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Harman Embedded Audio will showcase premium embedded audio and seamless connectivity innovations at Mobile World Congress 2026, held March 2–5 in Barcelona.

Demonstrations at the Harman Automotive booth (#2D51, Hall 2) highlight integrated hardware and software enabling intuitive, human-centered experiences across connected devices.

HEA emphasizes end-to-end B2B capabilities in audio and voice projects, supporting co-branding opportunities that strengthen product differentiation and brand identity.

Nagra Compact Player is a complete high-end digital source integrating advanced streaming, a built-in DAC, and dual-mono analog outputs for improved channel separation.

Supports high-resolution PCM up to 32-bit/384kHz and DSD256, with meticulous clock architecture, power-supply regulation, and PCB layout minimizing jitter and noise.

Measured performance includes an ultra-low –140dB (A-weighted) noise floor and 14-ohm output impedance, enabling direct connection to amplifiers or active loudspeakers.

YouTube is intensifying ads and anti-adblock measures, pushing users toward paid subscriptions like Premium and the increasingly competitive Premium Lite.

Premium Lite gains two major upgrades: offline video downloads and background playback on smartphones, allowing screen-off audio consumption at €5.99 monthly.

Background playback in Premium Lite excludes music videos, reinforcing YouTube Premium as the only tier offering ad-free music videos and YouTube Music access.

Apple announced its first major 2026 event, branded a "special Apple Experience," scheduled for March 4 in London, New York, and Shanghai.

The most anticipated launch is iPhone 17e, logically timed after the iPhone 16e anniversary on February 19, signaling Apple’s continued mid-cycle smartphone strategy.

Rumored MacBook and iPad updates may introduce next-generation processors and possibly advanced display technologies, marking meaningful performance and efficiency improvements across core product lines.

OpenAI plans to enter consumer hardware with an AI-centric smart speaker, potentially launching around 2027, expanding beyond software like ChatGPT into physical products.

Unlike Amazon Echo or Apple HomePod, OpenAI’s smart speaker reportedly integrates a camera plus microphones, enabling environmental awareness and object-based visual queries.

The device could support face recognition for multi-user personalization and shopping use cases, with an expected price range of 200–300 USD and near-term delivery goals.

Rega AOS MC phono stage borrows heavily from reference Aura MC, delivering a two-stage, pure-analogue moving-coil design without any digital control circuitry.

Circuit uses parallel low-noise FET compound pairs drawing zero cartridge bias current, preserving MC magnetic geometry, with a self-adjusting servo compensating ambient and temperature drift.

Rear-panel DIP switches enable resistance loading from 70Ω–400Ω, capacitance 1000–4300pF, plus a 6dB gain toggle for low-output MC cartridges.

Spotify is developing a feature allowing users to directly influence recommendations by typing notes or comments that shape the Home screen algorithm.

Code found in Spotify app version 9.1.28.385 suggests users can specify preferred genres or artists, addressing limitations of passive listening-based taste profiles.

Currently, Spotify’s algorithm relies on listening history and exclusion options, but cannot actively highlight music users explicitly want recommended.

Acapella Audio Arts transitions leadership to Richard Rudolph, succeeding founders Alfred Rudolph and Hermann Winters after nearly 50 years guiding the hyperspherical horn loudspeaker specialist.

Global distribution shifts to Marc Lindike’s Unbelievable Audio, ending direct factory sales and moving all purchases exclusively through authorized specialist retailers worldwide.

The former Duisburg showroom closes, replaced by the new “Sonic Sanctuary” showroom in Isen near Munich, featuring five listening rooms across roughly 400 square meters.

Oppo Enco Air5 Pro debuts in China as a midrange successor to 2024’s Enco Air4 Pro, priced at 330 yuan (~$48).

Outstanding battery life delivers up to 13 hours per charge without ANC, extending to 54 hours total with the charging case.

Audio upgrades include 12‑mm dynamic drivers with 100% increased amplitude for deeper bass, plus Bluetooth 6.0 and LHDC 5.0 support.

Teufel Reflekt 2 is an upfiring Dolby Atmos-enabled speaker that reflects sound off the ceiling, upgrading existing systems via compatible AV receivers.

Compared to the first generation, Reflekt 2 adds an optimized wall mount, refined design matching the Ultima series, and improved repairability.

Officially certified for Dolby Atmos Enabled, the speakers support multiple placements: upfiring, front-height, rear, or ceiling-mounted configurations.

Cambridge Audio opposes the smart device obsolescence trend by delivering free firmware updates instead of discontinuing features on older Smart Audio products.

The update adds Spotify Connect with Lossless audio, Amazon Music HD, and newly introduced Qobuz Connect to devices up to 12 years old.

Network streamers using StreamMagic platform generations 2 and 3, dating back to 2014, remain fully supported and compatible with current apps.

LG expands its will.i.am xboom lineup with Buds Plus ($179.99) and Buds Lite ($69.99), emphasizing hands-on tuning, balanced sound, and accessible wireless audio pricing.

xboom Buds Plus add premium features including UVnano+ UV‑C hygienic charging case, wireless charging, 3D Spatial Audio, Auracast LE Audio, and built‑in Bluetooth transmitter.

Buds Plus deliver up to 30 hours total battery life (10 hours earbuds, 20 hours case), ANC powered by a six‑mic array, multipoint connectivity, and IPX4 water resistance.

iBasso PB6 Macaw is a flagship portable headphone amplifier delivering vacuum-tube sound quality comparable to desktop systems in a compact, travel-friendly form factor.

The amplifier uses four military-grade JAN6418 vacuum tubes in a fully balanced four-channel architecture for rich, organic tube-driven audio reproduction.

PB6 Macaw offers dual operation modes: tube mode for musical warmth and Class AB transistor mode using four BUF634A op-amps for precision sound.

MSB Technology unveiled The SENTINEL DAC, a handcrafted, build-to-order flagship DAC priced at ¥66.8 million (pre-tax), requiring 5–6 months for completion.

The system uses a no-compromise three-chassis architecture: SENTINEL Digital Director, Analog Converter, and Power Supply, maximizing electrical isolation and performance synergy.

Digital processing is handled by the Digital Director, featuring a large display, intuitive controls, and optical Sentinel-Link fiber transmission with complete left-right channel isolation.

ARTPICAL launches portable DAC/amp “Mondrian” on the 27th, priced around ¥42,000, embodying its “Audible Art” concept blending sound engineering and abstract visual design.

Mondrian features a Mondrian-inspired primary-color grid design and uses an ESS ES9281AC PRO DAC with dual amp chips for high-performance portable audio.

Technical specs include PCM up to 768kHz/32-bit, DSD512 support, MQA full decoding, USB-C input, 4.4mm balanced output, and a three-stage gain BUFF button.

DALI launches the SONIK series on March 3 as the OBERON successor, spanning bookshelf to floorstanders, with prices from ¥90,200 per pair to ¥215,600 per speaker.

All SONIK models use 29mm soft-dome tweeters refined with ultra-low-viscosity magnetic fluid, improving mid–high frequency integration and spatial depth versus OBERON.

Upper floorstanders SONIK 7 and SONIK 9 add a 17×45mm planar ribbon tweeter, forming DALI’s signature hybrid tweeter for higher treble detail and smoothness.

Panasonic introduces the SC-BMAX30 party speaker with 320 W RMS output, designed for powerful indoor and outdoor sound performance.

An integrated battery delivers up to 14 hours of playback, while IPX4 splash resistance ensures reliability during outdoor parties and events.

The speaker uses dual 7-inch woofers, two 2.5-inch tweeters, a bass reflex port, and Bass Boost for enhanced low-frequency impact.

Spotify and Liquid Death unveiled the Eternal Playlist Urn, a portable Bluetooth speaker designed as a cremation urn, blending audio hardware with provocative memorial aesthetics.

The device will be sold exclusively in the United States in a limited run of 150 units, priced at $495 each, emphasizing scarcity and collectible appeal.

Buyers can generate a personalized “Eternal Playlist” by answering creative prompts, with Spotify’s system augmenting responses using individual listening history data.

Sumiko introduces the Oriole MC cartridge, expanding its Reference Series to bridge the gap between the Songbird and flagship Starling models.

Designed and manufactured in Japan, the Oriole is a low-output moving-coil cartridge emphasizing musical coherence over analytical sharpness.

It features a nude Shibata-cut diamond stylus mounted on an aluminum cantilever for deep groove tracing and high-frequency detail retrieval.

The Recording Industry Association of Japan will publish a new “Music Software and Music Distribution Sales Estimate” to comprehensively capture the entire domestic record market.

Unlike existing production and distribution statistics limited to member companies, the new estimate includes non-member sales calculated using member market share ratios.

This methodology aims to provide a unified market indicator covering physical media and digital distribution across Japan’s full music industry.