INDUSTRY & PRODUCT NEWS

Bluetooth Headset Sales to Grow 12% Over Next Five Years

Strategy Analytics reports that global Bluetooth headset revenue growth will modestly improve in 2016, even as mono headset sales volumes continue a steady decline. Still, global Bluetooth headset sales will grow 12% during the next five years with the stereo category steadily rising. Read More

Sennheiser Completes Fiscal Year 2014 with Record Sales

The Sennheiser Group presented its annual results for fiscal year 2014 and, compared to the previous year, total sales at the audio specialist rose by 44.3 million euros to 634.8 million euros, representing an increase of around 7.5%. Net earnings also increased by 20.4 million euros to a total of 34.7 million euros. Read More

CanJam London 2015, the First Official Head-Fi Event in Europe

North America's premier headphone audio event is coming to the UK for the first time this summer. CanJam London 2015, the first of Head-Fi's official CanJam events to be held in Europe, will take place on August 29 and 30, 2015, bringing together the world's best names in high-quality headphone design. Read More

Focal Announces Sphear In-Ear Headphones

French loudspeaker specialist Focal has already stirred the market with its strong entrance in the headphone category, with consumer and professional models. Now, following two years of development, Focal announces a strong product also in the in-ear category with its new Sphear headphones, designed by Simon Matthews. Read More

NTi Audio Introduces "Locked Run" Mode for XL2 Sound Level Meter

Just turn it on! says NTi Audio. The newly available "Locked Run" mode of operation for the XL2 Sound Level Meter enables untrained personnel to perform sound level measurements according to pre-established parameters. Data recording immediately starts after switching on and continues until the device is turned off. Read More

LaVoce Introduces Two New Ferrite Low Frequency Drivers for Small Enclosures

LaVoce introduced two new ferrite subwoofer drivers intended for the installation market and small enclosures, including a new 10" SSF102.40 shallow-mounting subwoofer with a total mounting depth of less than 4" (10 cm), using a 2.4" voice coil. The 8" SSF082.00L is a new powerful long throw subwoofer with a 2" voice coil. Read More

Music Industry Meets in Nashville for Summer NAMM 2015

The 2015 Summer National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) show is being held in Nashville, TN, from July 9-11. Attendance at Nashville's Music City convention center is expected to increase following its past four-year trend. It's mainly a musical instruments show, but the focus on audio is also growing. Read More

Tectonic Elements New Miniature BMR Speaker Packs Maximum Performance

The Tectonic Elements BMR speaker family has a new petite member, the TEBM35C10-4 BMR driver. The TEBM35C10-4 provides 100-Hz-to-20-kHz frequency response over a 180� dispersion; all within a 52-mm diameter form factor. The BMR is pistonic across its lower and mid frequencies then blends pistonic and resonant mode behavior from 3 kHz to beyond 20 kHz. Read More

Jo�o Martins

Editor-in-Chief

Editor's Desk

For the Loudspeaker Industry

This week I want to invite our Audio Voice readers to check out the Loudspeaker Industry Sourcebook 2015, published by audioXpress and Voice Coil magazines.

The Loudspeaker Industry Sourcebook is both an online directory and a special annual print edition, also available online for free in PDF format. All you have to do is to click here: gotomylis.com.

Feel free to share this address with all your contacts.

The Loudspeaker Industry Sourcebook lists speaker-related companies and their products and services, providing a comprehensive guide throughout the year. The printed issue is updated once a year with the data provided by the companies who have submitted their information. If your company is not included and you feel it should be, that info can be submitted online at any time and it will be quickly validated and uploaded, appearing on next year's edition.

Regularly visit www.audioxpress.com/lis to view the most up-to-date vendor listings.

Apart from the company listings, The Loudspeaker Industry Sourcebook 2015 edition also features multiple articles; market reports and analysis, helping you to better understand the audio industry. This year's edition includes a report on "The State of the Loudspeaker Industry As Seen by the Board of Directors of The Association of Loudspeaker Manufacturing and Acoustics (ALMA) International." We are also honored to feature important article contributions from Alan Trevena (Audio Engineering Society, Chairman of the Technical Committee on Loudspeakers and Headphones), Jack Wetherill (Futuresource Consulting) and Jon McClintock (Director of aptX Sales and Marketing, CSR).

Our appreciation also goes to Morel for being our 2015 Loudspeaker Industry Sourcebook cover sponsor. Morel is celebrating 40 years in business, a remarkable achievement in the ever-evolving audio industry. This year's cover features Morel's new Integra driver line, a great solution for Atmos compatible speaker designs, providing excellent directivity on and off axis, high power handling, and a natural sounding performance.

We also interviewed several renowned audio industry experts and we tried to ask them all the things we thought our readers would like to know. Things like:

Where will loudspeaker innovations be coming from in the next five years - new designs, new materials, or other technologies such as digital signal processing (DSP)?

Where is more innovation coming from - consumer applications, high-end audio, pro audio applications, or installation?

What recent products and innovations impressed them the most?

Should manufacturers upgrade their specifications targeting high-resolution audio (HRA)?

What do they think of wireless audio, wearable technologies, immersive audio and the impact of crowdfunding innovations?

We even asked them what speakers they use most often to listen to music...

Are you curious to read what they said? gotomylis.com.

From the Vault

Musicality and Distortion: A Conversation

By Jan Didden, Dennis Colin, and Jean Hiraga

Three audio experts discuss the role of distortion levels in what we hear. The debate was caused by an article titled "Amplifier Musicality - A Study of Amplifier Harmonic Distortion Spectrum Analysis" by Jean Hiraga, which prompted comments by Jan Didden and Dennis Colin and a subsequent response by Jean Hiraga. The original article appeared in audioXpress March 2004 and the resulting conversation was published in audioXpress October 2005. Read the article online

Voice Coil Spotlight

Vendor Selection:

What Do These

Crazy Americans Want?

By Mike Klasco

Regardless of how well our Asian partners speak English, there is still quite a cultural gap that often brings on gray hair and increases blood pressure to both sides. Mike Klasco discusses the differing perceptions and sensibilities between Western customers and Asian vendors. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, March 2012. Read the Full Article

AX July 2015: Digital Login

Pro, Consumer, Commercial Applications | DIY Audio Projects | Audio Industry News | Audio Show Reports | And More

VC July 2015: Digital Login

audioXpress | Voice Coil | LIS

Advancing the Evolution of Audio Technology

audioxpress features great articles, projects, tips and techniques for producing the best in quality audio. It connects manufacturers and distributors with audio engineers and enthusiasts eager for innovative solutions in sound, acoustic and electronics.

Voice Coil, the periodical for the loudspeaker industry, delivers product reviews, company profiles, industry news, and design tips straight to professional audio engineers and manufacturers who have the authority to make powerful purchasing decisions.

The Loudspeaker Industry Sourcebook is the most comprehensive collection of listings on loudspeaker material in the industry. Purchasers and decision makers refer to the guide for an entire year when making selections on drivers, finished systems, adhesives, domes, crossovers, voice coils, and everything in between.