It could be said that in many ways, there’s never been a better time to be a music fan. Sure, concert tickets are expensive but given that touring is the biggest revenue source for artists, due to the music industry’s current business model, the price of concert tickets shouldn’t shock anyone.
Getting back to why now is a great time to be a music fan. Music lovers can play physical media formats such as vinyl and CDs; music fans can download digital files, and of course music fans have a plethora of streaming services available for their listening pleasures.
There’s also been a renaissance in the development of home audio components. The technology integration market has its solutions, audiophiles have their products; there’s personal audio products and general consumer products, and there’s home theater.
This week’s KMB Communications’ Technology Week in Review for the week of Oct. 12-16 features an emphasis on audio that includes personal audio, vinyl, and the mighty Led Zeppelin. These items come from eCoustics, AV Nirvana, Residential Systems, CE Pro, LinkedIn, and Yahoo.
KMB Communications Technology Week in Review for Oct. 12-16 summary of news:
- Fosi Audio’s DAP Neo Brings Back the iPod Experience for $80 Without the Streaming Distractions (from eCoustics)
- Rega Aims to be a Gateway Drug for Better Vinyl Playback (from AV Nirvana)
- Pangea Audio Releases 25th Anniversary Record Doctor XI Record Cleaning Machine (from Residential Systems)
- Apple’s Fabled Smart Home Collection is Here, Here’s What Integrators Need to Know (from CE Pro)
- Apple, Meta Make Nice to Bring Muse AI to Mac Computers (from LinkedIn)
- Greta Gerwig Reveals Why Led Zeppelin Allowed “Narnia” to be the First Movie to Use “Stairway to Heaven” (from Yahoo)
The Momentum for Home Audio Keeps Rolling
The first item in this week’s KMB Communications Technology Week in Review comes from eCoustics.
The website is reporting the audio company Fosi Audio has introduced its DAP Neo portable audio player. Carrying a retail cost of $80 the product borrows style elements from a certain digital audio player that was developed in Cupertino back in the early 2000s.
eCoustics notes the player incorporates a Cirrus Logic CS43198 DAC and a choice of microSD storage options depending on which version is purchased.
Moving on from personal audio to vinyl, AV Nirvana, posted a story on the new Rega Replay turntable.
In the story it says the British audio manufacturer calls the turntable an “audiophile gateway drug,” and the product is designed to offer users a high level of playback without the setup hassles that are associated with traditional turntables. According to AV Nirvana’s post, setup takes less than a minute with all that is required is to just to mount the tonearm’s counterbalance weight; then connect the turntable to an amp or phono preamplifier, remove the guard on the phono cartridge’s stylus, and turn on power.
U.S. pricing and availability have not been announced, but AV Nirvana did the U.K. conversion to dollars, and it says that figure lands at about $343.
Staying within the vinyl category, Residential Systems has an item on the 25th Anniversary edition Record Doctor vacuum-cleaning machine, the Record Doctor XI from Pangea Audio.
The $600 record cleaner features a bi-directional motor, swing arm and cleaning strip, just like the product it is replacing, but Pangea Audio says the new cleaner operates with less noise.
Residential Systems points out the anniversary edition record cleaner is offered in a choice of carbon-fiber vinyl and high-gloss black finishes.
Closing out the home technology portion of the KMB Communications Technology Week in Review is a post from CE Pro.
Apple’s press release was picked up across the technology market with both consumer and the B2B (business to business) media outlets running the story. In the case of CE Pro, the publication says that after a long wait and countless rumors, Apple finally introduced its smart home products.
The story says that Apple worked with Schneider Electric and LG Electronics to release a series of indoor/outdoor cameras, smart thermostats, temperature sensors, and a video doorbell/door lock.
CE Pro continues by pointing out that Apple also introduced its HomeView smart home hub that incorporates a 7-inch Liquid Retina display. The hub product is said to support customization with each user getting their own home screen with apps and widgets. The speaker part of the hub supports whole-house audio applications, and the hub also includes Siri AI.
One last part of Apple’s overall announcement is the news concerning a new Apple TV 4K. The new Apple TV utilizes the company’s A19 chip with features such as a dedicated AV1 decoder.
Other Technology News
Continuing the Apple news, LinkedIn states that Apple and Meta have made peace to partner on the new Muse Spark Open AI model for new Mac Studio computers.
The post says the issues between the two companies had resulted in a long-running feud, but, as Alexandr Wang said in the LinkedIn post, which cites Axios, “We’re excited for mommy and daddy to be playing nice again.”
Bringing the KMB tech week in review back around to music for the final news item for this week’s roundup, is an item from Yahoo.
The media giant says that Greta Gerwig, the director for the upcoming movie, “Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew,” explained why the legendary band Led Zeppelin allowed their classic song “Stairway to Heaven” to be used for the film.
Yahoo Entertainment says the band has never allowed the iconic song—which has never been released as a single—to be licensed prior to the new “Narnia” movie.
Gerwig says she consulted with Led Zeppelin vocalist and lyricist Robert Plant and guitar player Jimmy Page. The duo she continues, signed off on the use of the song, and she added that Plant and Page are fans of the author C.S. Lewis who wrote the “Narnia” books.
For news on KMB Communications clients, click this link.