Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Philips Fidelio Soundsphere listed on Amazon UK
Philips are pushing their Fidelio speaker docks quite heavily these days, having signed up former Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher to front their marketing, and they are featured quite heavily on Amazon UK as well, including the listing for the Fidelio Soundsphere Airplay speaker.
Philips Fidelio Soundsphere with AirPlay
Philips have with the announcement of the Fidelio Soundsphere AirPlay taken their Fidelio range of speakers to the next Apple level by adding support for Apple AirPlay.
The Fidelio Soundsphere is not a traditional speaker dock, like its cousins the Fidelio DS9000 for example or one of its main competitors, the B&W Zeppelin Air. Instead you get two stylish cone shaped speaker units with standout flower protruding tweeters to go along with the docking station itself.
The wi-fi enabled Soundsphere system brings full AirPlay support, although from what i can tell there is no screen displaying sound information (not that you really need it when you have the iPhone/iPad in your hand). As usual the docking station is a nice addition as you can always dock your device for charging.
Expected UK release date for the Philips Fidelio Soundsphere is sometime in May here in the UK, but that has not been confirmed yet. According to a listing on Amazon UK it is temporarily out of stock, but is listed at £715.
The Fidelio Soundsphere is not a traditional speaker dock, like its cousins the Fidelio DS9000 for example or one of its main competitors, the B&W Zeppelin Air. Instead you get two stylish cone shaped speaker units with standout flower protruding tweeters to go along with the docking station itself.
The wi-fi enabled Soundsphere system brings full AirPlay support, although from what i can tell there is no screen displaying sound information (not that you really need it when you have the iPhone/iPad in your hand). As usual the docking station is a nice addition as you can always dock your device for charging.
Expected UK release date for the Philips Fidelio Soundsphere is sometime in May here in the UK, but that has not been confirmed yet. According to a listing on Amazon UK it is temporarily out of stock, but is listed at £715.
Friday, May 27, 2011
AirPlay car stereos: where are they?
I have to admit that i'm not the most patient of people and generally want something before it is available, but AirPlay has been around for almost a year now, and yet there very few systems on the market, and none for car stereo.
In my opinion Airplay should be a perfect fit for car stereo systems, bypassing all those stupid cables needed to connect your iPod/iPhone, and with no need to have a docking station attached. All i would have to do then would be choose the car stereo system as the AirPlay device and Bob's your uncle. I want that, and i want it now!
For a short time it looked like one solution would be the Photofast AP1000 but that seems to have fizzled out as well.
So what is holding the audio industry back from delivering Airplay systems for car stereo; is it a matter of cost and licensing with Apple? or is it a driving security issue (which i can't see any arguments for)? Pershaps if anyone in the industry is reading this they could share some insight with the rest of us, that are un-patiently waiting for wireless audio streaming in the car to arrive.
In my opinion Airplay should be a perfect fit for car stereo systems, bypassing all those stupid cables needed to connect your iPod/iPhone, and with no need to have a docking station attached. All i would have to do then would be choose the car stereo system as the AirPlay device and Bob's your uncle. I want that, and i want it now!
For a short time it looked like one solution would be the Photofast AP1000 but that seems to have fizzled out as well.
So what is holding the audio industry back from delivering Airplay systems for car stereo; is it a matter of cost and licensing with Apple? or is it a driving security issue (which i can't see any arguments for)? Pershaps if anyone in the industry is reading this they could share some insight with the rest of us, that are un-patiently waiting for wireless audio streaming in the car to arrive.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Airplay on Windows Media Center
Apparently by using a free add-in that works together with the Apple bonjour service you can now enable AirPlay through Windows Media Center, but for now only for video and photo streaming.
It is Pocket-lint that is reporting the story as the person behind the add-in got in touch with them with the breaking story. As mentioned at the moment the service does not support music, but it looks like that will be in the cards soon as well.
The add-in is in the beta stages at the moment, but if you want to try it you can download it from madeformediacenter.com and it is a free download.
It is Pocket-lint that is reporting the story as the person behind the add-in got in touch with them with the breaking story. As mentioned at the moment the service does not support music, but it looks like that will be in the cards soon as well.
The add-in is in the beta stages at the moment, but if you want to try it you can download it from madeformediacenter.com and it is a free download.
Friday, May 20, 2011
White JBL On Air Airplay speaker available through John Lewis
The second true Airplay speaker dock to be launched into the UK market, the JBL On Air Airplay dock is now available from John Lewis in white color.
So far the UK has had limited access to Airplay speaker docks, with the exception of the B&W Zeppelin Air which was launched back in March and is the flagship of speaker docks, regardless of AirPlay or not, but priced at the higher end at close to £500.
The JBL On Air speaker dock to be fair can not be compared directly to the Zeppelin Air, despite its unique circle design, it is lacking that same sophistication that follows the Zeppelin. Don't get me wrong, the JBL On Air is still a good speaker dock that with its size will easily fit into any room or setting.
JBL has also done a good job with the On Air speaker to make the most out of the design in terms of sound experience, adding the 360-degree HALO (horizontal acoustic level optimization) for a room wide music experience.
John Lewis is currently offering the system in white only retailing at £329 - click here
The JBL On Air speaker dock to be fair can not be compared directly to the Zeppelin Air, despite its unique circle design, it is lacking that same sophistication that follows the Zeppelin. Don't get me wrong, the JBL On Air is still a good speaker dock that with its size will easily fit into any room or setting.
JBL has also done a good job with the On Air speaker to make the most out of the design in terms of sound experience, adding the 360-degree HALO (horizontal acoustic level optimization) for a room wide music experience.
John Lewis is currently offering the system in white only retailing at £329 - click here
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Denon AirPlay upgrade: How to upgrade your Denon to AirPlay
Yesterday i wrote about some of the exciting new Denon AV Airplay receivers that are coming onto the UK market in to coming month or so, but if you own any of the below AV receivers from Denon you can also upgrade these to support AirPlay.
Here is a page for Denon UK with further information on upgrading to AirPlay for the different devices. All you need is a valid Credit Card or PayPal. Following successful registration of upgrade you will be charged GBP39.
Best of luck with your Denon AirPlay upgrade!
- Denon AVR-3311
- Denon AVR-4311
- Denon AVR-A100
- Denon RCD-N7 CEOL
Here is a page for Denon UK with further information on upgrading to AirPlay for the different devices. All you need is a valid Credit Card or PayPal. Following successful registration of upgrade you will be charged GBP39.
Best of luck with your Denon AirPlay upgrade!
Monday, May 16, 2011
Denon launching AirPlay enabled AV receivers for 2011
The newly announced range of 2011 AV receivers from Denon consist of 5 different models, with 3 of them being AirPlay enabled.
Denon's new AV receivers are expected to start coming onto the market this month, and besides the 3 models that are AirPlay enabled, all of them will support 3D pass-through, which has been made standard by Denon.
The Denon AV receiver models that feature Apple AirPlay technology are: AVR-1912, AVR-2312, and AVR-3312. In addition to AirPlay these receivers also support DLNA for streaming other file formats (audio and photo) from a computer or NAS device.
The top Airplay model from Denon will have 165w per channel and will come with an extra HDMI output. UK price is yet to be confirmed for this top model.
All of the AirPlay models from Denon AV receiver range is expected out in June. I will be back with more information and where to buy when it becomes available.
These will surely be much welcomed in the AirPlay AV receiver market.
[source: WhatHiFi]
Denon's new AV receivers are expected to start coming onto the market this month, and besides the 3 models that are AirPlay enabled, all of them will support 3D pass-through, which has been made standard by Denon.
The Denon AV receiver models that feature Apple AirPlay technology are: AVR-1912, AVR-2312, and AVR-3312. In addition to AirPlay these receivers also support DLNA for streaming other file formats (audio and photo) from a computer or NAS device.
Denon AVR-1912
The lowest priced of the AirPlay models will feature six HDMI inputs and one output, seven channels of 125w, and Audyssey MultEQ. It is believed the UK price will be about £500 for this model.
Denon AVR-2312
Expected to be priced at around £800 in the UK, this model takes you up to a 7.2-channel receiver with 135w per channel, plus an extra HDMI input compared to the lowered price model.
Denon AVR-2312
All of the AirPlay models from Denon AV receiver range is expected out in June. I will be back with more information and where to buy when it becomes available.
These will surely be much welcomed in the AirPlay AV receiver market.
[source: WhatHiFi]
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Logitech with no planned AirPlay devices....yet
According to a forum post Logitech has no immediate plans to make any of their current iPod speaker docks Airplay compatible, stating that at the moment they are not partnering with Apple AirPlay.
As one of the leading providers of iPod speaker docks for years, Logitech was one of the companies that we expected would be embracing AirPlay, but at least for now it looks like Logitech will stay 'docked'.
[source: Logitech forum]
As one of the leading providers of iPod speaker docks for years, Logitech was one of the companies that we expected would be embracing AirPlay, but at least for now it looks like Logitech will stay 'docked'.
[source: Logitech forum]
Where is the iHome iW1?
One of the big AirPlay questions out there at the moment seems to be what has happened to the iHome iW1? And so far we are none the wiser/
The iHome iW1 was the first AirPlay speaker announced after Apple first introduced the technology, and it was widely expected to the the first system to become widely available in the market, but that has not happened.
Having searched the web for information the closest i have come is that a UK release was expected for March/April, around the same time as B&W Zeppelin Air became available. At the moment, in terms of speaker docks with AirPlay, the Zeppelin Air pretty much stands alone in the UK market with more systems coming soon.
As for the iHome iW1 and the other AirPlay systems from iHome, i can only guess on a release date for now. Based on earlier information though it looks like it will come exclusively to Apple and be priced around £300.
[source: Electricpig]
The iHome iW1 was the first AirPlay speaker announced after Apple first introduced the technology, and it was widely expected to the the first system to become widely available in the market, but that has not happened.
Having searched the web for information the closest i have come is that a UK release was expected for March/April, around the same time as B&W Zeppelin Air became available. At the moment, in terms of speaker docks with AirPlay, the Zeppelin Air pretty much stands alone in the UK market with more systems coming soon.
As for the iHome iW1 and the other AirPlay systems from iHome, i can only guess on a release date for now. Based on earlier information though it looks like it will come exclusively to Apple and be priced around £300.
[source: Electricpig]
Pioneer VSX-1021 AV receiver first of many with AirPlay from Pioneer
It looks like 2011 is the year when Apple's AirPlay technology really gains some traction in the market, even with well known brands like Pioneer who have just released their first AirPlay compatible AV receiver in the Pioneer VSX-1021.
Pioneer getting onboard embracing the new technology for wireless streaming of audio and video from iTunes and iOS devices is another sign that it is not only Apple and specialised speaker dock producers that are now embracing the technology. As someone that believes in unified systems it is also nice to see that AirPlay is being embraced by AV receivers, giving people more options for creating their own bespoke home entertainment systems.
The Pioneer VSX-1021 is a 7.1-channel AV receiver with AirPlay integration, so all you have to do to enable it is to connect the receiver to your home ethernet or to your home wifi (requires an additional wifi adapter).
The system is not yet widely available in the UK, but expected retail price is around £500.
It is clear that audiovisual manufacturers are starting to see the sales potential of AirPlay devices, knowing the explosive growth Apple has seen in sales of their iOS devices, including the iPhone and the iPad, over the last couple of years. There is an estimated 160 million iOS devices currently in the global market.
[source: iPodRepublic]
Pioneer getting onboard embracing the new technology for wireless streaming of audio and video from iTunes and iOS devices is another sign that it is not only Apple and specialised speaker dock producers that are now embracing the technology. As someone that believes in unified systems it is also nice to see that AirPlay is being embraced by AV receivers, giving people more options for creating their own bespoke home entertainment systems.
The Pioneer VSX-1021 is a 7.1-channel AV receiver with AirPlay integration, so all you have to do to enable it is to connect the receiver to your home ethernet or to your home wifi (requires an additional wifi adapter).
The system is not yet widely available in the UK, but expected retail price is around £500.
It is clear that audiovisual manufacturers are starting to see the sales potential of AirPlay devices, knowing the explosive growth Apple has seen in sales of their iOS devices, including the iPhone and the iPad, over the last couple of years. There is an estimated 160 million iOS devices currently in the global market.
[source: iPodRepublic]
More AirPlay to come from Harman Kardon
Although Harman Kardon is the company behind the JBL On Air AirPlay speaker, they have bigger plans for the new Apple AirPlay technology across their range of sound systems and AV receivers.
They have unveiled that they in the next few months will release an AirPlay module for current AV receivers, and that their coming range of AVR's will also be equipped with AirPlay technology, which is very welcomed news for everyone who wants less wires in their lives.
Harman Kardon embracing AirPlay follows in the footsteps of other AV receiver producers, including Pioneer, Denon, and Marantz, with more sure to follow.
Their new AVR range will also support DLNA as well as AirPlay, thereby opening up for the wireless streaming of a lot more filetypes than just the Apple compatible ones.
I will be back with more details of Harman Kardon's AirPlay devices as soon as the information becomes available.
[source: Twice]
They have unveiled that they in the next few months will release an AirPlay module for current AV receivers, and that their coming range of AVR's will also be equipped with AirPlay technology, which is very welcomed news for everyone who wants less wires in their lives.
Harman Kardon embracing AirPlay follows in the footsteps of other AV receiver producers, including Pioneer, Denon, and Marantz, with more sure to follow.
Their new AVR range will also support DLNA as well as AirPlay, thereby opening up for the wireless streaming of a lot more filetypes than just the Apple compatible ones.
I will be back with more details of Harman Kardon's AirPlay devices as soon as the information becomes available.
[source: Twice]
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Airplay now available with Sonos Zoneplayer
Wireless sound system provider Sonos has announced that their systems are now becoming AirPlay compatible with the latest Sonos Systemsoftware 3.4.
Although Sonos will be delivering AirPlay support for their systems in the software ugprade, you will still have to invest in an additional AirPort Express adapter from Apple to enable the AirPlay functionality between your iOS device and your Sonos Zoneplayer.
Our friends at iPodRepublic.com have provided the following overview/guide as to how to set up the Sonos Zoneplayer for Apple AirPlay.
Although having to get an additional adapter is not ideal, at least you will be able to take advantage of AirPlay without replacing your existing system.
Although Sonos will be delivering AirPlay support for their systems in the software ugprade, you will still have to invest in an additional AirPort Express adapter from Apple to enable the AirPlay functionality between your iOS device and your Sonos Zoneplayer.
Our friends at iPodRepublic.com have provided the following overview/guide as to how to set up the Sonos Zoneplayer for Apple AirPlay.
Although having to get an additional adapter is not ideal, at least you will be able to take advantage of AirPlay without replacing your existing system.
Monday, May 9, 2011
B&W Zeppelin Air - The ultimate AirPlay speaker dock
We might have been waiting for a few months for it, but the Zeppelin Air from Bowers & Wilkins has arrived, all packed with the same great design and improved sound - and of course full AirPlay functionality.
The evolution of the B&W Zeppelin has stayed true to the unique and popular design (luckily) of its predecessor, but inside changes have happened to improve on what was already among the best iPod speakers in the market. All five speakers in the unit are now driven individually by audiophile class D amplifiers to create what B&W themselves deems to be the ultimate iPod speaker set up.
It has also been upgraded to the latest DAC (digital to analogue converters) to make sure that you get the best possible reproduction of the sound.
If you have invested in an iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch over the recent year or so, you will definitely want to consider adding a B&W Zeppelin Air to the collection - your ears will love you for it!
The B&W Zeppelin Air is available in the UK from amongst other:
- John Lewis at £499
- Apple at £499.95
- Bestbuy £ 499.99
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