Thanks for stopping by folks, and welcome once again to the week in Playback. We’ve got some familiar faces making headlines this week, as well as relative newcomer (though there’s a chance you’ve heard about them prior to this point), but first, let’s take a moment to reflect. It is getting to be at that time of the year, after all.
While I’m still a relative baby when it comes to this industry (I’ll have been here five years in June), I can’t tell you the number of stories I’ve heard discussing the origins of CI. One thing that catches my interest every time though, is how so many people that are here today got their start in car audio.
That was back when, if you wanted good speakers in your car, you usually needed to install them yourself. Nowadays with how car manufacturers like to add an assortment of features and hardware with every new model, that’s not as necessary. In fact, audio manufacturers in the CI space nowadays are more commonly partnering with auto makers to get their products positioned in front of clientele.
It’s still an incredibly lucrative business, but the money has shifted from the installers and the big box stores that hired them and into the hands of the manufacturers. Just ask Bose how much money there is to be made by doing car audio.
But hey, now many of the guys that used to install car audio are installing smart home systems in mansions. Like I said, the money shifts, and the shrewd shift with it. I won’t say they’ve moved onto better things (that will always be subjective), but they have moved on to bigger things.
Speaking of which, we should probably get moving on to the Playback. Bowers & Wilkins put out another McLaren collab that got me all introspective in the first place. Daisy just announced its most aggressive expansion yet. And a U.K. pro-channel manufacturer is making its debut in North America. Let’s get into it.
The Week in Playback
- Tyba Home’s Designer Rotary Control Interfaces are Coming to North American Markets
- Daisy Adds Five New Franchisees as Rapid Expansion Continues
- Klipsch is Refreshing its Desktop Speaker System for Gaming and Content Creators
- Bowers & Wilkins Px8 S2 McLaren Edition
- Kaleidescape Goes Mini with Its Newest Terra Prime Server
Turn 2 and Muse Make North American Debuts
Tyba Home has named Lekker Global the exclusive distributor for its products, with the distributor also being responsible for brand activation, market development, dealer training and overall channel coordination for Tyba within the region.
Based out in the U.K., Tyba first made its appearance in U.S. markets during CEDIA Expo 2025, though the manufacturer has been operating in the pro channel for a while within the European market.
Tyba manufacturers the Turn 2 and the Muse, with the former being a weighted, rotary control interface for the smart home (think Nest but it can control audio, lighting and shading as well as climate). The latter is an audio playback platform with in-built Airplay 2, Deezer and Tidal support that can be distributed via AVoIP through Dante.
Daisy Marks its Biggest Growth Spurt Yet
Five new Daisy franchisees appeared this week across Colorado, Texas, Arizona and Florida markets. The new owners join Daisy’s network alongside investor Julian Dickenson, who has signed a franchise agreement and is now seeking to acquire an existing integration firm in a major U.S. market.
With the addition of these new locations, Daisy marks eight new franchise locations established in the month of November alone. In remarks, Daisy states that the growth has been a result of “broadening demand for reliable smart home installation, integration and support services.”
Hagan Kappler, the CEO and co-founder of Daisy, also notes that the business model for Daisy has been drawing a lot of attention from entrepreneurs in particular.
“Daisy’s model offers entrepreneurs a path to build thriving, scalable businesses backed by national brand strength, operational support, and cutting-edge technology,” she says.
Klipsch Hits Refresh on Its ProMedia Line
Having been around since 1999, the ProMedia system by Klipsch joined the desktop party right when Apple was starting to make its comeback with the iMac. Seeing as how plenty has changed since then, Klipsch released an update earlier this week in the form of the ProMedia Lumina system.
Sporting a 2.1 channel configuration, the speakers feature Klipsch’s signature horn-loaded tweeter in the satellites accompanied by a 6.5-inch side-firing active subwoofer and have connection options via analog and wireless hookups.
They also come with dynamic LED lights that can either synchronize with the desktop lighting, or with the LED lighting found on most custom hardware. It’s that little touch that provides a nice nod to the anticipated audiences: enthusiasts and content creators that are likely looking for PCs custom-built to their needs, versus the pre-builts found in stores.
B&W Busts Out the McLaren Headphones
Bowers & Wilkins (B&W) has minted a new set of headphones as part of its partnership with the McLaren automotive brand in the Px8 S2 McLaren Edition. These build on the existing Px8 S2 platform, which adding some flashy design cues a la the signature McLaren brand colors.
The headphones feature McLaren’s signature Papaya orange paired with Anthracite Grey, and subtle Speedmark logos on the headband and earcups. A diamond-cut logo plates and memory-foam cushions wrapped in Nappa leather also give the cans a luxurious feel.
They’re available now at an MSRP of $899 and join the lineup of other B&W/McLaren branded peripherals like the Pi8 earbuds and the Zeppelin.
Kaleidescape Shrinks its Footprint (in a Good Way)
Kaleidescape is expanding its Terra Prime lineup by shrinking the Terra Prime itself. While smaller than its siblings, the Mini Terra Prime delivers fast downloads, high-quality playback, and enough storage for serious movie collections, according to the company.
It’s 8TB of solid-state storage that Kaleidescape says can hold roughly 125 high-bitrate 4K movies, which, on a 2.56 Gb Ethernet connection, the company says should download in as little as four minutes.
That smaller storage size translates to a much smaller footprint, however, putting it at the same size as the company’s Strato players. In fact, the new Mini Terra Prime server can actually share a rack slot with the Strato E, with the two able to be stacked side-by-side one another.
