Austere Emphasizes Aesthetics in Accessories
Austere targets CI channel with highly designed HDMI and audio cables, as well as power strips designed to be seen, not hidden.
Aesthetics are playing a more important role in custom electronics than ever before. Hiding the technology has become de rigeur these days. But when the technology cannot be completely hidden, more than ever integrators find themselves seeking out the most appealing designs for the products they install. If the displays, loudspeakers, touchpanels, remotes, thermostats and more can’t be invisible, they’d better look good.
Portland, Ore.-based Austere sees that demand for highly attractive products now reaching all the way to cables and power supplies. The company unveiled a slew of new solutions at Digital CES 2021 aimed at custom integrators who want to highlight their aesthetics with customers.
Austere is no stranger to the idea of making cables appealing. Founder and CEO Deena Ghazarian spent six years at Monster Products in senior sales and strategy positions. Unquestionably, Monster was the first company to make cables “cool” while Austere is taking it to next level by making cables and power supplies darn right glamorous.
“Customers are adapting to a new reality of life at home. They are living, working, learning and entertaining their family all in one place. They are looking for a brand with style to complement their curated look at home,” says Ghazarian.
Austere Product Roadmap Is Broad
Austere’s portfolio of products include sleek 4K and 8K HDMI, optical, audio and speaker cables, banana plug connectors, multiple power strips ranging up to six outlets, and even a unique disinfecting cleaning solution for interfaces called Clean & Protect Moreover, the company shuns plastic packaging, preferring to use recyclable materials.
The product roadmap is also full, with new 8K HDMI cables, per-terminated speaker cables, and USB-C to USB-C, USB-C to Lightning, and USB-C to HDMI cables slated. On the power side, a new series of wall power supplies and a GaN charger are coming. Finally, its Clean & Protect disinfectant will also be available in packages of wipes versus simply spray bottles.
Austere sells its products through multiple channels, including retail and direct to consumer via Amazon and other online retailers. But Ghazarian sees the custom channel as one that is ripe for a fashionable solution to which discerning end user customers and designers will be drawn.
Ghazarian is quick to point out that the products are also technically adept, “colliding style with performance.”
Headlining the company’s Digital CES 2021 debuts is its new 8K HDMI 2.1 cable with a bandwidth of 48Gbps and the ability to carry resolutions up to 10K and 8K60, 4K120 frame rates.
The cable aims to accommodate new 4K and 8K TVs as well as 8K gaming consoles and includes High-Fidelity eARC technology and a Variable Refresh Rate that aims to eliminate image lag, stutter, and frame tearing.
It has Kevlar-reinforced winding, gold shield contacts and Austere’s signature WovenArmor cable, which is demonstrably thinner than most other 8K cable options, The cable’s uses the company’s elegant aDesign housing and has a LinkFit Connector. The cable comes in 1.5m and 2.5m lengths for $99 and $149, respectively.