All items in category Blogs
Audio Collaborative 2019: Two Key Audio Trends and What to Expect
by Joao Martins

Audio Collaborative 2019: Two Key Audio Trends and What to Expect

Promoted every year by the market research firm Futuresource Consulting, Audio Collaborative 2019 full-day conference on November 7 was invaluable, with Futuresource's leading market analysts and researchers sharing some of the latest stats and trends on the topics in the agenda, combined with great panels and in-between keynotes. This is the third of my reports, originally published in The Audio Voice newsletter.
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ISEAT 2019 - International Symposium on ElectroAcoustic Technologies - A Report from the Center of Global Speaker Manufacturing
by Mike Klasco

ISEAT 2019 - International Symposium on ElectroAcoustic Technologies - A Report from the Center of Global Speaker Manufacturing

Loudspeaker engineers have few choices for professional forums. The Audio Engineering Society (AES) is an outstanding international organization although not entirely focused on speakers. ALTI (formerly ALMA) is loudspeaker-centric but does not have a strong base in China. And although you may not have heard about iSEAT, for most Chinese speaker engineers that is their preferred professional organization. The International Symposium on Electro-Acoustic Technologies (ISEAT), founded in 2007, is held every two years and has successfully conducted six sessions.
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Audio Collaborative 2019: The Professional Loudspeaker Market
by Joao Martins

Audio Collaborative 2019: The Professional Loudspeaker Market

Promoted every year by the market research firm Futuresource Consulting, Audio Collaborative 2019 full-day conference on November 7 was invaluable, with Futuresource's leading market analysts and researchers sharing some of the latest stats and trends on the topics in the agenda, combined with great panels and in-between keynotes. This is the second of my reports, originally published in The Audio Voice newsletter.
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Audio Collaborative 2019: Way Beyond the Trends
by Joao Martins

Audio Collaborative 2019: Way Beyond the Trends

Promoted every year by the market research firm Futuresource Consulting, Audio Collaborative 2019 full-day conference on November 7 was invaluable, with Futuresource's leading market analysts and researchers sharing some of the latest stats and trends on the topics in the agenda, combined with great panels and in-between keynotes. This is the first of my reports, originally published in The Audio Voice newsletter.
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AES 2019 New York Expanded Audio Builders Workshop Program
by Gary Galo

AES 2019 New York Expanded Audio Builders Workshop Program

The Audio Builders Workshop offered an expanded program at the 2019 convention of the Audio Engineering Society, held at the Javits Convention Center in New York City, October 16-19. The culmination of this year's program was a three-hour Build Clinic on the last day of the convention. Owen Curtin and Chris Kincaid ran this session, and attendance far exceeded their expectations. There were more than 40 participants, and each person was required to purchase a kit for the session, which they assembled onsite. Participants were given a choice of three kits, depending on their level of experience - the L2A Passive Preamp, the ABW Metronome, or the S-25 microphone.
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Immersive Music Streaming: A Fistful of Nothing?
by Joao Martins

Immersive Music Streaming: A Fistful of Nothing?

On Tuesday, October 15, in New York, Sony, together with four music streaming services and an important number of music industry partners promoted a press event to announce the new 360 Reality Audio music ecosystem. This follows the presentations made early at CES 2019 and a repeat of the demonstrations at IFA 2019 in Berlin. At this event, Sony announced the upcoming commercial availability of 360 Reality Audio, an immersive audio experience utilizing object-based spatial audio technology.
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True Wireless Designs: A Case of Loose-Fit Earbuds
by Joao Martins

True Wireless Designs: A Case of Loose-Fit Earbuds

When both Amazon and Microsoft promoted their own designs and vision for the true wireless earbuds category, what I found most interesting about Microsoft's Surface Earbuds was the design itself. Yes, they have that big round surface that will confer a distinct "iconic" look to the user - just like the AirPods do in a different way - but inside they also use the loose-fit design that Apple adopted since the EarPods (and which Bose pioneered). Just like Apple's design, they do not go inside the ear and do not completely block the ear canal.
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CEDIA 2019 Show Report: Residential Integration in the Age of the Connected Home
by Joao Martins

CEDIA 2019 Show Report: Residential Integration in the Age of the Connected Home

While I visited the exhibits at the excellent Colorado Convention Center during the 2019 CEDIA Expo in Denver, I was frequently asked about my impressions of the show - but often it was as if people were asking me to validate their own negative impressions - because "this industry has seen better days...", and "the show is smaller than ever." I saw the show in a different perspective, which I will address in this report.
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In Perspective: Amazon Lossless Audio Streaming Option with Amazon Music HD
by Joao Martins

In Perspective: Amazon Lossless Audio Streaming Option with Amazon Music HD

Amazon announced the launch of Amazon Music HD, a new tier of "higher quality" lossless streaming, promising "more than 50 million songs in High Definition," and "millions of songs in Ultra High Definition," a designation akin to TV services that Amazon thinks consumers will understand better than High Resolution Audio (HRA). The first tier of the service "High Definition" is in fact a CD-quality FLAC lossless streaming, while the "Ultra HD" tier defines FLAC streaming of 24-bit and a sample rate up to 192 kHz, or HRA.
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Rocky Mountain Audio Fest 2019: It Was Fun, But It’s Complicated…
by Joao Martins

Rocky Mountain Audio Fest 2019: It Was Fun, But It’s Complicated…

Yes, it was strange to fly to Denver, CO so early in September while most of the industry was on the way to Berlin, Germany for another edition of the International Funkausstellung (IFA), the gigantic consumer electronics and appliance show, which rivals CES in visitor numbers. But the fact is, I don’t regret it in the least. Since the 2019 edition of the Rocky Mountain International Audio Fest (RMAF) changed dates to September 6-8, and the CEDIA Expo takes place shortly after also in Denver, it was a great incentive to opt for Colorado instead.
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