Audison told distributors at its World Wide Conference last week that the industry must shift to high resolution audio to remain healthy.
The company is investing heavily in components for all-digital, high resolution audio–recorded and played back with more musical information as in FLAC files, for demonstrably better sound.
“There is no future for traditional car audio as we know it; as just an amp connected to a speaker,” said Massimo Mezzadri of Elettromedia, parent of the Audison and Hertz brands.
The market must move to audibly better digital audio, in 24 bit/48 or 96kHz or higher format to stay ahead of the OEM market. “Change in a market can either be a danger or an opportunity,” said Elettromedia co-founder Emidio Vagnoni, claiming the industry is going to be facing new technology such as WiFi offered on our highways, which would eliminate the need for a car radio.
The future then depends on showing customers what extraordinary audio sounds like.
About 35 to 40 percent of Elettromedia’s U.S. dealers are already involved in installing all-digital audio systems that use an Audison bit One or bit Ten processor that can take music from a source like an iPad mini. For some of these dealers, digital audio already represents 10 to 15 percent of car audio sales, estimated Elettromedia USA.
To help spur the market, Audison will release the first all digital WiFi media processor this July called the bit Play HD. It essentially replaces a head unit and Audison wants dealers to sell it alongside in-dash receivers on their demo boards.
The device has 240 GB of storage for high res FLAC audio files and 1080P video with optical connections and it can work with a smartphone or tablet.
It uses WiFi to stream FLAC and other files from an Android device to an amplifier or bit processor. In the case of an iPhone, you can’t stream music, but you can use the phone to control the bit Play. The bit Play will also charge the phone.
The device can plug into any factory or aftermarket head unit or car audio screen. If you don’t use a phone to control it, there is a remote controller available.
“MP3 compressed audio sounds terrible. Now it’s our job worldwide to let people know what good music can sound like,” said Elettromedia trainer Larry Penn.
For more photos of video of Elettromedia Distributors Conference see https://www.facebook.com/ceoutlook.
Source: CEoutlook
Photo: Elettromedia presents Audison’s bit Play and other products. Foreground L to R is Emidio Vagnoni, co-founder and Massimo Mezadri, Export Manager and in background L to R is Luca Girotti and co-founder Pietro Pantaleone.
AEP
What factory do you work for ????? Your responce is so factory direct it reminds of another factory guy (RW) who always goes on like you.
This is exactly the type of thinking that is needed to reenergize this industry! The manufacturers need to create products that create markets! Each new generation of and Infotainment, in vehicle electronics and connectivity in new vehicles gets better. Cars sound better than they used to, in fact to the average person they are starting to sound good or at least acceptable, because they do not know it. can be dramatically better. The aftermarket should be on the forefront of emerging technologies and creating solutions to our common problems, but they are not. They are still relying on someone else to do it for them and an old business
Model. The sheer number of low technology brands is staggering in this industry. There is so much off the shelf me to products, and very few truly innovative brands. Even some so called Audiophile brands. Is it enough to make a high end discrete giant class A/B amp and believe it is what people need or want? They are missing the market all together
The dealers need to stop thinking in sandboxes, and start thinking whole vehicle enhancement. There is also no place for dealers to be ignoring the market either. Where is the market you say? It is in your pocket and has been for several years. It started several years ago with the iPod, and other MP3 players, then moved to Smartphones. The problem was no one is pushing for a better experience. These revolutionized the way we think about an use electronics. I now have one device that supplants, a mobile phone, a home phone, PND, a cd player, a Multi-media player, a laptop in many cases, a remote, a camera, and more….. Why would I not want that as the focus of my in car experience? The problem is and has been that everyone took a couple steps forward in many respects, but sound quality took a couple steps back. The new standard of what sounds good, is based on the fact that hardly anyone knows what good sound is anymore except the niche audiophile market. The stores need to be able to create an experience with the products the aftermarket provides to do this. I could go on for days, but I think this is a step in the right direction, along with the rumors that apple will be offering
In this case speaking as the Vice Chairman of the CEA Audio Division we welcome this effort by Audison alongside the blended efforts of CEA, DEG and the Grammy Organization to release and promote Hi-Res Audio. We too believe that listeners should hear what the artist and producer intended and Hi-Res Audio is that, closest to the Studio Master they made for you to hear. Welcome aboard and please join us. Take a listen, the difference is clear.