The Pure Jongo multiroom audio series gets 2 additions at CES 2013-- the T640B wireless stereo speaker and the A140B wireless hifi adapter.

The T640B acts is a successor to the S340B and pumps 100W of sound through two 5.25-inch full range drivers with dual-concentric tweeters. Connectivity comes through Bluetooth, wifi or a pair of phono jacks, and the speaker also streams audio from other Jongo products connected to the network.

Mounting comes through either optional stand (allows either landscape or portrait orientation) or bracket accessory kit.

Meanwhile Pure claims the A140B wireless adapter transforms "any audio system into a music streamer." Wireless connectivity comes through wifi and Bluetooth, while extra outputs include optical, coax digital and phono.

A 24-bit DAC (digital to analogue converter) is also built-in.

All Jongo devices come in black or white with black speaker grilles, together with optional user-fit coloured grille packs and clip-on covers in orange, green, mango or white. Both T640B and A140B will be available sometime during H1 2013.

Go Pure Expands Jongo System at CES 2013

"Standards are great. That's why there are so many of them."

There's no area of technology in our industry where this maxim is more accurate than networked AV protocols. CobraNet, Dante, AVB, Ethersound, Ravenna, and more than a dozen others sometimes make it difficult to select the right protocol for the job.

Manufacturers of AV equipment must be even more careful in their selection of protocol(s) to support, because there's a great deal of investment in adopting and implementing a protocol in a networked AV product line.

For this reason, both Attero Tech and Stewart Audio (who share a stand in ISE 2013) chose CobraNet for their first line of networked AV products.

CobraNet is a robust and mature networking technology, with a large installed base and a significant number of manufacturers developing interoperable CobraNet devices.  CobraNet is very cost-effective to implement, and is still a great fit in many small and medium venues.

Over time, however, venues have gotten larger, and include channel counts in excess of the capabilities offered by CobraNet. In addition, as IT and AV networks increasingly share network infrastructure, networked AV approaches that use Layer 3 (rather than Layer 2 approaches like CobraNet) are preferred (and more easily managed) by IT groups. Also important is the ability to continue to use existing Ethernet switch infrastructure, rather than requiring new Ethernet switches alongside new networked audio equipment.

Given the general expansion in networked AV installations, and responding to increasing market demand, Stewart Audio and Attero Tech selected the Dante protocol by Audinate as the clear candidate upon which to base their new lines of networked products.

Dante already has a significant and growing product eco-system from a variety of manufacturers, and--as a Layer 3 protocol that uses standard Ethernet switches-- is very IT friendly.

Left: Attero Tech's  D32 32- Channel Breakout Interface

Attero Tech's first Dante enabled product in its new series is the D32 32-Channel Breakout Interface in 1 RU. With the capability to route 32 different Dante audio flows to each of its analog outputs, the D32 is especially suited for large venues, like stadiums, where many separate outputs drive large racks of amplifiers required for high power multi-driver speaker arrays.

An intuitive front panel user interface allows named Dante audio flows to be easily assigned to analog outputs, output volume to be controlled, and shows the audio signal level of each channel.  Redundant network connections allow seamless failover, and a third network connection gives network access to other equipment in the rack.

The AudioControl stand at CES 2013 houses the Rialto 400-- a compact amplifier with a built-in digital to analog converter (DAC) designed to make digital and streaming audio sources sound the best they can.

It delivers 100W of power per channel into 8 ohms and 200W per channel into 4 ohm loads, and can also be bridged to perform as a mono-block amplifier.

Meanwhile the audiophile-grade built-in Wolfson DAC improves audio quality from digital sources such as iTunes, Sonos, Pandora and Spotify, provide higher quality acoustics with clearer, more accurate analog signals during playback.

Also featured are AudioControl's AccuBASS circuitry, (improves bass response lost in the majority of digital compression schemes) and SMART Signal Sensing input prioritising as on user preference.

The device measures 21cm x 7cm x 14cm and includes a 12v trigger, subwoofer output and headphone jack. Inputs include toslink, coax, line level RCA, 1/8" audio and speaker level inputs for interfacing with source units without line level.

Go Rialto 400 Amplifier/DAC from AudioControl

Bang & Olufsen goes for the more understated look at CES 2013 with the launch of its in-wall speaker package-- the BeoLab 15 two-way satellite speaker duo, the BeoLab 16 subwoofer and the Amplifier 1.

The speakers are designed for in-wall or in-ceiling placement, with a motorised tilt function moving the speakers to a present angle (up to 45 degrees) when switched on.

Each BeoLab 15 speaker has a closed-cabinet design with aluminium construction, and carries a 3/4-inch tweeter and a 3-inch midrange driver. Meanwhile the subwoofer has four 4-inch speaker units mounted in a pair of closed box cabinets.

The rack-mountable Amplifier 1 powers each driver in the active speakers.

Also on show at CES 2013 is B&O's BeoLab 12 wall-hanging and floorstanding speaker family, all powered by ICEpower amplifier technology.

Go B&O BeoLab 15 and 16

Marantz launches a home theatre audio flagship-- the AV8801 preamplifier/processor, complete with technologies from the high-end Reference series.

Proprietary technologies from the company include the over-sized toroidal power supply, High Current Feedback and a copper-plated chassis.

AirPlay connectivity, 11.2 surround sound options, XLR (balanced) and RCA outputs, and Audyssey MultEQ XT32 EQ and Sub EQ HT processing also feature, as well as 4K video capability, 3D pass-through, internet radio station connectivity and XM satellite radio reception.

Ports include x7 HMDI in and x3 HDMI out, all with setup options for multi-zone configurations.

According to Marantz the AV8801 uses 32-bit/192kHz digital-to-analog converters (DACs) across all channels, and decodes WAV, FLAC and ALAC formats.

Also available from the company is the MM8077 7-channel power amplifier, a companion unit to the AV8801 featuring many of the same key features.

Go Introducing the Marantz AV8801 Pre-Amp and MM8077 Power Amp

How does one get around to creating audio as immersive an experience as 3D video? According to University of Southampton, UK, team the answer involves a ball of speakers creating "super-surround-sound system."

Looking like a spherical cage, the system contains 40 loud speakers set at different positions and allows one to "sculpt" a sonic landscape through the positioning of virtual sound sources within the space.

"This type of system can be considered to be analogous to a video hologram," Team leader Filippo Fazi tells New Scientist. "If we can reproduce all the sound that goes through the surface of the sphere we can accurately reproduce what's inside."

One demo of the system involves a concert recording, with different instruments virtually repositioned at different elevations, angles and distances from the centre of the cage.

The next step for the team is scaling down the system for commercial applications-- with perceptual tricks allowing the reduction of the amount of speakers while providing the same sound quality as the 40-speaker array.

Go Giant Ball of Speakers Produces 3D Surround Sound (New Scientist)