By now, you may have heard that Savant has acquired Racepoint Energy, LLC, which will now operate as Savant Power. In another post, I discuss this acquisition in a little more detail and interview Savant Power President Anna Demeo. Demeo is incredibly smart and because of this, it was one of my more challenging interviews – let’s just say you don’t want to take her on in a game of Scrabble. This is a big move by Savant and if you don’t look closely, you may miss the importance of what it potentially represents – a significant disruption of the power segment.
Tech Trends
Savant Power Play, Connecting Integrators to Power
Strata-gee Interviews Savant Power President Anna Demeo
Last week, Savant Systems, Inc. announced that it had acquired Racepoint Energy, LLC, a provider of innovative power solutions. What many people did not know was that Racepoint Energy was another venture launched by Savant CEO Bob Madonna, and was originally intended to be a freestanding solution – primarily targeted for commercial, industrial, and utility markets.
But then the world changed and it made sense for Savant to bring it under their residential automation brand.
See my interview with Savant Power President Anna Demeo…
[Read more…] about Savant Power Play, Connecting Integrators to PowerMQA – Voices Arise in Harmony with a Video Critique from ‘GoldenSound’
Part 2 – We Go Deep into the World of Those Opposed to MQA & Bill Leebens Speaks with GoldenSound
STRATA-GEE: This is the second installment of our series on the controversy engulfing MQA, conducted in partnership with guest poster Bill Leebens. In this post, you will learn more about those who are critical of MQA, with some going on the record for the first time for this story. MQA has been controversial almost from the beginning – with an intense opposition that ebbs and flows over time. But as we told you in our introductory installment (see MQA Controversy – A True Audio Breakthrough? Or a Marketing Scam?), a recent YouTube video critique from an audiophile not involved in the audio industry, has spurred a huge resurgence of interest (that video had over 267,000 views!), in part because of the perhaps naive but seemingly earnest reasonableness of “GoldenSound” and the heavy-handed backslap from MQA.
Learn more on why some oppose MQA
[Read more…] about MQA – Voices Arise in Harmony with a Video Critique from ‘GoldenSound’Bowers & Wilkins Launches All-New True Wireless Earbuds; Yep, They Went There
Bowers & Wilkins continues to forge new paths through the audio jungle, bringing along their trunks full of high-end ethic and high-performance sensibility to help civilize the undisciplined hoards of audio mediocrity. Now part of the Sound United family of brands, B&W hasn’t skipped a beat as they continue to address both new products and new product segments as first revealed to the press seven months ago.
Yesterday, the company launched a pair of true wireless earbuds that completely embody the company’s unique bespoke design style in both industrial design and technological innovation – meet the PI7 & PI5.
See Bowers & Wilkins new PI7 & PI5 earbuds…
[Read more…] about Bowers & Wilkins Launches All-New True Wireless Earbuds; Yep, They Went ThereTop AudioControl AVRs and Pre/Pros are Now Certified Roon Ready
AudioControl announced this week that their top-rated X-Series audio/video receivers and preamp/processors are now certified to be Roon Ready. What this means is that these models can auto-discover and connect to Roon without any user or integrator involvement with advanced configuration steps.
See more on AudioControl and Roon…
[Read more…] about Top AudioControl AVRs and Pre/Pros are Now Certified Roon ReadyBowers & Wilkins Launches 16-Ch. Distribution Amplifier
Yep, you read that right. Bowers & Wilkins (B&W) today announced that they have launched an impressive looking 16-channel distribution amplifier aimed at the custom integration channel. Long deemed by many to be the king of Hi-Fi stereo sound, the company is making a power move into a decidedly integrator mainstay category. So say “Welcome” to the new CDA-16…
Learn about the Bowers & Wilkins CDA-16
[Read more…] about Bowers & Wilkins Launches 16-Ch. Distribution AmplifierGlobal Chip Shortage Forces Cuts to iPhone Production
Foxconn, a Taiwanese company said to be the world’s largest contract manufacturer of electronics and Apple’s biggest supplier, announced on Tuesday that due to the global shortage of semiconductors they have been forced to reduce production of iPhones. It was a surprising admission of just how extensive the chip shortage has become – that it is impacting Apple, one of the biggest companies in the world with virtually unparalleled buying power.
See more on chip shortage impacting iPhones…
[Read more…] about Global Chip Shortage Forces Cuts to iPhone ProductionDigital Audio Consumption Grows, Even in a Pandemic
In new data from eMarketer, we learn that digital audio continues to grow even in the wake of a global pandemic. And by grow, they mean that the time users spend listening to this type of content continues to increase. Early in the pandemic, this didn’t necessarily look like it would be the case, as homebound consumers turned to traditional TV or social media (or both) leading many researchers to suggest digital audio would lose some ground.
See what happened with digital audio during the pandemic…
[Read more…] about Digital Audio Consumption Grows, Even in a PandemicCrestron Partners with Origin on New Audio Line
When two power players decide to create something new together, the result could potentially shake the earth and be felt by all in the industry – especially by their competitors. Such was the first thought that came to mind when I learned that Crestron Electronics and Origin Acoustics – one, a home automation and integrated systems Jedi Master…and the other, a leading brand in premium architectural audio solutions – came together to create a new line of residential audio products under the Crestron brand.
Learn more about this Crestron/Origin partnership…
[Read more…] about Crestron Partners with Origin on New Audio LineVanco Feels the Need, the Need for Speed, in New HDMI 2.1 Cable Line
Vanco continues to impress me with their wide assortment of solution products needed and used by integrators every day. But they aren’t just an outlet for useful tools and gadgets – they also know how to push the envelope in core product performance. No better example of that exists than their latest announcement of the launch of a new line of Ultra High Speed HDMI 2.1 cables.
These cables aren’t just fast…they are certified fast by HDMI themselves.