KRK Launches ROKIT Generation Five Studio Monitors

For over three decades, KRK has been one the most affordable and consistent choices for home and project studio monitoring, not surprisingly, making it the #1 selling monitor in the world since its inception. And one of the brand's most affordable series is the ROKIT, which KRK now evolves with new Generation Five models, featuring three new voicing modes, a new LCD display on the rear for configuration, and an enhanced tweeter design, matched to the same familiar woven Kevlar aramid fiber cone woofers.

British loudspeaker company Bowers & Wilkins, famed for bringing its knowledge and acoustic experience to the automotive industry, has extended its successful partnership with BMW, with the launch of the iX, the new luxury electric SAV from BMW. The Bowers & Wilkins Diamond Surround Sound System is now fitted in the iX, delivering what the Brande defines as "the most advanced sound quality found in a car." The iX goes on sale in Spring 2022.

Focal is adding a bookshelf model and a center speaker to the Aria K2 family, allowing for a range of thrilling hi-fi and home cinema set-ups, alongside the Aria K2 936 floorstanding speaker launched in 2020. Aria K2 is a special edition of the original high-performance Aria 900 range, first launched by Focal in 2013. The new Aria K2 906 and Aria K2 Center join the Aria K2 936 in offering an exceptional listening experience, enabled by range of Focal innovations, including a next-generation K2 cone.

Sony introduced the Mobile ES car speaker and subwoofer range, including five new drivers, which the company believes will set a new standard for in-car entertainment. Developed with various technical updates, the Sony Mobile ES range includes four coaxial designs and one new subwoofer driver, all featuring newly optimized speaker diaphragm materials and ready to support High-Resolution Audio source material.

Since 2013, Focal Aria has been a leading loudspeaker range for the French brand. With its natural flax cone and sleek style, Aria marked a decisive point in Focal’s history. And the story continues. As part of its process of constant renewal, Focal engineers and designers have revamped the Aria 936 flagship model to present the new Aria K2 936, featuring an updated version of the iconic K2 cone - used in JMLab Vega and Antea high-fidelity speakers since 1986 - combined with an Ash Grey exclusive finish.

This Voice Coil Focus article explores the fabrication, materials, and performance aspects of speaker cones, a critical component in driver design. With the author's extensive experience in dealing with innovative speaker designs and bringing concepts into production, the article explains vital aspects of both paper pulp cone fabrication and polypropylene cones, addressing even the lesser known aspects, such as software simulation programs used to model results before starting tooling. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, February 2020.

Pioneer Electronics (USA) introduced several new high performance automotive loudspeakers, all using advanced designs and materials. The new Z series of speakers and subwoofers and the next generation D series speakers and subwoofers, have been engineered to reproduce music with premium sound quality, respond to hi-res audio increased dynamics, and take full advantage of unique concepts and proprietary advanced technology, benefiting from Pioneer's decades of automotive loudspeaker design theory and testing ability.

Thonet & Vander, the innovative German consumer audio company, is adding their flagship high-end Kugel and Koloss active Bluetooth speakers to their product selection now available to U.S. consumers. These affordable speakers make a clever use of digital processing to optimize playback.

There are many subtle ways a speaker designer can use the collar to “tune” the speaker-design for optimum response, added strength, increased thermal tolerance, better assembly fit, and more. Many materials are available for use as a collar but a careful understanding of the physical properties of these materials is required for optimum selection. Originally published by Voice Coil, May 2012.