Audio Video News

I attended CES 2020 — probably my last as it seems that Specialty Audio, once the show’s raison d’etre, is really no longer a part of it, at least in any significant way. There are many views as to why this is. Some blame the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), but as a participant in this annual event (once bi-annual) since the early 70s, I feel strongly that the CTA and its CES did not abandon Specialty Audio. Quite the opposite: Specialty Audio abandoned the CES.

Amid the hustle and bustle of CES 2020, China-based headphone specialist 1More announced that it’s getting ready to ship a new $200 set of wireless, active noise canceling (ANC) earphones at the end of the month.

JVC is revisiting the high-end headphone category in the U.S. with two upscale in-ear models, one featuring a stainless-steel housing, the other a unique wood-cone driver and housing.

GoldenEar Technology, the highly-regarded speaker company founded by audio industry icon Sandy Gross, has been acquired by The Quest Group, the California-based owner of AudioQuest brand cables, Niagara power products, and the popular DragonFly line of digital-to-analog converters (DACs).

The editors of Sound & Vision would like to extend a heart-felt Happy New Year to everyone as we get ready to ring in a new decade while taking stock of our Top Picks for the month of December, which produced a handful of AV gems that may have gotten lost during the 2019 holiday shuffle. Among them, a thoroughly modern take on the classic stereo receiver, a killer all-in-one wireless music system, and a unique product that gives enthusiasts a simple way to migrate treasured music and 4K movie discs to a rich digital environment with a user-friendly interface. May 2020 be prosperous and filled with the latest and greatest AV technology has to offer!

Amina Technologies, the U.K.-based maker of “invisible architectural speakers,” say it has updated the performance and installation flexibility of its sound panels, which use exciters integrated in aluminium honeycomb or composite soundboards to radiate sound.