Despite the threat of the coronavirus and Storm Ciara, ISE 2020 is now under way, albeit perhaps with a touch fewer people in attendance than normal.
ISE 2020 is the 17th annual incarnation of the Integrated Systems Europe trade show, with 80,000 people expected at Amsterdam’s RAI to see and hear the latest AV products aimed at custom installers and AV professionals.
Expect smart home systems, huge screens and custom install speakers, as well as a smattering of more traditional consumer AV products.
Some 1300 brands are at the show, including familiar hi-fi and home cinema names, with official ISE 2020 exhibitors including Bose, Bluesound, Epson, Lenovo, McIntosh, Monitor Audio, Panasonic, Shure, Sonos, Sonus Faber and Sony.
And it's the last time ISE will take place at the RAI Amsterdam convention centre, with the growing show set to move to a larger space in Barcelona for 2021.
ISE 2020 runs from Tuesday 11th February until Friday 14th February, and we're on the ground in Amsterdam to cover the show. We'll be updating this page with all our news highlights.
ISE 2020 news
Dali showcases Rubicon 2 C active system and in-wall speakers
NAD showcases flagship M33 streamer and T 778 AV receiver
The Funktion One F5 is company's smallest ever speaker
Audio Pro adds SP-3 to custom install speaker range
Elac showcases Debut Reference, Vertex 2 speakers and more
Naim adds Control4 support to Mu-so, Uniti and ND streamers
Samsung now has a 583-inch 8K microLED version of The Wall
Devialet launches Phantom Reactor Custom surround sound system
Sonus Faber showcases Gravis III subwoofer, Palladio 5 speakers
ISE 2020 pre-show news
LG pulls out of ISE and MWC due to coronavirus
Origin Acoustics unveils new subwoofers ahead of ISE 2020
McIntosh to showcase ultimate AV processors at ISE 2020
PSB Speakers puts acoustic isolation first in new speaker line
ISE 2020 preview
ISE promises "the world’s leading producers of AV products, technologies and solutions", with areas of the show floor called Audio and Live Events, Digital Signage, Innovation Zone, Residential Solutions and Smart Building.
We expect to see plenty of monitors, displays and signs (there are 400 exhibitors promising some form of digital signage), as well as custom install speakers and control systems (200 exhibitors in the Audio and Live Events Technology Zone), and a wealth of smart home accessories.
Among the new exhibitors at ISE 2020 are Bluesound, Cedar Audio, Dell, HP, Lenovo and Funktion One. There's also an area dedicated to VR for the first time.
Last year's show highlights came in the form of a 292 inch 8K version of Samsung’s The Wall display, plenty of 4K and 8K projectors, a return to custom install for legendary audio brand McIntosh, a surprising reveal of new electronics from Rotel, and some smart in-wall, outdoor Sonos speakers.
This year we already know a few snippets of news that we can expect to see. McIntosh and Sonus Faber, which are both part of the McIntosh Group, are set to showcase new custom installation high-end audio products. Last year McIntosh launched distribution amplifiers and in-wall speakers and this year we will see new AV processors and receivers.
Monitor Audio will be demoing its IMS-4 music streamer at the show. Featuring the BluOS streaming platform, as found on Bluesound products, the IMS-4 can stream to four separate zones, access networked music libraries, and work with voice control. It's the first time Monitor Audio has offered audio demos of the new streamer.
And French audio experts Triangle plan to release two new models as part of its Secret custom install range. This includes "a new mounting technology for a fast and easy installation" so we're intrigued to see that.
There's of course plenty of room for companies who might not previously have been on your (or our) radar.
French company Storm Audio will be exhibiting its MK2 family of processors and amplifiers, promising flexibility with 16, 24 or 32-channel analogue preamp/processors, a fully loaded digital AES 32-channel machine as well as 8 and 16-channel amps.
And start-up company Theory Audio Design will launch its first soundbars, speakers and subs. Perhaps most intriguing is the ALC-1809, a nine-channel amplified loudspeaker controller, "the AV version of an integrator’s Swiss army knife", promising to combine the functionality of five products in one.
From familiar names to start-ups, 8K TVs to multi-room audio, we're certainly looking forward to exploring what ISE 2020 has to offer.
