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Dirac Appoints Mats Oberg as Chief Sales Officer
by audioXpress Staff

Dirac Appoints Mats Oberg as Chief Sales Officer

Adding to the momentum created by the CES 2020 launch of its new consumer-focused app, which drastically enhances the sound quality of any headphone, and the completion of a new $6-million investment round, Swedish sound processing and optimization pioneer Dirac announced that Agilent veteran Mats Oberg has joined the global leadership team as Chief Sales Officer, reporting to Dirac CEO Mathias Johansson.
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Sony Announces Noise-Cancelling, IP55-Rated, True Wireless WF-SP800N Sport Headphones
by audioXpress Staff

Sony Announces Noise-Cancelling, IP55-Rated, True Wireless WF-SP800N Sport Headphones

Sony Electronics announced the WF-SP800N sport headphones, its newest truly wireless noise canceling model. Designed for an active lifestyle, the WF-SP800N allows users to run, workout at the gym, and enjoy improved music experiences with a secure fit, IP55 rating for water and dust resistance, and long battery life. Based on the same Bluetooth chip from the successful WF-1000XM3, the new WF-SP800N model adds interesting audio processing and personalization feature, with support for 360 Reality Audio.
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Sonos Introduces Arc Premium Smart Soundbar and Updated Sonos Sub and Sonos Five
by audioXpress Staff

Sonos Introduces Arc Premium Smart Soundbar and Updated Sonos Sub and Sonos Five

Sonos introduced Sonos Arc, a premium smart soundbar for home theater with full integration in the Sonos wireless home audio eco-system and support for personal voice assistants. The new large size soundbar builds on Sonos’ experience in designing systems for home theater, with a solution featuring support for Dolby Atmos that is able to process audio according to content type, generating immersive sound and improving dialogue. The Californian company also announced some surprise updates to existing home speakers.
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miniDSP Introduces SHD Power Integrated DSP-Powered Amplifier and New ambiMIK-1 Ambisonic Microphone
by audioXpress Staff

miniDSP Introduces SHD Power Integrated DSP-Powered Amplifier and New ambiMIK-1 Ambisonic Microphone

The creative minds at miniDSP are not stopping, and now that the COVID-19 situation has calmed down in China and production is back, the company is resuming its hectic release schedule and announced two new products available for pre-order on the company's webshop. The first will please anyone involved in spatial audio and content production and is a fully integrated First Order Ambisonic (FOA) microphone. The second will please those still forced to stay at home, and is the SHD Power, a 120W per channel low-distortion power amplifier with Dirac Live room correction.
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Reason Studios Adds AAX Audio Plugin Support for Avid Pro Tools
by audioXpress Staff

Reason Studios Adds AAX Audio Plugin Support for Avid Pro Tools

Reason Studios (former Propellerhead from Stockholm, Sweden) released Reason 11.3, bringing the famed Reason Rack as a native AAX plugin to Avid Pro Tools music software. The announcement was made by Mattias Häggström Gerdt, Reason Product Manager, and underscores the company’s ongoing commitment to the Reason platform of instruments, plugins and music production software.
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Next-Generation AVR DA Microcontroller Family From Microchip Enables Real-Time Control, Connectivity and HMI Applications
by audioXpress Staff

Next-Generation AVR DA Microcontroller Family From Microchip Enables Real-Time Control, Connectivity and HMI Applications

As the Internet of Things (IoT) delivers greater connectivity for industrial and home applications and as connected vehicles enhance cabin and operational features, higher-performance microcontrollers are required for better real-time control as well as to enable enhanced human machine interface applications. Microchip Technology announced its next generation AVR DA family of microcontrollers (MCUs) – its first Functional Safety Ready AVR MCU family with Peripheral Touch Controller (PTC).
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Radial Engineering Introduces HDI Studio-Grade Direct Box and Preamplifier
by audioXpress Staff

Radial Engineering Introduces HDI Studio-Grade Direct Box and Preamplifier

Described as Radial's biggest product announcement in years (certainly since the company's acquisition in January 2018,) the HDI, Radial's new flagship DI Box is now shipping. Shown in prototype form at AES 2019 in NY, and officially announced at NAMM 2020 in January, the HDI is the answer to a question Radial put to in-house engineer "Hutch" Hutchinson: "If you could design any type of DI box you wanted, what would it look and sound like?"
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Swedish Lifestyle Brand Introduces Happy Plugs Air 1 Go Affordable True Wireless Earbuds
by Joao Martins

Swedish Lifestyle Brand Introduces Happy Plugs Air 1 Go Affordable True Wireless Earbuds

How low can you go? That is the question when anyone visits Amazon.com and browses true wireless earbuds that claim to be "AirPods Killers." There's all kinds from unknown brands, some cheaper, some extremely cheap, and more importantly they all claim to have the same features. This is the background for Swedish brand Happy Plugs to announce the release of its fourth generation true wireless headphones, the Happy Plugs Air 1 Go. They're incredibly cheap, they have very basic specifications, and they come in assorted colors, all looking great.
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AMS Neve Introduces 1073OPX 8-Channel Microphone Preamplifier and Recording Interface
by audioXpress Staff

AMS Neve Introduces 1073OPX 8-Channel Microphone Preamplifier and Recording Interface

To mark the 50th anniversary of the legendary Neve 1073 classic microphone preamp, AMS Neve announced the 1073OPX, a brand new Octal Microphone/Line/Instrument Preamplifier that is designed to meet the needs of the modern studio environment. Originally the preamp was used in all channels of the Neve A88 console at Wessex Sound Studios in London. Installed in 1970, the Neve 1073 is one the most admired microphone preamplifier circuits, and also one of the most emulated. Now, AMS Neve created an 8-channel version with optional integration features.
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Lectrosonics Expands Digital Wireless Family with DPR Digital Plug-on Transmitter and DSQD/AES-3 Receiver
by audioXpress Staff

Lectrosonics Expands Digital Wireless Family with DPR Digital Plug-on Transmitter and DSQD/AES-3 Receiver

Lectrosonics introduced the new DPR digital plug-on transmitter and the DSQD/AES-3 receiver. Designed for demanding production applications, the pure digital architecture of the D Squared series enables AES 256-CTR encryption for high level security applications in both the DPR and the DSQD/AES3, meeting FIPS 197 and 140-2 standards. Meanwhile, the New Mexico-based company produced a new video series - Wireless Side Chats - to educate users about digital wireless audio transmission.
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