ESSENTIAL PRODUCTS

Technological Innovations Group (TIG) is pleased to announce that it is now able to offer Power Distribution Units (PDU) from GUDE that integrate with Crestron Home systems. This means users can now remotely control and monitor smart space devices in residential settings.

As an official partner of Crestron, GUDE has developed and now offers drivers that allow the company’s IP power strips to be integrated into Crestron Home, the advanced operating system for managing smart home systems.

GUDE has worked with certified Crestron Master programmers at Ultamation Inc to develop the Crestron Home compatible drivers for their PDUs, which offer seamless and simple controls to manage one or multiple rooms, remotely or on the premises.

In practice this means that the owner of a remote power switch from GUDE can use Crestron Home on their mobile device in order to switch on, switch off or reboot devices such as media players, satellite boxes or routers. Users can also easily see the current status of the connected devices, receive automatic alerts in case of irregularities and check and control energy consumption.

Once in operation, the advantages of Crestron Home in conjunction with a GUDE remote power switch are multiple, including fail-safe power cycling of connected devices that helps applications to get back on their feet when they have hung up. This is either automatic via watchdog monitoring or by remote access via Crestron Home.

Additionally, it’s possible to add sensors to the PDU to monitor temperature, humidity and air pressure. This allows critical conditions to be avoided in advance, through preventive measures. Integrated energy meters in the IP power switches also allow for precise measurement of power consumption and enable energy saving strategies to be included in the integration.

TIG is supplying the GUDE PDUs to integrators throughout the EMEA region and can offer them alongside a full range of compatible Crestron Home products.

TIG tig.eu

A new option from TIG and Gude

SWITCH TO SMARTSWITCH LITE?

Smart home solution from Violet

Violet has announced SmartSwitch Lite , a new touch screen light switch for convenient Philips Hue and Sonos control. SmartSwitch Lite is the size of a standard UK light switch and offers a new way for Philips Hue and Sonos owners to conveniently and quickly control their lights and audio.

“The light switch location as a control point is completely ingrained in us socially, so it makes sense that we smarten it up a bit,” says Ryan Ovens, Founder & CEO at Violet. “Using your phone for basic adjustments as you move around your home is just simply inconvenient: finding it, unlocking it; finding the app etc. Sure, there’s voice control, but it’s not a silver bullet and there are many situations it is not suitable. With SmartSwitch, all the family members and visitors can intuitively control what they need to from the location they are used to with just a touch or two.” Violet SmartSwitch Lite features include QuickTap – when the screen is in standby, simply tap the screen to toggle the lights without waking it, Wake the screen with a longer press to access Hue scenes if you want a quick adjustment and Swipe up to access Sonos control to quickly play/pause/skip/ adjust volume.

SmartSwitch Lite is available to pre-order now and is expected to ship in March, at a discounted price point of £127 (usually £159). For more information on SmartSwitch Lite visit the company’s website.

Violet was founded in 2020 by Ryan who has a decade of experience delivering luxury smart homes. Violet was formed to bridge the gap between luxury systems and consumer IoT smart homes and SmartSwitch is an attempt to do just that, says Ryan.

Violet violet-ultra.co.uk

Lithe Audio has designed a new passive lowprofile ceiling speaker to provide a solution for installers who are looking for slim speakers to fit where space is an issue – without compromising on sound quality. Hitting a sweet-spot between depth and quality is a challenge when designing ceiling speakers.

At 67mm deep, the Lithe Audio IP44-rated passive low-profile speaker is ideal for wherever a ceiling cavity may be slim – such as bathrooms, garden rooms, dropped ceilings, pitched roofs – and delivers excellent sound quality, says its creator.

The speaker is a lightweight 1.04kg, with a cut-out diameter of 210mm, and comes with a frameless 230mm magnetic grille which can be painted to blend into the ceiling colour and easily removed for cleaning.

“We’re already getting positive feedback from installers about this speaker,” says Amit Ravat, CoFounder of Lithe Audio: “They’ve been looking for a quality solution to installing speakers in thin ceiling cavities, and as designers in this area we’re happy to be able to provide a solution that delivers slim speakers without compromising on sound quality.”

As with all Lithe Audio ceiling speakers, the maker says it’s easy to install and looks attractive with or without the grille. The new model is available from this March.

The speaker’s full spec offers a 6.5in Polypropylene Cone, a 0.75in Titanium Cone tweeter, impedance is at 8 Ohms and power at 30W RMS. Sound Quality is quoted at THD+N 0.009%, 77Hz-20kHZ, sensitivity is (1W/1m): 90d, the speaker weighs 1.04kg and the dimensions are (W x D): 230mm x 67mm. The model also comes with a two-year warranty.

Lithe Audio litheaudio.com

A new option from Lithe Audio

STAY TOGETHER WITH SAVANT

Savant has introduced an integration with Zoom’s audio/video conferencing platform, Zoom Rooms. As part of Savant’s smart living ecosystem, users will enjoy a more productive video conferencing environment and will be able to personalise the meeting experience.

With Savant’s Zoom Rooms integration, a Savant Scene and applicable audio/video services can automatically launch each time a meeting is started. And once the conference has concluded, Savant will return the room to its prior state.

In addition to Savant Scene integration, Savant’s Zoom Rooms integration has been designed to deliver the ‘highest quality video and audio experience, leveraging the lifelike clarity of a big screen TV and high-performance loudspeakers along with a variety of premium cameras and microphone packages’ from Savant Recommended Partners such as Logitech, Huddly and Beyerdynamic.

The Zoom Rooms conferencing solution from Savant has applications beyond the home office. This technology can be a tool to enhance the remote education experience, helping students ‘better engage with instructors through a more visceral, lifelike experience’, according to Savant. Gathering with family and friends will become easier and more comfortable using a wide angle camera, high-quality speakers and a large, highresolution video display.

The Savant Zoom Rooms integration is available now, including pre-configured camera and speaker packages available from the Savant store.

Savant

Better, faster more immersive meetings

ROON EVOLVES

Roon Labs, global music discovery and streaming platform, has made significant improvements with its latest software release. Roon 1.8 has been created to bring an immersive new experience that delivers more from the Roon features in a powerful and beautiful new way, say its creators.

In its latest release, Roon says the UI becomes a captivating gallery of music for users to browse and explore any collection on a much deeper level. Roon argues the new edition presents a fresh, modern design with bold typography that looks visually stunning and is a pleasure to use. But the changes made are more than skin deep. Each of Roon’s newly designed layouts, from the new home and artist screens to the composer and genre pages, are curated just for each user.

The new vertical scroll makes it quick and easy to find music, no matter what device is being used – meaning the Roon experience is consistent and seamless across desktop, tablet and smartphone.

Roon 1.8 also brings powerful new browsing capabilities and recommendations that understand a music collection ‘like no other’. By combining Roon’s deep metadata and learnings from how Roon’s community of 100,000 listeners use the platform, suggestions are made with uncanny insight and are tailored to each individual listener, claims the platform.

This new update also delivers improvments to some of Roon’s most popular features including Roon Focus, as well as improvements to the way classical music is presented and searched for.

The updated Home screen in 1.8 also includes an all-new dashboard of listening habits over time, broken down by top artists, albums and genres. This can be switched to show data for the last week, month, year or all time. Users also get a calendar view of what music they have been listening to over the last four weeks, and clicking on each section offers even deeper insight into listening habits down to the minute.

Roon roonlabs.com

Roon 1.8 is now live!

LUTRON LAUNCHES POWERFUL HOMEWORKS QSX PROCESSOR

Lutron Electronics has launched the HomeWorks QSX processor, the latest addition to the company’s flagship whole-home solution.

Lutron says it has made the largest ever investment in HomeWorks, with the new QSX processor bringing heightened connectivity and reliability, streamlining the installation and upgrade process for integrators and customers.

The maker says the update comes with a stream of benefits, including the ability to backup and restore project databases from the cloud to avoid project file loss, increased processing power and memory to manage larger, more complex projects.

In short, Lutron says HomeWorks QSX makes the platform easier to design, install, activate, program and service.

“The new HomeWorks platform sums up the ‘Lutron Difference.’ It’s a game-changing addition to our international portfolio of products and solutions,” says Nate Hagemeier, Senior Sales Director Europe and Africa at Lutron.

Key system enhancements include increased processing power and memory to manage larger, more complex projects and support future capabilities and compatibility with all existing HomeWorks wired QS and wireless RF devices. Always up to date –customers will have the latest capabilities, device support and security updates, the product securely connects to third-party products with built-in Connect Bridge technology and streamlines upgrades from existing HomeWorks QS systems by carrying databases forward. The new unit also delivers backup and restore project databases from the cloud – helping to ensure you never lose a project file. The high-wattage LED+ DIN module with RTISS-ICM withstands the most severe electrical stresses including LED in-rush, bulb blowout and short circuit.

“We’ve made our largest ever innovation investment in HomeWorks,” says Nate. “Lutron is setting the stage for the next decade of integrator success with this new line-up of products and with a new range of keypads coming soon to Europe. There’s never been a better time to be part of the Lutron family and grow your business with Lutron.”

Lutron lutron.com

The Homeworks QSX Processor offers a serious upgrade from previous version

FOCAL 1000 SERIES SETS NEW INTEGRATED SPEAKER STANDARDS

Focal has presented its 1000 Series – a range of in-wall and in-ceiling speaker and subwoofer options with high levels of performance and install flexibility. Three years in development, this flagship range embodies the essence of Focal: speaker science, technology implementation, and French design and manufacturing.

Made in France in Focal’s workshops, the 1000 Series offers a discreet alternative to traditional Hi-Fi and home cinema set-ups, with no performance compromise. Each speaker is an ‘innovative, flexible design – with both the installer and end customer in mind’ comments Focal.

Focal says the new series raises integrated speakers to ‘new performance levels’, through use of flagship speaker technologies – including Beryllium tweeters; ‘W’ cones – as featured on Focal Utopia home speaker range. The range also allows for combination of Focal’s traditional and integrated speakers and offers a flexible design with the wall speakers featuring adjustable driver – angle them in any direction towards the optimum listening position. The speakers are also described as simple to fit using Focal’s patented ‘Easy Quick Install’ system, for tool-free integration. The wall speakers can be paired with one, two, four or six subwoofers (while using only one channel of amplification), to match the room size and SPL levels desired. Speaker cables are provided for speaker/sub connectivity. The speakers also boast magnetic, ready-to-paint grilles for the visual integration and the in-wall speakers offer strong performance despite being less than 10cm deep. For even greater flexibility, optional on-wall frames will be available soon. Premium in-ceiling models use same form factors as popular Focal 300 Series, allowing for install upgrades.

The range includes 1000 IWLCR Utopia, 1000 IWSUB Utopia, 1000 IWLCR6, 1000 ICLCR5, 1000 IW6, 1000 ICW6 and the 1000 ICA6.

Focal focal.com

The Focal 1000 Series is available now

KEF BACKS UP BASS

KEF says it has created new technologies that successfully prioritise design and sound in equal measure meaning powerful bass is no longer solely the domain of big-shouldered, massive subwoofers.

Thanks to these KEF technologies, the KC62 Uni-Core Force-Cancelling subwoofer has changed expectations of subwoofer design forever, claims the maker.

With a compact and sleek design, the KC62 subwoofer has been created to deliver impressive depth and accuracy in equal measure. This is a result of the patentpending Uni-Core technology which delivers ultra-compact size and big performance, which sits at the heart of the innovative KC62.

To simultaneously deliver high-quality performance and the benefits of force

This new sub from KEF is rammed full of new technologies cancelation, Uni-Core combines the two through a single motor system with the voice coils concentrically arranged. This allows the cabinet size to be reduced by over a third whilst equalling or exceeding the driver excursion of a much larger subwoofer.

The speaker also includes P-Flex Surround, a patent-pending driver surround. It resists the acoustic pressure inside the cabinet without limiting sensitivity in the same way traditional surround designs do. To achieve this, it is uniquely pleated in such a way that is inspired by the Japanese art of paper-folding earning itself the nickname Origami Surround. This design resists the internal air pressure without adding excessive mass, allowing the driver to move as required by the audio signal. The result is a deeper bass extension and a more accurate, detailed bass reproduction and distortion reduction.

Finally, the speaker contains another patentpending technology, Smart Distortion Control Technology, a sensorless, motional feedback system created to help correct even the slightest abnormalities that may occur.

KEF uk.kef.com