CTA Announces Innovation Award Honorees for CES 2018

The Consumer Technology Association (CTA) announced the Best of Innovation Honorees for CES 2018. The Honorees of these prestigious awards were announced during the annual CES Unveiled New York, an invitation-only event featuring the latest innovations and trends and important show announcements leading up to CES. Owned and produced by CTA, CES 2018 is the global stage for innovation and will run Jan. 9-12, 2018, in Las Vegas.

Sound United, parent company to Polk Audio, Definitive Technology, and Polk BOOM, announced it has completed the acquisition of the D+M Group, owner of the Denon, HEOS by Denon, Marantz, and Boston Acoustics brands. The D+M Group is the largest supplier of audio/video receivers worldwide and a leader in wireless multi-room audio. Sound United is the largest supplier of loudspeakers in North America and a leading supplier of sound bars and wireless music systems.

Denon has announced the new AH-D7200 flagship over-ear headphones designed for the most demanding audio enthusiasts, combining innovative technologies and carefully selected materials for the finest in private listening. The new Denon AH-D7200 headphones feature new FreeEdge nano-fiber drive units and real walnut housings, combined with Japanese-developed soft synthetic leather ear-cushions.

An established annual tradition for more than 30 years, the prestigious European Imaging and Sound Association (EISA) Awards, featuring more than 20 products in different audio categories, have been announced. Harman, Bluesound, Bowers & Wilkins, Chord, ELAC, Hegel, Marantz, Naim Audio, Pro-Ject, Sonos, Canton, DALI, Denon, Monitor Audio, Panasonic, Trinnov and Yamaha among the winners in Hi-Fi, mobile and home-theater categories. Winners for 2016-2017 will receive the awards at IFA Berlin 2016.

Consumers are flocking to connected wireless speakers. The popularity of mobile devices and changing consumer habits in media consumption are not only increasing demand for wirelessly connected audio devices, but also rapidly altering the home audio landscape, according to new research from market analytics firm IHS Technology.

This may be from my “word-to-the-wise” department, given the number of Sonos clone products that have proliferated in the market place, but Sonos has filed a lawsuit against D&M Holdings in the state of Delaware over Denon’s HEOS wireless home audio product line. Sonos says D&M Holdings infringes on at least four of its patents.

Denon and Marantz announced a unique upgrade offer to bring three-dimensional audio format Auro-3D to their recently introduced Premium AV Receivers. Expected to be available in December, a firmware upgrade will further enhance the feature set of the highly-acclaimed Denon AVR-X5200W and the AVR-X4100W models and Marantz SR7009 and AV7702 receiver and pre-amp / processor.