Tag: aura

Innovative design meets beautiful sound: the natural evolution of Harman Kardon Aura Studio 4

Pairing exquisite audio with a truly unique design experience, the Harman  Kardon Aura Studio 4 inspires the senses. The latest in the iconic Harman Kardon Aura Studio line of  premium Bluetooth speakers, Aura Studio 4 is elegantly crafted in part with recycled materials,  effortlessly blending a unique modern design with exceptional sound quality.  

Designed with Harman Kardon’s unrivalled audio expertise, the new speaker invites listeners to hear  music the way it was meant to be heard. The 5.2” down-firing subwoofer and wide soundstage of the  6-speaker array produce beautiful Harman Kardon sound for outstanding performance with pinpoint  accuracy. Pair with any two mobile devices for seamless wireless streaming and feel every beat with  breathtaking clarity.  

“Each of our Harman Kardon products has its own identity within the family of the brand. The Aura  Studio 4 continues to elevate this brand philosophy. Our design team looked to nature and our  appreciation of its power inspired us to create the Aura Studio 4, a fresh and iconic expression of light  and sound. The 12-month design process brought together our progressive technology in stunning, mesmerising beauty, bringing multi-sensory warmth, wonder, and honest delight into users’ lives.  Continuing our legacy of iconic, transparent speakers, the introduction of 324 individual crystals  housed at the base of the dome in a parametric design allows the speaker’s enchanting ambient light  to dance to the rhythms of beautiful Harman Kardon sound. We are proud to present the Harman  Kardon Aura Studio 4, a fully immersive, multi-sensorial experience, enhancing users’ home  ambiance while connecting them with the beauty of nature,” said Christian Schluender, Senior Vice  President of Global Design. 

A palette of carefully constructed animated light themes blends the smartest technology with a  modern and unique design. Whether it’s Polar Light (inspiring imagination and fantasy), Universe  (discovering the infinite space), Rain Drops (calming the mood), Cloud (relaxing), or Fire (enchanting),  the Aura Studio 4 transforms and inspires listeners beyond the realms of the home.

The first in the range to be made in part with recycled materials, the speaker grille fabric is woven  from 100% recycled polyester yarn, all aluminium is 100% recycled, and the speaker housing is  crafted from 85% post-consumer recycled plastic. It is also packaged in FSC-certified paper that has  been printed with soy ink. 

Harman Kardon Aura Studio 4 is being unveiled as part of the Harman Kardon 70th anniversary  celebration at the Montreux Jazz Festival. It will be available in the UK from 15th of September on  harmankardon.co.uk for £299.99/€329.99. 

 

 

 

Boom Launches AI Video Bar

Boom Collaboration has launched a powerful new ‘intelligent’ video bar, as the growing appeal of all-in-one devices continues to accelerate.

The US-based manufacturer has unveiled the Boom AURA, a stylish video bar with built-in AI functions designed to deliver superior meetings.

The Boom AURA offers 4K Ultra HD picture quality, 10x digital zoom and a wide 120 degree field of view. AI functions include highly responsive facial detection and sound source localization providing intelligent auto-framing and voice-tracking. 

Six digital array mics with six meters of pickup ensure crisp high fidelity audio and an optimal intuitive response. An 8MP CMOS sensor is combined with plug-and-play functionality and a standard three-year warranty

The all-in-one AURA delivers a smart professional user experience backed by intelligent hardware that makes for better meetings. Simply. That’s the view of Fredrik Hörnkvist who set-up Boom Collaboration with co-founder Holli Hulett in 2020.

Holy Grail

“There’s little doubt the popularity of video bars continues to rise as they provide a perfect solution especially for huddle rooms which are now an integral part of today’s hybrid work trends,” he explained.

“The AURA offers many exceptional features to create a complete conferencing solution combining stylish design with high performance and ease of use.”

The AURA joins the Boom UNO vertical video bar as part of an expanding portfolio, with further product developments in the pipeline.

However both Hörnkvist and Hulett insist video bars might not be the ‘holy grail’ of conferencing for every environment, especially very large rooms.

“Despite their growing popularity video bars have limitations especially in larger rooms where people might be sat a long way back,” Hulett highlighted. “PTZ cameras with optical zoom offer the ultimate visual performance and when paired with our GEMINI expandable wireless audio system, for example, it’s often a better experience.

“We have also just introduced the Boom GOJO multi-camera controller which makes it easy to add a new dimension to conference meetings and live events by utilising more than just one PTZ camera.”

She concluded: “Boom Collaboration provide solutions for all room types, from home workers to the biggest boardrooms – raising the bar in performance and convenience, whether that’s all-in-one or more powerful PTZ camera technologies. The popularity of bars and cameras remain high.”

New Name To Enter UK Conferencing Arena As Part Of Global Expansion – Boom Collaboration

A new name is aiming to shake up the video conferencing sector with plans to enter the UK market as part of a major global expansion programme.

Boom Collaboration was born in 2020 by founders Fredrik Hörnkvist and Holli Hulett, in a bid to disrupt the sector and stand out from the crowd – creating high performance, high value advanced products.

The ambitious Texas-based business has quickly developed an extensive conferencing portfolio and operates in 20 countries, with plans to extend to 30 more, as well as the UK. Many new product innovations are in the pipeline too, along with the development of a Boom training academy.

“Through these interesting, challenging and evolving times, from lockdowns to hybrid working, conferencing has been at the fulcrum of dramatic changes in daily and working life; how people interact and communicate, almost from anywhere,” Hörnkvist explained.

“We might still be a relatively new kid on the block but we’ve already made big strides forward with much more to come. Over the last few years we’ve been laying strong foundations for sustained growth so that Boom can really start to boom in the UK and beyond!”

Missing piece of the puzzle

Boom Collaboration aims to help plug a knowledge gap in certain areas of the market, from audio and video technology to meeting etiquette. 

“We work across all sectors of the industry from AV integrators to traditional telephony resellers and accredited partners such as Zoom and Barco. We’re completely agnostic though and sales continue to rise by around 45% year-on-year.

“There’s definitely a knowledge gap due to the fast transition of people working from home and an explosion in software-based solutions such as Teams and Zoom.  We aim to be the piece that’s missing in the sector.”

Hörnkvist added: “Our goal is to emphasise the vital role hardware plays to improve the meeting experience. We are a trusted advisor about the best end points to drive the end user experience. It’s about matching the right equipment to the right rooms and helping organisations to transition at whatever stage of the journey they are on.

“Many resellers used to sell traditional telephone systems then IP handsets but now cloud-based full unified comms systems are taking over with video at their heart. So resellers have to adapt to maintain their revenue streams and that’s where we come in with our knowledge and expertise.

“Our forthcoming Boom Academy will teach not just how to connect multiple cameras and different systems but showcase our domain overarching knowledge. It’s about giving something back. We recognise some resellers will have to learn quickly or they are out of the game. This is where we can help a lot who have come from the traditional ‘voice’ space. Live demos, meeting room design overviews and how to embrace the latest trends, for example.”

Disruptive force

Co-founder Hulett agrees with the importance of building long term relationships. “We are young and fresh with new ideas, backed by years of personal experience that already makes us experts in this field. We are not afraid to stand out, be bold, brave and loud and do things a little differently.

A disrupter to take on the field.” Hulett concluded: “The Boom support team offers both pre and post sales support, available for the life of a product. All Boom products come with a standard three-year warranty with an optional five-year Boom care plan for complete peace of mind.

“We recognise quality makes a huge difference. It really matters. That’s why we went straight into 4K picture resolution for example. 4K is the future. It’s about continually raising the game and raising the bar. 

“Equally we want to show personality, fun and passion. It’s not just about making money but helping our customers, building a good organisation and enjoying what we do. We are continually learning and evolving.

“We are young with lots of ambition to grow. We have agility, like to be different and the future is bright. We want to bring in dedicated in-house R&D and product teams and continue to build our distribution network all over the world. I’d say we are at a tipping point to accelerate much further forward, based on sustained, controlled growth. 2023 will be a big and exciting year for us in the UK and around the world.”