European Custom Installer

Sonos might be looking to reduce dependence on 3rd party voice assistants with the acquisition of Snips, a Paris-based developer of an AI voice platform for connected devices. The cost? $37.5 million.

Founded in 2013, the Snips team counts over 50 engineering, machine learning and product development staff. The solution from the company features proprietary technology allowing for voice processing on the device, something it says allows for accuracy, efficiency and privacy while minimising footprint and dependence on the cloud. The voice assistant is also custom-built for specific tasks, and should run alongside other general purpose assistants currently available on the Sonos platform.

Next Level Acoustics announces the Fusion Frame-- a soundbar designed for use with the Samsung Frame TV, featuring a picture-frame bezel, 4.4cm depth and no-gap mounting, the result of proprietary enclosure.

According to the company, the soundbar has an internal air-load management system and proprietary woofer capable of pushing deep natural bass from a shallow cabinet. Inside are a 1-inch soft dome tweeter from audiophile Danish driver maker Viva, as well as a proprietary crossover using high-grade precision components. A custom ultra-rigid sealed enclosure comprising a CNC-machined MDF and anti-resonant coating ensures the cabinet is vibration-free

Making the soundbar installer-friendly are recessed terminal cups with gold-plated heavy-duty binding-post/banana-jacks and recessed cable management channels for a no-gap mount. Customers can remove the magnetically-attached grille for access to cabinet installation holes to directly attach the bar with the included screws into wall studs or mounting to a wall via anchors.

AudioControl announces a collaboration with Josh.ai bringing control of AudioControl-powered entertainment systems using Josh.ai natural language and privacy-focused voice automation technology.

The integration includes AudioControl product auto-discovery, power toggling, volume and mute control, input switching, single-source to multi-zone routing and multi-source to multi-zone routing. As part of the Josh.ai distributed AV workflow, AudioControl Director Series amplifiers, home theatre Concert AVRs and Meastro preamp/processors will auto-populate within the Josh.ai web portal for configuration once connected to the same network, making setup intuitive for installers.

CEDIA announces the four elected directors to serve on the board for the 2020-2021 term. Melanie Malcolm fills the open EMEA position and Jamie Briesemeister, Bill Skaer and Amanda Wildman fill the open positions for the rest of the world.

The results follow a 41-day voting period for CEDIA members, where they also voted to approve the move of domestication of CEDIA from Illinois to Indiana.

“The collection of skills and experiences our board leadership brings to bear is exceptional and the four elected directors will answer the call,” CEO Tabatha O’Connor says. “As the industry, organisation, and needs of membership continue to evolve, we’re excited to have a board of directors that can respond and take action that moves us to the next level.”

Enclave Audio announces a pair of WiSA-certified wireless multichannel surround speaker systems making part of the CineHome portfolio-- the CineHome II and CineHome PRO, together with the CineHub wireless audio transmitter.

According to the company, the complete 5.1 CineHome system sets up like a soundbar but provides the audio performance of a multichannel surround system. It consists of three wireless front speakers (left, right and centre), two wireless rear speakers (left and right) and a wireless subwoofer. The systems pair and sync automatically to deliver a high-definition audio experience across a 360-degree field of wireless surround by leveraging WiSA technology.