Bluesound Professional Commercial Audio Solutions Powered by BluOS Steal the Show at ISE 2020
At ISE 2020, Lenbrook International offered an extensive showcase of audio solutions for residential applications, now extended significantly also to commercial audio installation thanks to the introduction of a comprehensive range of Bluesound Professional controllers, streamers, amplifiers, and speakers, all leveraging the powerful BluOS streaming software platform. At the Amsterdam show, Bluesound Professional announced the integration with multiple commercially-licensed music streaming services.
New Record for Smart Speakers As Global Sales Reached 146.9 Million in 2019
The global smart speaker market reached a new high in 2019 with sales of 146.9 million units, an increase of 70% on 2018, according to new research from Strategy Analytics. Amazon remained the leading brand with a share of 26.2%, down from 33.7% 2018. Google retained second place with a 20.3% share, also down from 25.9% the previous year. Chinese vendors Baidu, Alibaba and Xiaomi all increased their shares, while Apple remained in sixth place with 4.7%.
Biamp Adds Wireless USB and Content Sharing to Meeting Solutions Portfolio With Purchase of HRT
During ISE 2020, Biamp announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire another company with a product portfolio that expands significantly its offering for meeting rooms and collaboration applications. This time it was Huddle Room Technology (HRT), a company based in Modena, Italy, which adds an innovative family of Huddle Hub wireless USB and content sharing products to its extensive range of meeting room solutions.
Data-Over-Sound Pioneer Chirp Acquired by Sonos
Founded in 2011 and with a very promising trajectory of industry partnerships and growth, Chirp.io, the British data-over-sound company announced that it was acquired by Sonos, the wireless speaker company from Santa Barbara, California. With this new acquisition, that follows closely on other investments in voice- and edge-processing technologies, Sonos shows serious ambitions to expand its connected ecosystem of smart devices into the smart home and beyond.
Bose Professional and Sennheiser Join Forces in Conference Room Applications
During ISE 2020, Sennheiser and Bose Professional announced the Bose ES1 Ceiling Audio Solution, optimized for unified communication platforms. The bundle consists of the Sennheiser TeamConnect Ceiling 2 microphone and three Bose products: the ControlSpace EX-440C conferencing digital signal processor, the EdgeMax EM180 in-ceiling loudspeaker and the PowerSpace P2600A amplifier. The solution ensures a transparent and reliable technology experience with no audio devices on the walls or tabletops, creating a modern-looking meeting room.
Funktion-One Launches its Smallest Ever Loudspeakers at ISE 2020
British speaker manufacturer Funktion-One decided to return to the ISE show for the first time since 2014. And the reason why it did so, was to launch two compact loudspeaker models – the F5 speaker and the SB8 bass unit – designed for the installation market. According to Funktion-One founder, Tony Andrews, “though the F5 and SB8 are small in size, they are capable of the high-performance standards that we demand from all of our loudspeaker innovations.”
CODA Audio Launches N-RAY Ultra-Compact Line Array at ISE 2020
With ISE 2020 in Amsterdam feeling increasingly like the glory days of Prolight+Sound in Frankfurt, companies are even announcing new products that are primary aimed at the live event industry. CODA Audio launched a brand new ultra-compact three-way line array at this year’s ISE show. N-RAY places the benefits of CODA’s flagship AiRAY technology into a shallow, lightweight cabinet perfect for theaters, performing-arts centers and corporate events.
GSMA Announces Decision to Cancel MWC 2020 Show In Barcelona
The GSMA, the promoters of the Mobile World Congress (MWC) annual show in Barcelona just announced the decision to cancel the tradeshow because of concerns with the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. This is a decision with major impact in multiple industries, but one that was almost predictable, given the fact that MWC is traditionally a show dominated by large Chinese exhibitors, which have been all forced to cancel their presence, due to international traveling restrictions.
Røde Releases NT-USB Mini Studio-Quality USB Microphone
The latest innovation from Røde Microphones, the NT-USB Mini is a compact USB microphone that offers studio-quality recording direct to a computer or tablet. Designed with a new high-quality condenser capsule to deliver crystal-clear, professional sound in a powerful yet easy-to-use package, the NT-USB Mini is a perfect microphone for gamers, podcasters, musicians, streamers, business professionals, and more.
Lyngdorf Introduces TDAI-1120 Compact Streaming Integrated Amplifier
The new TDAI-1120 was one of the highlights at the Lyngdorf Audio booth at ISE 2020. The newest member of the TDAI collection, this streaming integrated amplifier is small enough to be easily placed anywhere in the home, while its vast feature set offers a great variety of streaming options. The Lyngdorf TDAI-1120 combines the brand’s latest digital amplification technology and patented RoomPerfect room correction with user-friendly features.