Are customers still buying CD players? NAD insists that is exactly the case with the C 538, a high-performance CD player the company claims can extract "the very best sound" from the humble compact disc.

The C 538 lies somewhere between the C 568 and C546BEE in the NAD CD player hierarchy. It offers both analogue and digital output, with a Wolfson 24-bit/192kHz DAC feeding coax and optical outputs for connection with a stereo amplifier digital input or external DAC. As well as CDs it handles CD-R/CD-RW discs, allowing users to burn MP3 or WMA files on disc for longer playlists.

Polk Audio is the next company to launch a smart speaker-- the Polk Assist, a speaker using Google Assistant for hands-free control of music and connected smart home devices.

The Polk Assist also features a built-in Chromecast, allowing customers to group multiple Chromecast-enabled speakers and soundbars to create a multiroom setup using compatible audio apps, including Pandora, TuneIn, Google Play Music, iHeartRadio, NPR and Spotify. The Google Home app provides setup and control. Connectivity comes via wifi.

In case you missed them at ISE 2018, Luxi brought over from USA the “world’s thinnest power amps.”

Only 1 inch (2.5 cm) tall, their AMP-902 is a 45W x 2 stereo power amp and their AMP-801 is a 80W mono 70/100V power amp. Each has 4 inputs including a mic input and a balanced line input.

Luxi Electronics Corp is a California-- based manufacturer of audio video products for professional and consumer markets-- and No. 1 HDMI cable supplier in the US market.

Smart speakers remain the fastest-growing CE segment in the world, Canalys reports-- global shipments total 9 million in Q1 2018, an impressive 210% Y-o-Y increase with, in a first, Google taking the top spot.

Google Home and Home Mini shipments reach 3.2m in the quarter. In comparison, 2nd placing Amazon Echo device shipments clock at 2.5m. The behind such growth for the search giant comes through new markets, such as India, where the companies looks into new go-to-market strategies by teaming up with service providers.

Onkyo announces around 30 devices under the Onkyo, Integra and Pioneer brands have the Works with Sonos badge-- allowing customers to connect the devices with Sonos speakers and stream music from the Sonos app.

Products receiving the official designation include network AVRs and stereo receivers. The Works with Sonos certification program certifies the integration meets the Sonos bar for experience, and that products connect seamlessly with the Sonos home audio system.

Interestingly, some Onkyo systems also have Google Assistant support via Google Home-- and Sonos support adds limited Alexa control through pairing with Echo devices.

MSE debuts the OS-440 at InfoComm 2018-- a smart amplifier designed for outdoor use, with IP55 certification ensuring construction is weather- and waterproof.

The OS-440 includes on-board Bluetooth functionality and a wifi direct mode, meaning it can wirelessly connects to an existing network and function as a Google Chromecast device, interface with DLNA servers and provide multi-zone control. In addition, customers can hard-wire a source for analog and digital outputs, allowing it to interface with any existing source or system.