Thiel Audio launches the TM3 2-way loudspeaker-- a "new design approach" from the company complete with high-performance proprietary components inside a sleek multi-ply wood enclosure.

“Our ultimate goal for the TM3 was to create a loudspeaker that outperforms competitive products while pleasing the discerning eye of décor-conscious consumers,” the company claims.

The TM3 features superior on and off axis frequency response uniformity, high-power handling and ultra-low distortion levels. The 2-way design uses a proprietary 6.5-inch cast basket woofer with a fibreglass cone and a 1-inch metal dome tweeter pushing 45Hz to 30KHz bandwidth.

American TV and soundbar maker Vizio presents an interesting twist on portable audio at CES 2014-- Smart Audio, wireless music players armed with a touchscreen, quad-core processor and Android to bypass streaming entirely.

Available with 7- and 4.7-inch displays, the Smart Audio players connect to home networks and mobile devices via wifi and Bluetooth but are potentially more usable than competitors such as Jambox and Bose. The inclusion of Android 4.4 provides apps of the Rdio and Spotify variety (from the Google Play app store) as well as playback of music saved on built-in storage.

"After looking very closely at the audio space, VIZIO decided it needed to be disrupted with a combination of our leading audio and smart TV technologies," Vizio claims. "Our new portable smart audio line-up reinvents the category by combining class-leading audio performance with a full touchscreen Android platform, delivering a first-class device capable of streaming music, playing games and watching video directly from the cloud or local storage."

Extron Electronics announces the immediate availability of the MPA 152 Plus, a new quarter-rack wide, stereo integrated mini power amplifier that delivers 15 watts rms per channel, and provides several performance enhancements over the previous MPA 152.

The MPA 152 Plus features a 90 dB signal-to-noise ratio with 0.1% THD+N, offering exceptional performance for speaker systems requiring compact, economical audio amplification.

The MPA 152 Plus is an amplifier with an Extron exclusive, highly efficient, advanced Class D amplifier design. It also features patented CDRS- - Class D Ripple Suppression technology that provides a smooth, clean audio waveform and an improvement in signal fidelity over conventional Class D amplifiers. The high efficiency design generates very little heat and allows the amplifier to be fanless and operate in environments with little or no ventilation.

The global 2013 home audio market (covering wireless speakers, speaker docks, AV receivers, integrated audio systems and soundbars) is set to achieve 10% growth according to Futuresource, making it a "positive force" in the home CE segment.

"As consumers demand more flexibility from their music and audio-- be it through music accessibility, discoverability, sharing their favourite songs or simply wanting a richer experience from their TV-- home audio continues to play a starring role in the Zeitgeist," the analyst says. "This year we're going to see home audio products ship around 60 million units worldwide, with a trade value of $7.3 billion. At a time when many segments of the CE industry seem to be driving with the brakes on, home audio represents an enormous opportunity for manufacturers and retailers alike."

NuVo sets to launch the P3500 player at ISE 2014-- a 3-zone, rack-mount player for the NuVo Wireless Audio System able to simultaneously supply 200W of power per zone.

Installers can combine the P3500 with the P100 and P200 wireless players and the P3100 professional series player to create a constomised audio solution covering up to 16 zones. All players can access network-stored audio libraries and streaming audio services, with control via free iOS and Android mobile device apps.

Fancy headphones maker Beats prepares to take on the likes of Spotify, Pandora and Deezer with Beats Music-- a music streaming service set to launch in the US on January 2014 following internal alpha and beta tests.

Initially supposed to launch sometime during Q3 2013, Beats Music differentiates itself with the promise of curation from actual human beings as well as algorithm-generated recommendations. "It's like having your own guy when you go into the record store, who knows what you like but can also point you down some paths you wouldn't necessarily have encountered," chief creative officer Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor told Rolling Stone last year.

"Essentially, somebody would go through all the things that go through the scientific algorithm curation and call "bullshit,"" an anonymous source adds.