All items in category Blogs
AES 2019 International Conference on Headphone Technology: It Should Happen Every Year!
by Nora Wong

AES 2019 International Conference on Headphone Technology: It Should Happen Every Year!

Like the previous conference that was held in 2016 in Aalborg, Denmark, the Audio Engineering Society (AES) Headphone Technology Conference in San Francisco, was a very successful and insightful event for all the participants. The Presidio park venue was also idyllic with the usual crisp waterfront weather. Perhaps too successful, as the event was sold out before it opened.
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Apple Digital Masters: Why Is Everyone Talking About It?
by Joao Martins

Apple Digital Masters: Why Is Everyone Talking About It?

It all started with an article from Billboard that stated: "On Wednesday (August 7) Apple Music announced the launch of Apple Digital Masters, a new initiative by the streaming giant that combines all of its "Mastered for iTunes" offerings into one global catalog. This is the company's first public acknowledgement of the initiative, which it has been quietly unveiling for some time." And suddenly the story was all over the place. But Apple didn't actually announce anything. Or at least, there was no official press release from Apple to be found confirming the story.
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Audio Marketing Refresh: The Humble But Mighty Press Release
by Joao Martins

Audio Marketing Refresh: The Humble But Mighty Press Release

There's so much an audio brand can do in terms of effective promotion (that all important "P" in the marketing mix). And it all starts with the humble but mighty press release. It is amazing how so many "grown-up" people in the audio industry - including many consumer audio, and almost all high-end audio and hi-fi companies - completely ignore what a press release is about, what it is used for, or simply disregard the fact that when they actually "release" a new product, they need to tell the press, which will help tell the world about it.
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Gibson Cleans Up Its Act - Making Good on a Troubled Past
by Joao Martins

Gibson Cleans Up Its Act - Making Good on a Troubled Past

The recent return of Gibson is one of those great case-studies for any marketing professional and a story that I am certain will be taught for years in marketing schools. How to “Clean Up Your Act” and restore the value of a brand that has been on a slow-burning destructive process for decades. Gibson is a legendary company, an American icon, and possibly one of the world's most valuable brands. I mean, it is hard to accept that someone could possible break a valuable business and a valuable brand like Gibson.
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Valve Index Headset - Ultra Near-Field Off-Ear Headphones or Ear-Speakers
by Joao Martins

Valve Index Headset - Ultra Near-Field Off-Ear Headphones or Ear-Speakers

An interesting research was unveiled last week by Valve, an entertainment software and gaming technology company founded in 1996 and based in Bellevue, WA. In 2016, Valve launched SteamVR, a platform for distribution of virtual reality (VR) products, which lead the company to develop its own VR headset - the Valve Index. In the development process leading to the company's new VR headset, Valve has made significant progress not only in the display, lens, and field of view aspect of VR goggles, but also on the aural side. Emily Ridgway, audio researcher at Valve Software, describes the company's take on what they call "off-ear headphones" or "ear-speakers."
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New Shallow Subwoofers from Wavecor: Discussing High-End and Custom Development
by Joao Martins

New Shallow Subwoofers from Wavecor: Discussing High-End and Custom Development

During the High End show in Munich I caught up once again with Wavecor, the expert high-end driver manufacturer, which usually has an important presence at the Munich show. They always have many clients that release finished products using Wavecor drivers at this show. Not that all brands will reveal that they do... We spoke with Allan Isaksen, General Manager and Chairman of Wavecor to learn more about the latest products and the company.
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True Wireless Headphone Bandwagon gets More Crowded, as Brands vie to Challenge Apple
by Futuresource Consulting

True Wireless Headphone Bandwagon gets More Crowded, as Brands vie to Challenge Apple

True wireless headphones sales have enjoyed extraordinary growth in the past year. After a very successful Q4 2018, which saw shipments reach a total equal to the previous three quarters combined, Q1 2019 witnessed year-on-year growth of 223% in units and 188% in revenue. Consumers appear to enjoy the freedom that truly wireless products bring. Although, the continued domination by AirPods does still mean that the market remains a largely Apple phenomenon.
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From Indonesia to The Global Market: SB Acoustics Introduces New Brands
by Joao Martins

From Indonesia to The Global Market: SB Acoustics Introduces New Brands

Sinar Baja has announced a new strategy and new product segment organization for its various brands. SB Acoustics will continue to be its hi-fi driver product range, including Satori for the high-end segment, while the new brand SB Audience will represent its pro sound product line available for the international market, and SB Automotive is now its new car audio product line worldwide. But it gets a bit more complicated... audioXpress spoke with SB Acoustics to learn more about the new branding strategy.
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ALMA, ALTI, and AISE 2019. What Happened in Orlando...
by Joao Martins

ALMA, ALTI, and AISE 2019. What Happened in Orlando...

The annual ALMA International Symposium & Expo (AISE) 2019, took place June 9–10 at the DoubleTree by Hilton at Universal Orlando, just prior to InfoComm 2019. Once again, it was the strongest event ever for anyone in the loudspeaker and electroacoustic development in general. This was the first event since the association decided to move away from Las Vegas and CES, and leverage the opportunities of working closer with the Audiovisual and Integrated Experience Association (AVIXA) and its annual trade show, InfoComm.
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Purifi Audio: A Conversation About Amplifiers and Speakers
by Joao Martins

Purifi Audio: A Conversation About Amplifiers and Speakers

A new Danish audio company, founded by Bruno Putzeys, Lars Risbo, and Peter Lyngdorf was recently announced. The name is Purifi Audio, and as you can guess from the founders involved, the venture promises Class D amplifiers with record-breaking performance "unmatched by amplifiers of any operating class." But the new company will be doing more than amplifiers, since it also revealed a new 6.5" woofer with "magnitudes lower intermodulation distortion across frequency and SPL."
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