Audio Collaborative 2018: Live Sound, Pro Audio, Artists, and the Audio Industry

For the fifth consecutive year, market research firm Futuresource Consulting promoted its Audio Collaborative conference, a highly successful event dedicated to the latest audio trends. This year, Audio Collaborative 2018 was an all-day event, held in London, UK, on November 8, 2018. In this article I look at another two of the sessions, the panels discussing live and touring trends, and how the pro audio industry can leverage opportunities in the consumer space; and try to summarize some key content, and maybe add some context and perspective.

Market research firm Futuresource Consulting promoted its highly successful Audio Collaborative conference dedicated to latest audio industry trends. During this all-day event, held in London, UK, on November 8, 2018, Futuresource's Principal Consultant, Jack Wetherill presented "Key Trends and Drivers in the Consumer Audio Hardware Market," a summary of the company's latest market research on Consumer Audio. Consumer audio hardware is making a comeback and poised for a period of rapid growth, was the key message.

The German Fraunhofer Institute for Digital Media Technology IDMT, in Oldenburg, Germany, has compared the speech intelligibility and sound quality of a Samsung smart TV and a Samsung soundbar. The results show that using the soundbar considerably reduces listening effort in comparison to using only the TV set. 15 adults aged between 25 and 55 were invited to the Fraunhofer IDMT’s Sound Technologies Lab (STL) in Oldenburg for the study.

Home theater quality audio from a smartphone? Yes, it is possible to have an almost fully immersive experience, even from the limited speakers of a smartphone. Add a slightly better speaker, and the experience can be truly amazing, thanks to the Dirac Panorama Sound technology from audio signal processing experts Dirac Research. And now there is a commercial implementation of this mobile surround sound solution, integrated in the JBL Soundboost 2 speaker cover exclusively for Motorola moto z smartphones.

Qualcomm released its 2017 State of Play report. The report based on a survey of 4,000 adult smartphone users in the US and UK conducted by OnePoll, Ltd., helps identify current consumer attitudes and purchase drivers for wireless headphones and speakers. This annual report highlights consumer demand for convenience and quality from personal audio devices.

Now in its 8th year AXPONA (Audio Expo North America) continues to entice audiophiles, music lovers, musicians and seasoned audio experts looking to enhance their Listening Room, Media Room, and Office with the latest technology from stereo systems, home audio speakers, headphones, turntables and much more. The show, which returns to the Westin Hotel in Rosemont, April 21-23, will feature 400 exhibitors and offers attendees the enviable opportunity to touch, test, and shop the newest gadgets in high-end consumer audio products.