If you want to start a successful technology company, it helps to have a vision of the future. When a group of Silicon Valley entrepreneurs and engineers banded together to form Sonos, Inc. back in 2002, they foresaw a future where people could stream all the music they love over the Internet, and play it anywhere in their homes.
We've definitely arrived at that point. But back in the early naughts, when the iPod was just a year old, when Apple's iTunes store was a year in the future, and when most people still spun CDs when they wanted audio entertainment, it wasn't at all obvious that streaming was the future of music.
Fast-forward a decade or so, and Sonos has become a huge force in music playback. Wireless whole-home music has become a huge hit, and Sonos dominates the category. Seeing the success of Sonos, many established audio brands are now entering this space.
All these systems share some common characteristics. They distribute audio to devices throughout your home over a Wi-Fi wireless home network. You can play music from local sources (PCs and Macs, smartphones and tablets on your local network), and from a selection of streaming services as well.
All of them are controlled by free apps that run on iOS and Android devices: both smartphones and tablets. All of them let you create groups of speakers, so you can play the same music in several rooms, with independent volume control for each zone, plus master volume for the whole group. All systems let you combine two speakers into a stereo pair, for greater output and a more immersive stereo effect.
But there are some key differences. Some systems support playback of high-res audio files; others (including Sonos) do not. Like Sonos, some systems let you combine speakers (often a soundbar and sub plus two satellite speakers) for 5.1-channel surround sound; but not all systems have this option. Some systems, but not all, support Bluetooth, so that visitors can stream music from their devices without loading the system app.
Some systems let you search globally for music from all available sources, both online and local. With others, you use the app for the streaming service that's playing. And of course, there are differences in the streaming services that the various systems support.
THE SONOS SYSTEM
Sonos essentially created the wireless multi-room music, and has been in this space the longest. So it makes sense that it has the most comprehensive lineup. These include three self-contained wireless speakers, the PLAY:1 at $219, PLAY:3 at $329 and updated PLAY:5 at $549.
For the home theatre, Sonos also offers the PLAYBAR soundbar and matching SUB subwoofer, each priced at $749. You can connect the PLAYBAR to your TV, and use it instead of your TV's built-in sound system. You can also stream music wirelessly through the PLAYBAR and sub.
Finally, there's the CONNECT wireless receiver ($399) for use with an existing sound system and CONNECT:AMP ($599) for use with conventional passive speakers.
To configure a Sonos system, you first download Sonos app to an iOS or Android device. Then you plug in the first Sonos speaker, and push a couple of buttons on the top. The app will instruct you to select Sonos as your Wi-Fi network, then enter the network name and password for your home network. It then transfers that information to your Sonos speaker, and asks you if you want to install more Sonos speakers. You can designate speakers as stereo pairs, or as surround speakers in a 5.1 setup in conjunction with the PLAYBAR.
Once everything is set up, you can choose which online streaming services you want to use and enter log-in information. Sonos supports a huge range of services, which in Canada include Deezer, rdio, Slacker, Songza, Spotify, Tidal, TuneIn Internet radio and many more.
After that, you can search for music across all the services to which you subscribe, and send it to one Sonos device, or to several, with independent volume control for each. In my experience, the system is elegant and simple. It's easy to set up the system, easy to add new Sonos speakers, and easy to use on a day-to-day basis.
This fall, Sonos made two major announcements. First, it updated its flagship powered speaker, the PLAY:5. The new model contains three mid-bass drivers and three tweeters, each with its dedicated amplifier.
The other announcement was an enhancement to the Sonos app called Trueplay. Trueplay lets users customize the sound of Sonos speakers to compensate for room acoustics, not just room layout, but the way objects in the room reflect and alter sound. This is an especially attractive function for lifestyle music systems like Sonos, where speakers are often placed in less-than-ideal locations.
When you launch Trueplay, the app prompts you to talk around the room while speaker emits a series of beeps and squawks. The app analyzes these tones, then tunes the speaker accordingly. Trueplay works only on iOS devices, not on Android, because the characteristics of the microphone in the device are more consistent in the Apple world than with Android.
NEW PLAYERS
Established audio manufacturers aren't sitting back, waiting for Sonos to eat their lunch. They're developing their own multi-room systems, with their own attractive features. In fact, Sonos isn't the first company to offer wireless multi-room products with room correction. That distinction belongs to Mississauga, ON-based Paradigm Electronics Inc., whose new Premium Wireless series incorporates Anthem Room Correction (ARC), which is also employed on audio-video receivers and processors from Paradigm's sister company Anthem.
As you can read below, Sonos now has some very serious competitors, all with their own compelling value propositions.
BLUESOUND
Pickering, ON-based Lenbrook International, Bluesound's parent company, also owns NAD Electronics and PSB Loudspeakers, both of them renowned audio brands. True to its audiophile roots, Bluesound supports high-resolution audio, to 192kHz/24 bits. A wide range of streaming services is supported, including Spotify, Deezer, Rdio, Slacker and Tidal - the last of which offers an option for uncompressed CD-resolution audio.
Lenbrook launched the Bluesound brand two years ago, and this fall launched a second-generation lineup. All models have Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity, for one-to-one pairing with smart devices.
The current Bluesound lineup include three self-contained powered wireless stereo speakers: the Pulse Flex, a small two-way powered speaker that can be wall- or desk-mounted ($349); the Pulse Mini, a biamplified 50-watt 2.1-channel system ($599); and the updated Pulse 2, an 80-watt biamplified speaker ($999). All models feature headphone output jacks, as well as combined digital optical/analog input jacks for connecting external components like disc players and set-top boxes. There are also top-mounted soft-touch controls for volume and track skipping.
Two Pulse speakers can be grouped into stereo pairs, for greater output and a broader stereo image. Currently, there's no option for surround sound.
The Node 2 preamp/controller ($599) is intended for people who want to add Bluesound functionality to an existing stereo system. You can connect it to an amplifier or surround-sound receiver via analog or digital output.
The Powernode 2 ($999) combines a stereo amplifier with a Bluesound controller; just add the speakers of your choice (and a subwoofer as well if you wish). The Powernode 2 uses the same HybridDigital amplifier topology employed on the NAD D3020 amplifier, which has received very strong reviews (including one in this magazine).
A unique model is the Vault 2 ($1,499), a Bluesound controller/music server that lets you rip music without a computer. You can load a CD into the Vault 2, and the component will automatically store its contents on the built-in 2TB drive (either in lossless FLAC format, or compressed MP3), then stream that music on demand to other Bluesound players in your home. You can also purchase high-res music from the Bluesound app from HDTracks and HiResAudio.com, and have it downloaded directly to the Vault.
DENON HEOS
When Denon launched its HEOS multi-room system in mid-2014, the lineup included three self-contained wireless stereo speakers, the HEOS 3, 5 and 7 ($329, $449 and $699 respectively); the 100-watt-per-channel HEOS Amp ($599); and HEOS Link wireless receiver/preamp ($399).
Since last year's launch, Denon has fleshed out the HEOS system, adding a soundbar/subwoofer combination and an entry-level compact wireless speaker with battery option.
Retailing for $1,099, the HEOS HomeCinema has HDMI inputs and outputs, with support for Audio Return Channel so that you can play audio from your TV (and components connected to your TV). It also features Dolby TrueHD and DTS:Master Audio surround-sound decoding and Virtual 5.1 processing. This capability differentiates the HEOS HomeCinema from competing products like the Sonos PLAYBAR, notes Brendon Stead, Senior Vice President, Global Product Development for D M Group. "Other products typically have optical inputs and two-channel sound," he elaborates.
The new HEOS 1 ($299, shown at left) is an IPX4-rated water-resistant speaker, suitable for use in the bathroom or kitchen, or outdoors on the deck or near the swimming pool. For outdoor use, there's the optional HEOS 1 Go Pack ($129), which provides six hours of running time per change, as well as Bluetooth connectivity for one-to-one pairing.
Sold by custom home-theatre installers, the HEOS Drive eight-channel amplifier ($2,999) can deliver music to four zones from a single chassis, under control of the HEOS app.
The HEOS app now allows stereo pairing of HEOS speakers, a function that wasn't offered initially. Stead says Denon will add the ability to combine HEOS speakers for true 5.1-channel surround sound in the spring of 2016.
There will be more HEOS products in 2016, Stead says. Putting HEOS capability into some Denon surround-sound receivers is also on the roadmap.
Streaming services supported in Canada on the HEOS platform include Deezer Rdio, SiriusXM Soundcloud, Spotify, Tidal and TuneIn Internet radio.
DTS PLAY-FI/PARADIGM PREMIUM WIRELESS
DTS, Inc. is best known for its surround-sound technology, used in cinemas and home theatres. But a couple of years ago, the company launched a multi-room wireless music system called "Play-Fi." DTS doesn't make Play-Fi products, but instead licenses the technology to audio manufacturers, much as it does with its surround-sound technology.
Play-Fi products are inter-operable, so models from from different manufacturers can be integrated into the same system, all under control of the same app. Play-Fi licensees include American speaker brands like Definitive Technology and Polk Audio, and audiophile brands like MartinLogan and McIntosh Laboratory.
One of the most interesting Play-Fi licensees is Canada's Paradigm Electronics Inc. Launched this fall, the Mississauga, ON company's Premium Wireless line includes two self-contained wireless speakers: the PW-600 and PW-800, priced respectively at $699 and $899. There's also the PW-AMP ($599) for people who want to use their own speakers in a Play-Fi system, and the PW-LINK ($399) for adding Play-Fi capability to an existing audio system.
The free iOS and Android apps let users combine Play-Fi zones into groups, and pair two Play-Fi speakers for stereo. However, there's currently no option for combining multiple Play-Fi speakers for 5.1-channel surround sound.
DTS also offers a free Play-Fi application that allows users to send music to a single Play-Fi device from a Windows PC. Not just music: it also sends Windows alerts and chimes. For US$14.95, users can download a paid version, Play-Fi HD, that disables alerts and beeps, and allows playback to multiple Play-Fi devices.
When you launch the Play-Fi app, it shows all the available media: music on the device, on servers connected to the network, Internet radio, and streaming services that are available in the user's region. In Canada, these include Spotify and Songza. All this content is aggregated under a single interface.
Play-Fi supports playback of locally stored high-resolution files to 24/192, but will downsample for playback over Wi-Fi if necessary. Paradigm is unique among Play-Fi brands in offering wired Ethernet connectivity. Not only does this provide more reliable playback of high-res files at native resolution through multiple zones, the Ethernet option increases the maximum number of Play-Fi zones from 16 to 256.
The signature feature for Paradigm's Play-Fi lineup is Anthem Room Correction (ARC), which is built into all models. Every Premium Wireless product ships with a calibration microphone that connects to the USB port on a Windows PC. Users can download ARC software free of charge. They're prompted to hold the mic at ear level in the primary listening location, activate a test tone, and repeat the process at different locations. The software analyzes the results, and then wirelessly adjusts the Premium Wireless product to compensate for room acoustics. "Where ARC will really come into play is areas like kitchens and bathrooms, where there are a lot of hard surfaces and irregular cavities," says Zoltan Balla, Director of Product Development at Paradigm.
Paradigm plans to migrate ARC to iOS and Android, so users can perform room correction with a mobile device. Balla estimates that's about a year away.
Paradigm will expand the PW line over the next year. Next on the roadmap is a Premium Wireless soundbar. The LINK, soundbar and future PW products will have auxiliary inputs, not just for local playback, but for playback of the connected source in other Play-Fi zones as well.
HARMAN/KARDON WIRELESS HD
There are three products in Harman/Kardon's Wireless HD multi-room music system: the Omni 10 Wireless HD Speaker ($270), Omni 20 Wireless HD Stereo Speaker ($400), and the Adapt ($180) for adding Omni wireless capability to an existing audio system. True to its name, all HK Wireless HD models are capable of streaming high-resolution digital audio to 96kHz/24 bits. Streaming services supported in Canada include Deezer, Mix Radio, rdio and Tidal.
You operate the system with the Harman/Kardon Controller app, available for iOS and Android. To begin playback, you just drag the icon representing the music you want to play to the icon for the room where you want to hear it. You can use the Group button in the app to link rooms. Two Omni speakers can be grouped into stereo pairs.
You can pair a smartphone with an Omni speaker via Bluetooth, and then press the Link button on the speaker to restream music from that phone to other Omni speakers throughout your home. You can also restream music to different rooms from an external component connected to the auxiliary input on an Omni speaker or Adapt.
There's also a Party Mode for playing the same music throughout your home, and a Follow-Me feature that lets you walk from room to room, and press a Link button to have your music follow you.
LG MUSIC FLOW
In addition to three self-contained powered wireless speakers priced from $220 to $450, LG's Music Flow lineup includes the H4 portable speaker at $250, the 4.1-channel HS6 soundbar/subwoofer combination at $600, and the 7.1-channel HS9 soundbar/subwoofer system at $1,600.
You can play music stored on mobile devices running the Music Flow app, as well as music from streaming services, which in Canada include Deezer, Spotify and TuneIn Internet radio. The system can also play music stored on computers connected to your home network. Music Flow supports playback of high-resolution audio, to 192kHz/24 bits.
You can pair two Music Flow wireless speakers for stereo playback, or combine two wireless speakers and with a Music Flow-capable soundbar for home-theatre surround sound.
If you have an Android smartphone with NFC (Near Field Communication), you can just tap the phone onto a Music Flow speaker to listen to your music out loud through that speaker, then when you move into another room, the music will follow you. The system will also create playlists based on your mood.
SAMSUNG MULTIROOM 2.0
Samsung integrates multi-room capability into a wide range of products, not just wireless speakers, but also select soundbars and home-theatre-in-a-box surround-sound systems.
Samsung recently introduced a new series of wireless powered speakers. Developed in Samsung's new Audio Lab in southern California, Radiant-series speakers deliver omnidirectional sound through upward-firing tweeters and down-firing woofers that vent into the room through a narrow cavity along the lower circumference (Samsung calls the design a "ring radiator"). The result is a very broad sweet spot, and more consistent sound throughout the room. There are four models, priced from $220 to $600.
Using Samsung's Multiroom 2.0 app, available for iOS and Android, users can send music stored on the device, music from streaming services, and music from devices on the local network to one Multiroom speaker or to several. Supported streaming services include TuneIn, Murfie, rdio, Spotify, 8Trax and 7Digital. There's also a Bluetooth option, for one-to-one pairing with a mobile device.
In the System Edit screen, users can drag and drop speakers to create a stereo pair, or a 5.1-channel system with soundbar and satellites. Speakers can be easily ungrouped as well. "You can use two satellites for surround sound on movie night," notes Jeff Ingram, Training Content Manager for Samsung Electronics Canada Inc., "then revert to 2.1-channel sound in the TV room and redeploy the satellites to other areas."
Many Samsung TVs and Blu-ray players have multi-room options in their menus, allowing users to stream audio to different zones, or configure speakers for stereo or surround sound.
SONY
Sony has an unusually comprehensive assortment of multi-room-capable products, including wireless desktop speakers, soundbars and AV receivers. For 2015, 13 different wireless music products can be controlled by its SongPal app, available for iOS and Android.
There are two soundbars, one of them HDMI-equipped with onboard Dolby and DTS surround-sound decoding; a sound plate that sits underneath your flat TV; three wireless speakers; two micro systems; and two AV receivers. Except for the entry-level wireless speaker, all of them can play high-res files. In addition to Wi-Fi connectivity, all models have Ethernet ports for making a more reliable wired connection. A wired connection is also needed for streaming high-res music; with a wired connection, the system downsamples to CD resolution.
An exception is Sony's Walkman NWZ-ZX2 portable music player, which can stream high-res music to Sony's top two wireless speakers: the SRS-X88 and SRS-X99 (shown at right).
When you launch the SongPal app and hit refresh, it will find all compatible devices on the network. The app lets you group speakers together just by dragging them toward each other,; and then ungroup them by dragging them away. You can send locally stored music, and music from supported streaming services, to one device or several, with independent volume control. While most multi-room systems group streaming services under a single interface, with SongPal, you use the native app for your streaming service, which then plays to the speakers or groups that you've designated. Multi-room playback can also be controlled from the onscreen menus of the STR-DN860 and STR-DN1060 AV receivers.
YAMAHA MUSICCAST
Wireless multi-room audio is built into 20 different products in Yamaha's 2015 lineup, including AV receivers, soundbars, wireless speakers and desktop audio systems. Up to 10 MusicCast zones can be linked wirelessly - and even more if one MusicCast component is hard-wired to the Internet router.
Like other wireless multi-room systems, MusicCast lets you stream music from services like Spotify and Internet radio to one room, or to many, controlling everything from an iOS or Android device running the MusicCast app.
You can also play music stored on computers that support the DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) protocol. Windows supports DLNA out of the box; with Mac, you need add-on software. MusicCast supports high-res audio to 96kHz/24 bits; and some components also allow playback of high-res music in DSD format.
With MusicCast, you can stream audio from a source component that's connected to one MusicCast device to other rooms. So if you're playing an LP on a turntable hooked to a Yamaha receiver, you can enjoy the music elsewhere in your home. If you have friends over for game night, you can watch the event in the TV room, but stream audio from the game to other zones, so that people in the kitchen can keep up with the game.
You can even link one MusicCast component to a Bluetooth device, such as a wireless speaker or headphones, as long as it's within 10 metres. For example, you could use the MusicCast app to link the surround-sound receiver in a family room with a portable Bluetooth speaker so that you can play music out on the deck.