European Custom Installer

Dirac announces Dirac Live Bass Control-- a feature for home theatres using machine learning and AI to intelligently co-optimise subwoofers and speakers to deliver consistent and accurate bass throughout an entire room.

Dirac Live Bass Control is the second feature available through the Direac Live room acoustics product. The feature is available in three tiers, namely enabled (for single subwoofer management), limited (for automatic single subwoofer management) and complete (for AI multi-subwoofer management).

Crestron releases an update to the Crestron Home platform-- one bringing fast configuration and deployment for residential installers through the Crestron Home Configurator cloud-based management platform.

Home Configurator allows home automation technicians to pre-configure devices before the hardware arrives or, as the company puts it, the truck even rolls to the project. Installers can pre-configure lighting systems, setup rooms, load schedules, lay out modules and enclosures, configure and engrave keypad buttons, and generate reports, all before arriving to the job site.

Legrand announces a refresh of the Bticino Classe 100 range with a selection of stylish door entry products aimed at a variety of buildings, all featuring standard two-wire installation.

The cost-effective range offers features, including video feedback and smartphone connectivity. Hard keys to answer and hang up make for more positive engagement and ease of use, while the configurable keys allow for personalised, convenient accessibility for every occupant. The handsets light and flash the appropriate buttons when in use, and the 100X model enables users to quickly and easily connect the handsfree unit to smartphones for increased convenience and security.

According to GfK, the current lockdowns have lead to consumers buying of all manner of CE, from PCs and notebooks to TVs and gaming consoles, as Europeans look for means to both work and play during the coronavirus (aka Covid-19) pandemic.

However, one has to keep in mind many stores are closed, and online sales cannot fully offset the "significant" losses in the big 5 European markets-- Great Britain, Germany, France, Spain and Italy. That said, GfK points out consumers are looking for means to cope with life during this "new normal," and retailers and manufacturers need to understand what purchases are preponed and postponed in order to secure the relevant and essential assortment.

In terms of "extraordinary" sales spikes, working from home has driven up sales of monitor (120% Y-o-Y), printers (68% Y-o-Y), notebooks (62% Y-o-Y) and keyboards (61% Y-o-Y) in the 5 major European markets during the 4 weeks starting from 7 March to 5 April 2020 (weeks 11 to 14 of the pandemic). Webcams see the biggest sales growth at 297% Y-o-Y. Meanwhile the stockpiling of groceries has lead to more purchases of freezers and refrigerators. In Great Britain, freezer sales are up by 317% Y-o-Y, and in Germany such sales are up by 185% Y-o-Y. France also sees freezer sales growth of 44% Y-o-Y.

Portable music players are something of a rarity, with S. Korea's Astell & Kern being one of the few companies making such devices-- with the latest being the A&norma SR25, an upgrade on the SR15 launched back in 2018.

The SR25 promises a number of improvements in terms of both hardware and software. Described by the company as a "mass premium" product, it carries two Cirrus Logic 43198 MasterClass DAC in dual-mono configuration like the SR15, and includes 64GB of internal storage (expandable to 1TB via microSD card) with support for DSD256 and 32-bit/384kHz PCM high-resolution audio. Control comes through a 3.6-inch touchscreen, while battery life clocks up to 21 hours on a single charge. Construction is in aluminium, and Astell & Kern says the volume wheel was made using the same machines used for luxury Swiss watches.