Tag: sound systems

HP goes Bang. And Olufsen

HPHewlett Packard has decided to strike a deal with Bang & Olufsen to bring its sound systems to its PCs, to its tablets, and to its accessories.

Under the deal, HP said it will custom tune every notebook, desktop and tablet it sells for “precise sound”. Bang & Olufsen kit won’t be in all of the machines it sells, however.

The company said it will create what it describes as a “dedicated audio island” which isolates the sound system from other signals on motherboards. The headphone jack also has a limited amount of metal parts to cut down ground noise.

HP will provide an audio control pane to let people either choose from optimised presets or manually tune the sound.

The first systems with the B&O tech will be available in spring on its Spectre, Omen, Envy and other PCs. The B&O Play brand will be incorporated into HP Pavilion PCs, tablets and some audio accessories.

Sound systems face wireless revolution

Screen Shot 2015-03-11 at 14.24.31Home audio systems are undergoing a sea change because of the popularity of mobile phones, according to a report from IHS Technology.

The analysts said that shipments of connected audio products – that includes wireless speakers, wireless sounders and connected AV receivers will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 88 percent.

In unit terms, that’s a rise from 1.5 million units in 2010 to close to 66 million units in 2016.

Paul Erickson, a senior analyst at IHS, said that its penetration of tablets and smartphones and streaming services including Spotify that are creating a shift in peoples’ perception.

“Consumers are seeking ways to wireless play audio from their mobile devices on speakers in the room they’re in, in multiple rooms in a household, and on speakers carried with the. This need will drive strong global growth in wi-fi and Bluetoosh connected speakers over the next few years,” he said.

Major players in the market will include Samsung, LG, Sony, Bose, Denon, and DTS.

And while prices for connected multi-room speakers are high, they will still be adopted by many people. Sony, Samsung and LG are all expected to put serious marketing bucks into the equation.