After the news last month that Bose had acquired the McIntosh Group, we have another interesting shift in the premium audio world. PML Sound International — the parent company of storied audio brands Paradigm, MartinLogan, and Anthem — has welcomed GoldenEar Speakers into the fold. It was just under five years ago when it was announced that GoldenEar had been bought by The Quest Group, the owner of AudioQuest and DragonFly, upon the retirement of GoldenEar co-founder Sandy Gross.
Starting January 1, GoldenEar will be known as GoldenEar Studio Inc. PML has announced the operations will pause for the month of January to ensure a smooth transition. During that time, GoldenEar orders will not be processed or fulfilled, with operations resuming on February 3. PML has also assured that “existing warranties and service support will be honored, and they will continue to receive the same level of product quality and customer service when business resumes.”
Digital Trends readers are likely familiar with the name GoldenEar from Caleb Denison’s recent emotional review of the T66 loudspeaker, but the company has been putting out speakers for 15 years. For close to 50 years, Sandy Gross was a titan in the industry as not only the co-founder of GoldenEar but two other major speaker manufacturers — Polk Audio and Definitive Technology. (Those unaware of Mr. Gross’ history in the audio industry can hear stories of his past for the man himself during a recent interview on the Audio Unleashed podcast.)
It will be interesting to see how the move from a company known for its cables and power solutions to a group focused on speaker design and development will influence the future for GoldenEar. As fans of the brand, count us among the intrigued and hopeful.
Instagram is making its way to yet another screen, and this time, Apple TV is getting a taste of the Reels rabbit hole. The company has launched a dedicated Instagram app for Apple TV, bringing Reels, longer videos, and live shows to the big screen. So, if watching one quick clip on a phone somehow turns into an hour of scrolling, there's now a much larger screen for that.
Instagram brings Reels and more to Apple TV
Audio-Technica, a brand well known for making some of the best studio and professional headphones on the market, has just come out with the ATH-AWX7000, which the company itself claims to be its "finest headphones ever." The new flagship closed-back headphone has debuted at an eye-watering price of $3,799. It combines hand-finished Japanese woodwork with a newly developed 58mm driver.
The earcups are made from Kiso cypress, a prized wood historically used for Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples. Each housing is finished by hand with traditional Echizen lacquer, which brings out the grain and is expected to darken over time. The frame and sliders are finished in a deep navy kachi-iro shade traditionally associated with samurai.
This post is brought to you in paid partnership with Best Buy.
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