Knoll introduces a new, small mono version of its Illusion 1 stereo amp, the Illusion M. This 15-watt RMS mono amp is an interesting solution for schools and commercial applications where high quality sound is required in rooms or hallways. It can be directly powered by 12- to 15-volt VDC or with the included 100-240 VAC power adaptor.

Go Knoll Illusion 1 Stereo Amp

The industry consortium that certifies Audio Video Bridging (AVB) products for interoperability, adds four new member companies to their alliance: Bose Corporation, LG, Arrive Systems and Revolabs.

Standing at 55 global members, AVnu Alliance is a consortium of professional AV, automotive, and consumer electronics companies working together to drive certification and interoperability of open AVB standards and to enable interoperable platforms that offer bigger, better, faster, more flexible, and more affordable market solutions.

The Alliance recently announced new AVB educational programs and new partnerships, as well as created the AVnu Alliance Broadcast Advisory Council to advance the broadcast industry's AVB requirements. This, along with the high growth of new members, speaks to the commitment that the Alliance and its members have for the promotion of AVB open standards across consumer, professional and automotive AV electronics.

The AVnu Alliance recently opened its certification testing for AVB-enabled networking bridges and professional audio endpoints at its appointed testing house, the University of New Hampshire InterOperability Laboratory (UNH-IOL). AVnu Certification is available to alliance member companies.

Go The AVnu Alliance and AVB

The Xbox One games/entertainment console might be less than a month old, but that doesn't stop Polk from announcing the N1 Soundbar and 4 Shot Gaming Headphones at E3 2013, both " finely tuned to the new Xbox One experience."

The result of collaboration with Microsoft, the N1 soundbar features 4 custom audio settings designed with the console in mind. The FPS and Racer modes are ideal during gaming, while Cinema and Music modes are self-explanatory.

The N1 will be available from Q3 2013 in black on black and vanilla with contrasting wood.

Parasound expands the Z-Custom half-rack width component family with the Zamp Quattro-- a Class D 4-channel/2-zone power amplifier made with what the company says are Swedish high-grade parts.

It features additional output filtering, low impedance loads and protection from short-circuited speaker wires.

As well as RCA line input jacks the Quattro includes speaker-level inputs to integrate with receivers lacking pre-amp outputs. One can connect Channels 3 and 4 with RCA jacks or to a bus from Zone 1.

Rear-mounted level controls prevent client tampering, while automatic turn on options include a 12-volt and an ultra-sensitive audio trigger.

What do Bowers & Wilkins and Maserati have in common? Not much, other than the 805 Maserati Edition-- a special version of the well regarded 805 Diamond loudspeaker with an Italian sportscar twist.

Supposedly "combining the unbeatable audio performance of B&W and the understated opulence of Maserati," the 805 Maserati Edition features an "exquisite" bird's eye maple veneer, black Maserati leather and the Maserati Trident on the speaker stand.

Otherwise the speaker identical to the 805 Diamond, with a free-mounted 25mm diamond dome tweeter and 165mm Kevlar cone bass/midrange powering a frequency range of -6dB (at 45Hz and 33kHz) and a frequency response of 49Hz-28kHz ±3dB.

The 805 Maserati Edition hits the market by Q3 2013, together with a Maserati-branded version of the B&W P5 headphones.

Go Bowers & Wilkins Maserati Edition

Designed to work with the Crown amplifier, the SnapAV Episode Landscape series speakers include tree-mount, ground-mount and surface-mount designs all compatible with either 70V/100V or 8-ohm distributed audio systems.

A rotary tap switch allows changes between with 3.7, 7.5, 15 and 30W settings.

The speakers are available either individually or as a set of 4 or 6 packaged with the Crown amplifier and burial-grade subwoofer with a 12-inch woofer.

SnapAV says the speakers offer 100-degrees of coverage, allowing one to place each one 7.5-9m apart to blanket an entire space.