The ARC implosion surprised me. They dominated the ten figure market for decades. McIntosh couldn't make them profitable, nor could an insider angel investor who also lost is arse. Now the company can't seem to put out anything new or exciting. Meanwhile they attack their dealer network. My sad conclusion is that Bill Johnson was ARC and his death ended the ARC era- we just didn't know it at the time.
What news in 2023 struck you?
Gang,
It seems the audio press seems to have no end of press releases to hype, but I'm curious looking back for the year what news regarding the audio industry has most struck you?
For instance, the sale of ARC, and Roon, and B&W (or was that last year) seemed pretty significant. Class D amps with GaN transistors created a lot of buzz and claims of Class D finally reaching it's promised potential. Textreme drivers have appeared here and there, as has the Purifi woofer...
I also recall a Monitor Audio prototype that struck me as really innovative.
What else has stuck in your mind longer than ten minutes this year?