High-performance audio electronics maker Bryston launches its first set of loudspeaker products-- a complete line of loudspeakers designed for both music and home theatre applications.

The line offers 8 floorstanding, centre channel, on-wall, in-wall and subwoofer products, ideal for installations ranging from a 2-channel listening room to a multi-channel home theatre.

The first Bryston product is the Model T, a 52.5-inch tall 3-way loudspeaker available in 3 formats-- standard (with an internal passive crossover network), Signature (with an external passive network using custom-made air-core chokes and Bryston-proprietary film capacitors) and Active (with Bryston 24-bit digital electronic crossover enabling tri-amplification of the system).

Kinetik Labs launches the KISP-E200-LP-- a 200mm (8-inch) speaker the company says ideal for in-ceiling applications demanding maximum performance at a tighter budget.

Mid- and high-range response is identical to the earlier KISP-E160-LP, but bass response sees improvement through a wider (40mm) polypropylene speaker cone.

Meanwhile a centralised pivoting silk dome tweeter allows installers to direct sound where it is needed.

The ultra-low profile circular grille attaches magnetically for easy installation, and is replaceable with a square grille (available for all E160-LP and E200-LP speakers) for an alternate look.

Go Kinetic Labs KISP-E200-LP In-Ceiling Speakers

Harman Kardon launches a wireless addition to the Go + Play speaker and dock family-- the Go + Play Wireless, a portable speaker with Bluetooth connectivity.

Compatible with all Bluetooth-enabled devices, the Go + Play Wireless using Harman's own TrueStream technology to address the effects of Bluetooth compression on sound quality, providing superior audio no matter the application or source the customer uses.

Wired input is also available via 3.5mm jack and USB port.

Two Atlas woofers, two Ridge tweeters and intelligent EQ technology promise a rich sound spectrum over a wide listening area. Power comes through either AC power or x8 type-D alkaline batteries.

The Go + Play Wireless is available in either black or white in a sleek stainless steel device and ships by end March 2013.

Go Harman Kardon Go + Play Wireless

Former SpeakerCraft owner and president Jeremy Burkhardt is unfazed by the non-compete parent company Nortek wants to enforce-- so much so he went ahead and acquired wireless outdoor powered speaker maker SoundCast.

Longtime business parter Jeff Francisco joins CEO Burkhardt as CTO (the same position he held at SpeakerCraft for nearly 24 years) while current SoundCast president Mike Weaver and head of business development Oscar Ciornei retain their respective posts.

“I saw so much opportunity in Soundcast with its amazing products and people that I couldn’t help but join forces just 8 months after my retiring," Burkhardt says. “Soundcast is an innovative, engineering driven company... The unique opportunity lays in the fact that it’s a company with proven cutting-edge wireless, DSP and amplifier technologies with multiple patents under its belt. They've lacked the capital resources to grow the business with more products, marketing and field training initiatives that are necessary for its dealers."

AudioQuest has a proposal to improve on the poor quality audio PC sound cards tend to produce-- the DragonFly, a USB Digital-Audio Converter (DAC) the size of a flash drive.

Designed to feed headphones or speakers (via 3.5mm jack), the DragonFly carries a 24-bit ESS Sabre DAC chip, 2 clocks and the Streamlength asynchronous USB data transfer protocol to ensure optimal, jitter-free digital-to-analog PC audio conversion.

The DAC chip circuitry is direct-coupled through the analog output section, further reducing sonically degrading components in the signal path. A 64-position analog controller carries out volume control instructions, even when one uses the PC media player volume slider.

The DragonFly is compatible with both PCs and Mac media players and handles all audio formats, from MP3 and CD-standard 16-bit/44kHz to native 24-bit/96kHz FLAC and Apple Lossless.

Go AudioQuest DragonFly DAC

Sonos announces an addition to its wireless home theatre speaker range-- the Playbar, a  soundbar packing Sonos music streaming technology in a format fitting current flat screen TVs.

It carries 9 speakers (six 8cm aluminium cone mid-woofers with neodymium magnets and three 2.5cm titanium dome tweeters) inside an all-in-one aluminium and high performance speaker fabric design. Built-in sensors adjust EQ and channel orientation to allow both wall mounted and flat positioning, while control comes through either Sonos app or regular TV remote (via IR receiver and Sonos remote codes).

It connects to TVs via toslink cable and home networks via either ethernet or wifi (requires Sonos Bridge).

Sonos claims the Playbar does not need a subwoofer, although should one want it should pair easily with the Sonos Sub and other Sonos speakers for true 5.1 channel sound.

As well as the Playbar, Sonos has a second announcement-- the Sonos System Software 4.0 update, now with one-touch access to favourite music sources (music library, streaming services and radio stations) on the music menu.

Go Sonos Playbar