John Sciacca

You very rarely see a manufacturer directly comparing one of their products to another manufacturer’s model. This year, Sonance wanted to prove that its new Visual Performance series of loudspeakers are the real deal and that they aren’t afraid of direct comparisons to any competitor. To prove their mettle, Sonance built a wall in their high-performance audio room and directly compared the new VP66 speaker against similarly priced models from Bowers & Wilkins (CWM663) and Revel (W563).

Sonance invented the architectural speaker category in 1983 and this year the company is showing more products - 50 - than ever before. The company launched the Visual Performance series back in 2007 and the aesthetic with micro-bezel and magnetic grille was a real revolution to the in-wall speaker design. This year, Sonance has given the Visual Performance series a radical sonic makeover resulting in in-wall speakers that the company says will sound as good as freestanding speakers.

Sonos, one of the world’s leaders in wireless audio distribution, has many fans, but one product has always been missing from its lineup: a truly portable speaker that could be at home out in the elements. Many people would tote a small Sonos One or larger Play:5 speaker around their homes, plugging it into an outlet near wherever they want to listen, but this was never a perfect solution. The company has finally filled this void with Move, a new battery-powered weatherproof speaker.