The Wireless Speaker and Audio (WiSA) Association, an industry group dedicated to bringing high-performance, interoperable, wireless, surround sound audio products to the home theater market, more than doubled its membership in 2013, with accelerating growth in December with the addition of three new members.
Joining the Association to advance its mission are Anaview, a supplier of OEM Class D amplifier modules, Danville Signal Processing, a manufacturer of digital signal processing technology for audio products, and Tymphany, a world-class designer and manufacturer of transducers and advanced loud speaker systems for the consumer electronics and professional audio market.
The Association’s membership significantly increased from 10 companies in 2012 to 25 in 2013. In addition to the three new members, the Association includes: Accent Digital, Amber Technology, Anthem, Accusound, Bang and Olufsen, Ceton, Dali, Definitive Technology, GGEC, Gibson, Hansong Technology, Klipsch, Martin Logan, Meiloon, Nyne, Onkyo, Paradigm, Pioneer, Polk Audio, Silicon Image, Summit Semiconductor, TEAC, and Sam Runco.
“Delivering high performance class D amplifiers with efficient power supplies for the wireless speaker industry is a high priority for us and our customers,” said Rich Spina, vice president, Anaview. “Wireless technology combined with our amplifier systems enables manufacturers to offer premium active speakers for the home; this is a key driver for our future and our collaboration with the WiSA Association is vital to that mission.”
“We have extended our expertise in high-performance DSP Crossovers to include capability for wireless connectivity. We look forward to working with the WiSA Association to deliver game-changing products to our OEM/ODM customers that will finally give the consumer the high-definition wireless audio experience they want from their home theater and high-end stereo systems,” said Al Clark, president, Danville Signal Processing.
“Delivering high-definition wireless audio solutions is a strategic priority for us,” said Nancy George, director of new business development, Tymphany. “Joining the WiSA Association makes sense for Tymphany because WiSA’s multi-channel wireless technology is capable of delivering the HD audio experience that the consumer is demanding.”
WiSA-compliant systems deliver cinema quality sound with 24bit, up to 96Khz uncompressed audio. The systems are interoperable, allowing the consumer the convenience and freedom-of-choice to mix and match components from different manufacturers with the added capability to scale their wireless speaker system from 2.0 all the way up to 7.4. The first WiSA-enabled products introduced received the prestigious CES International 2014 Innovations Design and Engineering Awards: Bang and Olufsen’s BeoLab 17 and 18 and Sharp’s Universal Player.
“Consumers’ desire for wireless audio, coupled with the demand for quality, ease of use, and convenience reflects the reasons for the surge in WiSA membership and why many well-known speaker companies, CE companies, and ODM/OEMs have joined the Association,“ said Jim Venable, president of the WiSA Association. “WiSA members are able to provide their customers an unparalleled solution by offering interference-free, wireless HD digital audio products that are easy to set up and interoperate with other compliant CE devices like HDTVs, set-top-boxes, gaming devices and more.”
