Headphones in the Spotlight

Worldwide shipments of headphones keep on growing year after year and are already one of the top consumer electronics categories. The problem is, with all the excitement, it seems that many companies are not actually doing proper marketing research. Both in mass-market oriented designs and those models targeting high-end users the market is also being flooded with “me too” products.

During his review of the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest 2014, our colleague and audioXpress contributor Oliver A. Masciarotte wrote an amusing sentence: “Many engineers would debate the fact, but consumer electronics (CE) wags the tail of the pro audio dog.” I have often debated this... Exactly whose tail is moving which dog?

Why did Apple destroy the iTunes interface by removing Cover Flow? What makes Spotify successful? Why did Beyoncé's husband bought TIDAL? Why did record stores closed? Why did some folks decide they had enough and went back to vinyl? Will High-Resolution Audio (HRA) make a difference?

As you may have noticed, the ephemeral and ill-defined concept of "resolution" has been on my mind of late. Many consumers and yes, even some audio professionals, conflate bit depth with resolution. In a broad sense, this is understandable but it's sample rate that overshadows word length.

The marketing breakthrough for a new technology is not just about successfully launching another disruptive product. In audio, or any other industry, innovation needs to be supported with clear go-to-market strategies. Sometimes unexpected engineering issues don't work in tandem with the marketing plan after the big product reveal - but really bad is to lose the momentum after all the awards and positive press.

The evidence about how important the Apple Watch is comes from many other recent announcements, including some made at the MWC 2015 in Barcelona. Security, IoT interoperability, wearables, computer vision, communications infrastructure, and ultra-low power connectivity were some of the trends at MWC 2015. It's not by chance that, all those things are effectively combined on the Apple Watch and Apple's current roadmap.

From the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, NV, to the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) Show in Anaheim, CA, we have this unique opportunity to better understand the many sides of the complex audio equation. What did we learn?

As the owner of a standard yellow PonoPlayer, I was catching up on comments over at PonoMusic, and one in particular caught my attention, a note from Allen Farmelo at Farmelo Recording linking to a Tape Op blog entry. Farmelo’s dispatch, The Problem With A-B'ing And Why Neil Young Is Right About Sound Quality, makes several valid points, one of which is that A–B tests are not necessarily that meaningful…

From mobile audio to wireless speakers and headphones, from immersive experiences to high resolution audio, there’s never been so much excitement for new technologies and integration. Crowdfunding platforms are helping promote new concepts that companies would normally never consider promoting for themselves (for multiple reasons).

During the 137th International Audio Engineering Society (AES) Convention in Los Angeles, CA, a session on the Broadcast & Streaming Media Track discussed “Loudness for Streaming and Radio.” Thomas Lund (TC Electronic), an expert and longtime promoter of the loudness standards currently implemented in TV broadcast, chaired the session, which included an interesting angle from Bob Orban (Orban) and Frank Foti (Telos/Omnia).