Devialet Introduces Devialet Mania Portable Smart Speaker

Devialet dropped another surprise product, this time with a new compact smart speaker that is also the brand's first custom-designed battery-operated multiroom wireless speaker. Inheriting technology from the unique Devialet Phantom, the new Mania features adaptive cross stereo that generates expansive 360° stereo sound, with a soundstage that morphs and adapts to any physical space. The Mania is Alexa-enabled and powered by four ARM Cortex-A53 1.4Ghz processors.

DSP Concepts announced that TalkTo, its suite of proprietary microphone processing algorithms that use adaptive learning technology to deliver a quiet-room experience in noisy and unpredictable environments, has been qualified by Amazon for Alexa built-in devices using Alexa Voice Service (AVS). This enables more hardware brands to easily build Alexa built-in devices that will perform well even in noisy situations, thanks to TalkTo’s leading sound cancellation technology.

No more yelling at smart speakers. Texas Instruments (TI) introduced a new audio analog-to-digital converter (ADC) capable of capturing clear audio up to four times farther away than competing devices. The new TI Burr-Brown TLV320ADC5140 audio ADC enables far-field voice capture and achieves a 120-dB dynamic range for clear, high-fidelity audio in smart home applications. The TLV320ADC5140 is the industry’s smallest quad-channel audio ADC with this level of performance.

The world’s first MEMS microphone designed for loud environments is here. Vesper, a developer of advanced piezoelectric sensors, has just introduced the VM2020, an ultra-high acoustic overload point (AOP) differential analog output piezoelectric MEMS microphone. This is the first consumer product-ready in mass production, able to work in extremely noisy environments without distortion. The VM2020 is available in a standard form factor and package, such as smart speakers.

Microchip Technology, via its Microsemi Corporation subsidiary, announced that its AcuEdge ZLK38AVS Development Kit for Amazon Alexa Voice Service (AVS) now introduces far-field voice pick up and the flexibility to build devices with multiple mic array configurations. The audio front-end solution with one, two and three mic configurations reduces bill of materials costs while addressing the requirements of small-form-factor designs.

The January 2019 (CES) edition of audioXpress has arrived. Read our Microphone Market Update, addressing the latest cutting-edge microphone technologies, and learn how Zylia created its ZM-1 spherical microphone array. Also in this edition, Joe D’Appolito explains how to address the equalization of closed-box subwoofers, Hans W. Gierlich writes about testing Smart Home Devices, David Logvin reviews the Lepai LP40PA plate amplifier, and George Ntanavaras describes a stereo analog preamplifier DIY project. Oh, and read Erik Owen's unique take on Rocky Mountain Audio Fest (RMAF) 2018.

XMOS' VocalFusion 4-Mic Dev Kit for Amazon Alexa Voice Service (AVS) for far-field applications integrates Infineon’s high SNR MEMS microphones to ensure highest performance and reliability, creating the first Amazon AVS development kit with a linear mic array for far-field applications. The 4-Mic Development Kit features crystal clear voice capturing even in noisy environments. This enables commands to be accurately captured from across the room for processing by the Alexa cloud-based speech recognition system.