Multiroom server maker Mozaex takes on personal audio with BluWavs-- a headphone series the company says is the first to support Blu-ray 7.1 discrete HD Audio.

The headphones ship with what Mozaex calls a "Blender Audio Console." Using PLUSH (Personally Leveled Ultimate Surround Headphones) technology, the console allows users to fine-tune the volume and EQ of the 10 discrete speakers inside the BluWavs headset.

A vibration subwoofer driver has a dedicated bass-booster amplifier and crossover, and Mozaex promises bit rates of up to 27Mbps together with DTS-HD, Master Audio, Dolby TrueHD and LPCM support.

The BluWavs launches in 2 flavours-- the A10 (supports analog inputs) and the AD10 (supports both analog and digital HDMI inputs). Both ship with a single headset (can handle up to x2 headsets with x10 speakers each) and are available in self enclosure or rack-mountable options.

The BluWavs lineup should be available from November 2012.

Go Mozaex

Genelec introduces the SpeakerAngle app for iOS devices, a digital tool which allows anyone to correctly set and match the angling ("toe-in") of both stereo and 7.1 surround sound speakers.

Easy and intuitive to use, SpeakerAngle was co-developed by Genelec and AudioApps (a new mobile apps company) and is compatible with iPhone 4 and later, iPad 2 and later and iPhone Touch 4th Generation and later.

SpeakerAngle is available at the iTunes App Store at a price of just 99 cents.

Go Genelec, see iTunes for the App

Customers prefer convenience to actual ownership when it comes to music, Strategy Analytics reports-- leading to 40% Y-o-Y growth in streaming revenues (reaching $1.1 billion) by 2012.

Meanwhile download revenues will slow down, growing by 8.5% to $3.9bn, making way as streaming becomes "the leading revenue growth engine for the music industry in 2012."

Predictably physical music sales continue declining further-- Strategy Analytics forecasts 2012 packaged music sales will drop by -12.1% to reach $1.9bn. In comparison overall digital (including purchases from mobile devices) spending should reach $1.3bn with 17.8% growth.

The analyst predicts global digital music spending will overtake the physical by 2015-- although some countries (including Sweden, the US and S. Korea) are shifting to digital at a much faster rate.

"Streaming music services such as Spotify and Pandora will be the key growth drivers over the next five years as usage and spending grow rapidly," Strategy Analytics says.

Making streaming services even more attractive is cloud-based storage-- allowing instant, seamless access to one's existing music library via a range of connected devices.

Go Global Digital Music Sales to Top $8.6bn in 2012 (Strategy Analytics)

AV industry veteran and CEDIA founding member Sam Runco joins the Wireless Speaker and Audio Association (WiSA) Advisory Board to support the adoption of wiereless audio technology in the home.

Runco has over 30 years of experience in the industry and is the founder of custom home theatre product and services vendor Runco. He is recipient of the CEDIA Lifetime Achievement Award and an inductee in the Consumer Electronics Hall of Fame.

“WiSA-compliant speakers are the first to provide consumers with a superior quality, interference-free, wireless surround-sound experience while offering interoperability with other WiSA-compliant CE components,” Runco says. “I am looking forward to help guide the implementation, interoperability, and evolution of this exciting wireless home audio technology.”

Knoll claims the audio signal from the WTA-PACK "No-Wire" audio system can travel through most walls and is reliable for up to either 30m (indoors) or 45m (outdoor line of sight).

It uses so-called "Klean Audio Technology" (KAT) and features an analog input, digital transmitter paired with a unique easy to position 25W per channel receiver-amplifier.

The system also offers a line level receiver for instances where amplification is already available.

In addition to audio-only, Knoll also has an HDMI version.

Go Knoll

AudioXperts, the latest venture from Eli Harary (Boston Acoustics, Infinity) shows off a take on TV audio improvement-- the 4TV "audio entertainment console" family.

The 4TV consoles are designed to sit under table-mounted flat panel TVs (similar to the Z-Base systems from ZVox), with smoked glass and aluminium enclosures and a built-in swivel base.

Sound comes through what AudioXperts calls "High Aspect Ratio Transducer" (HART), a suspension and support system allowing the use of a large voice coil for high power handling within a high aspect ratio design.

The systems decode Dolby Digital and DTS formats, handle Bluetooth audio streaming (with the aptX codec) and include a number of listening modes and EQ settings for music and movies.

Two models are available-- the 2112 (2.1 channel virtual surround system) and 5112 (true 5.1 channel system), both with coax, optical, digital, USB and analog inputs.

The 2112 handles up to 200W of amplification through two fabric dome tweeters, four 4.5-inch HART drivers and built-in subwoofer. The 5112 ups the power to 500W RMS with six drivers, three tweeters for L/C/R channels, four more tweeters for dipole surrounds and a separate flat subwoofer with eight 4.5-inch drivers.

Go 4TV Audio Entertainment Consoles