U2 might basically be the Apple house band, but the Irish rockers hope to be even more than that-- frontman Bono tells Time the band is working with the company on nothing less than the salvation of music.

But how will the U2-Apple team up save music, exactly? Via the creation of a new digital music format, one "so irresistibly exciting to music fans that it will tempt them again into buying music," at least according to Bono.

Apparently the point is not to help U2-- which is already more than successful enough-- but other, less well known artists who cannot make money from live performances, arguably the only means musicians can make money in the early days of the 21st century.

“Songwriters aren’t touring people,” Bono says. “Cole Porter wouldn’t have sold T-shirts. Cole Porter wasn’t coming to a stadium near you.”

Philips launches the the Fidelio M2L headphones-- the first set from WOOX Innovations featuring a Lighting connector, allowing direct digital connection with iDevices.

The Lightning connector allows the headphones to bypass the internal iPhone DAC in order to play high-resolution 24-bit audio through built-in DAC and amplifier. It also prevents crosstalk and interference during transmission to analog phone cables.

Inside the headphones are 40mm neodymium magnet speaker drivers within a closed-back acoustic architecture promising wide-ranging, noise-isolated audio with dynamic bass.

Harman Kardon launches a "breakthrough" in high-quality streaming audio at IFA 2014-- the Omni 10 and Omni 20 loudspeakers and the Adapt wireless adapter for customers wanting to upgrade their current home stereo systems.

Blackfire Research technology powers the Omni wireless system, while a Harman Kardon app and Bluetooth aptX handle streaming from mobile devices and streaming services. It handles audio streams at up to 24-bit/96kHz.

Customers can set up the Omni 10 and 20 speakers as standalone, in pairs or in fives configurations for an immersive same-room wireless experience.

Meanwhile the Adapt bridges existing hifi equipment with wireless networks. It requires no network cables, as wifi and a mobile device app take care of configuration duties.

Panasonic uses IFA 2014 to announce the return of the iconic Technics audio brand, with its first products in 6 years-- the reference-class R1 and premium-class C700 systems.

Overseeing the brand's return is former Technics audio engineer and well known Japanese jazz pianist Michiko Ogawa. As Ogawa puts it, "[t]hrough the new Technics products we are striving to offer listeners the feeling of ‘rediscovering music’, by helping them to have such uniquely emotionally-engaging experiences-- ones that we seem to have lost.”

According to Panasonic the Technics products are based on what it calls "Technics Definitive Sound," a concept built on "Accurate Digital Technology" (ensures signal transmission with precise phase and gain characteristics), "Noiseless Signal Technology" (reduces noise) and "Emotive Acoustic Technology" (realises a clear sound image with ultra-high bandwidth and high dynamic range).

Version 5.1 on the Sonos speaker firmware makes installation of the company's speakers easier by eliminating the need for the Bridge device or wired connection to a router.

The company describes the speaker setup process as such-- "Start with a Play:1, your smartphone or tablet, and connect to your wifi. Then, simply add your favorite music services like Spotify or Pandora, and start streaming."

Obviously speakers need to be in range of home wifi signals in order to benefit from the simplified setup, meaning a Bridge might still be required for larger and more elaborate setups. Either that or a future Sonos offering called Boost, which promises to provide installers with "enterprise-grade" wireless capabilities once it launches in the coming months.

Teufel suggests an easier-to-install alternative to 5.1 surround systems with the Cinebase-- an audio-equipped TV stand featuring Sonic Emotion Absolute 3D technology for "truly immersive" surround sound.

The Cinebase is 70cm wide, 41cm deep and 11cm, and carries TVs weighing up to 60kg. The enclosure is in real wood, and inside are a 200W amplifier, 4 front-mounted broadband drivers, 2 side-mounted broadband drivers and 2 down-firing bass drivers with a 42Hz low end.

Meanwhile the Sonic Emotion Absolute 3D technology uses wave field synthesis, patented software and an own DSP unit to create a 3-dimensional sound image that retains its spatiality independent of listening position.