With 2023 already flying by, CE Pro took the opportunity to ask its resident “Audio Guys” what trends they see in the market as we close out the first quarter, in the latest episode of the CE Pro Podcast.
Paul Bochner, owner and president of Electronics Concepts and Professional Audio Consultants, in Rochelle Park, N.J., and Steve Silberman, business development, audio for Savant, agree that to a certain level homeowners tastes have evolved over the past few years. Bochner says his clients have become increasingly focused on how their electronics complement their daily lives.
“We’re getting more into this space of ease of use. That is becoming more of a bigger factor for us. We’ve been doing this [Audio Guys podcast] for almost two years I guess; when COVID first started it was theater, theater, theater, we’re getting more theaters and now at least for me personally, I’m seeing less and less … even in larger homes,” says Bochner.
“I think a lot of people that are coming to us to do projects are not as interested in the quintessential dedicated room. It’s a drastic change from two years ago at this point it was like everybody wanted to upgrade the ones they had or build one out. And now we’re seeing a complete opposite swing. So, I think we’re being driven more to ease of use, hidden systems, right? The more we can hide away, and you know less focus on the you know.”
Silberman sees a similar trend from Savant dealers, and he comments that he is currently updating his home to integrate his family’s electronics systems more discreetly.
‘Audio Guys’ Address Room Correction, Immersive Audio for Music
When the “Audio Guys” transitioned onto another topic that not only has a major impact on performance, but often interior design, Silberman recommends that at the very least integrators should take better advantage of today’s room correction technologies.
“You know in my situation I use Dirac, but I only use it up to 200-300Hz. I just use it to control the bass. I don’t use it across the entire frequency range. There has never been in any room that has perfect bass,” notes Silberman.
“There is no such thing and so, I found that it if you’re listening — If you’re listening to digital and you’re doing high res and you’re not at least giving Dirac a real run open-mindedly and putting some effort into it. It’s not like you just hit the button and Dirac just makes everything magically perfect. It’s still a tool in the hand of the artist.”
Later in the discussion, Bochner and Silberman discuss Sonos’ new Era 300 immersive audio loudspeaker, as well as the company’s announcement that it is bringing Apple Music’s spatial audio content to its platform. The topic of immersive audio led to the “Audio Guys” thoughts on the future of immersive audio like Dolby Atmos music in the home.
To hear the entire conversation, listen to or download the “Audio Guys” edition CE Pro Podcast above. Find past episodes of the CE Pro Podcast by subscribing to the CE Pro YouTube channel or our Apple and Spotify podcast feeds.