Bowers & Wilkins (B&W) announces wireless audio rival to the likes of Sonos-- Formation, a range including a soundbar, two bookshelf speakers, a single speaker, standalone subwoofer and an accessory adding wireless capability to legacy devices.
All components work either separately or in tandem to provide multi-room audio, and promise "high-fidelity performance" with 24-bit/96kHz audio support. The speakers connect with each other using a mesh networking system co-developed by B&W parent company EVA Automation, and the company says it ensures speaker synchronisation clocks at 1 microsecond.
As a streamlined remote, the Harmony Express features the most frequently used entertainment controls, as well as a button for the summoning of the Alexa voice service. It is compatible with "major" cable and satellite TV providers and media streaming services, and should work with TVs, STBs, gaming consoles and sound systems.
Designed to "democratise the home sound system," the SYMFONISK line represents another step in the Ikea move into smart home space. The bookshelf speaker is dubbed KUNGFORS, and is wall-mountable either vertically or horizontally via custom bracket. In addition, one can simply put it on a bookshelf. Users can pair two for stereo separation, and use them as home theatre surrounds with Sonos Beam, Playbar or Playbase.
Like the 200 Pre, the 200 Integrated includes analog bass management for optimal performance with compact satellite speakers and a powered subwoofer. The amplifier stage is the latest design from Pascal, a Danish company with expertise in class D engineering. The result is a slim 1U chassis packing 100W/channel RMS 8 ohms.
The transparent OLED display consists of a wooden frame holding what appears to be a pane of glass. However, once the device is turned on, it transforms into an OLED display. Designed by Scandinavian based designer Daniel Rybakken and Panasonic Design Kyoto, the display features materials such as wood, metal and glass, with the wooden frame hiding all electronic components and housing a lighting element.
Designed for installation in presentation, theatre and gaming spaces, the KD-S2x1X and KD-S4x1X connect multiple video sources to a single display. L/R analog and TOSlink Optical audio de-embed ports allow installers to feed selected source audio into amplifiers, DSPs or soundbars. The switchers also feature auto-sensing with automatic source selection, as well as switching from a newly disconnected source via hot plug detection voltage (when enabled).
