Systemline Airway in-ceiling speakers are AirPlay enabled with Airport Express

Sonos has had a pretty decent hold on the multi-room speaker market for a while now, so it is always nice to see some tough competition, as it tends to improve the overall market. With their Airway in-ceiling speakers, Systemline is making a valid effort, if only they had gone fully Airplay integration.

The Systemline Airway solution looks simple enough for DIY implementation, and it does not take up much space since you can integrate it in ceiling etc. But since the system does not have an integrated AirPlay chip at this stage, you have to rely on using it combined with an Airport Express adapter.

The set up includes two speakers (stereo set up) that can be integrated into wall or ceiling, connected by Cat5 cables running to a wall plate, which again connects with the Airport Express using a optical digital cable, and the power supply.

Wouldn't it be great if a system that can be integrated into wall/ceiling came with the necessary set up to avoid having to have too many additional adapters to open up for wireless audio streaming? Perhaps Systemline, or someone else, will bring fully integrated Airplay next.

If you are interested in the Systemline Airway in-ceiling solution you can find out more on their website. Price and availability to be confirmed.

[source: Slashgear]

Griffin Twenty - a new and amplified AirPlay solution

Griffin is present at CES in Las Vegas armed with amongst other an AirPlay amplifier that can turn any speaker into an airplay speaker, the Griffin Twenty.

So what exactly is the Griffin Twenty you ask? In short it is an AirPlay enabled amplifier that allows you to connect any non-powered speaker for wireless sound. It uses a docked Airport Express to support the AirPlay streaming, but unlike using only an Airport Express, which requires powered speakers set up, the Griffin Twenty does the 'powering' for you.

The Griffin Twenty comes with a Toslink for connecting to the Airports optical port, and a power pass through to ensure the Airport Express has the necessary power input as well.

Griffin is yet to confirm price of the Twenty and a release date, but I will update with information as soon as available. It is also worth noting that you have to buy the Airport Express adapter separately, unless Griffin decides to bundle it with the Twenty.

Russound AirGo brings AirPlay to the outdoors

Weather proof outdoor speakers might not be for everyone, but for those that are interested, Russound are bringing AirPlay to the outdoor speaker market with their new AirGo wireless speaker.

While most Airplay speakers these days have AirPlay technology built-in in form of a BridgeCo chip enabling the wireless streaming over Wi-Fi, Russound have chosen to go down the AirPort Express route, integrating a weather proof slot for inserting an AirPort Express in the AirGo speaker. AirPort Express adapter handles all the technology side of Airplay streaming, and can be used with pretty much any speaker/sound system in the market that has a 3.5mm line-in for example.

There are other portable Airplay speakers in the market, like the iHome iW1 or the AQ Smart speaker, but the Russound AirGo is the first permanent outdoor speaker with AirPlay that can handle the different weather conditions. It does not come cheap however, as the AirGo alone is priced at $399 / £320 and you have to add another $99 / £77 for the AirPort Express adapter.

[source: theverge]