ESSENTIAL SPEAKERS
Billie Eilish tours with L-Acoustics equipment and with live streaming events such as Happier Than Ever: A Love Letter to Los Angeles, on Disney+ is part of a new era of content
BILLIE IDOL Nick Fichte, Global Business Director, L-Acoustics Creations, examines the market for premium performance and how new forces such as live streaming and gaming is helping to shape the next generation of iconic products. The market for premium loudspeakers evolved significantly over the decade from 2010 to 2020 as the traditional audiophile evolved and adapted to changing music media. The pandemic accelerated many of the changes into something of a revolution that has offered a rich source of high-value business for audio integrators. Pre-pandemic, the customer demographic across premium audio was already changing. From the traditional audiophile, a more techsavvy music fan was emerging, comfortable with having the world’s music library at their fingertips. Growing up with clubbing, concerts, festivals and high-end gaming, their system demands are far more about robust delivery of immersive and powerful sound than the delicate systems and micro adjustments of the Hi-Fi hobbyist. Technology has played a major role in the evolution, as solid media formats gave way to MP3 streaming to maximise the quantity of content available. Now that content quantity
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is pervasive thanks to Apple Music, Spotify, Tidal et al, quality is becoming a key driver with technologies like High Res Audio, spatial audio formats and Dolby Atmos driving the premium audio market. Live-streaming concerts at home had already become a reality long before COVID dictated that ‘at home’ was the only place you could experience a music event. That will continue to grow in popularity as Apple, Hulu and Netflix have all announced in recent months that live-streamed concerts & festivals will become a core part of their offering. Billie Eilish tours with L-Acoustics pro-audio equipment and her live-stream of Happier Than Ever: A Love Letter to Los Angeles, made a successful debut on Disney+ late last year. Gaming also plays a significant role in shaping the audio system design and requirements of the home loudspeaker systems. Advanced gaming platforms have given rise to ever more immersive visuals and sound, incorporating multi-channel, spatial and Dolby Atmos audio.
L-Acoustics X4i in custom RAL finish in Cotswold garden - Install by Homeplay
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