: The Continuous Search for Reference Speakers

I frequently learn about new products from brands large and small, which sometimes remain unnoticed for multiple reasons (and I don't mean by the press) regardless of how innovative they are. That's a topic in itself to be addressed in a separate editorial one of these days... This week, I spent some time looking at a few speakers that I think deserve a spotlight. Please note that I have not heard those speakers. I just think they are interesting products that deserve a mention.
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Qualcomm and Amazon Deepen Strategic Engagement with the Pre-Integration of Alexa Custom Assistant with Snapdragon Automotive Cockpit Platform
January 27, 2021 by Joao Martins

Qualcomm and Amazon Deepen Strategic Engagement with the Pre-Integration of Alexa Custom Assistant with Snapdragon Automotive Cockpit Platform

Qualcomm Technologies and Amazon announced new joint efforts to pre-integrate the Alexa Custom Assistant with the Qualcomm Snapdragon Automotive Cockpit Platforms - the new-generation of automotive-optimized SoCs from Qualcomm. This new system is designed to support automotive OEMs and Tier-1 suppliers to build customizable, in-vehicle intelligent assistants and is offered as an extension module to the Alexa Automotive Software Development Kit (SDK).
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Signia Breaks Barriers With Active Pro Earbud-Style Hearing Aids
January 26, 2021 by Joao Martins

Signia Breaks Barriers With Active Pro Earbud-Style Hearing Aids

It's not only the technology that is evolving much faster in consumer true wireless earbuds. It's also consumer's perception of what these products can do and its widespread appeal. Understanding that hearing aids could greatly benefit from that form-factor to surpass existing stigmas, WS Audiology's hearing-aid brand Signia is targeting a new generation of users with its Signia Active Pro earbud-style hearing aids that also offer high-tech audiological benefits.
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OSTF Labs vMic Contact Microphone Improves Voice Capture
January 21, 2021 by Joao Martins

OSTF Labs vMic Contact Microphone Improves Voice Capture

Leveraging the expertise of its co-founders, OSTF Labs is a highly regarded research organization in the field of intelligent electronic systems with successful product applications. Their latest announcement, vMic, is a noise-free surface vibration microphone that senses speaking vibrations through contact with the skin near the throat. The solution was promoted at the Taiwan Tech Arena (TTA) at Eureka Park during CES 2021 as part of the 100 featured Taiwanese startups.
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