Libratone releases firmware upgrade for Live and Lounge speakers

Libratone today announced the release of firmware 2.0 for their AirPlay enabled Live and Lounge speakers.

This new firmware upgrade is said to improve AirPlay connectivity and reduce speaker start up/boot time. You can see a full overview of upgrade features here.

Apple releases iOS 5.1 with AirPlay improvements

Although yesterday was mostly about the new iPad with Retina display, Apple also released iOS 5.1 with bug fixes and improvements, including for AirPlay streaming.

There has been several reports following the launch of the iPhone 4S about AirPlay streaming issues, including reports from AirPlay speaker providers such as Libratone and B&W.

Following the iOS 5.1 announcement Libratone has posted on their facebook page that especially iPhone 4S users should update to iOS 5.1 for improved AirPlay performance.

Have you updated to iOS 5.1? If so we are interested to hear from you about AirPlay performance following the upgrade. Please leave comments below to share your experience with the rest of the AirPlay community.

How to set up your Libratone Live & Lounge

With Airplay speakers, like the Libratone Live and Lounge, starting to use them requires a little bit of set up to make them work over your home wireless network. Libratone has now launched a series of videos that guide you along the set up of your Airplay speaker.

They have also released a video showcasing the beauty of their Airplay speakers in their natural setting as part of your home interior. I have to admit that i have one of these very high on my "things to get in 2012" list.

You can see more videos at the Libratone YouTube channel.

Libratone updates their iPhone App with new features

Libratone have announced that they have released an update to their iPhone App that is used in conjunction with their two Airplay enabled speakers; The Libratone Live & Lounge.

Some of the new features in the updated Libratone iPhone App includes the ability to adjust the sound directly from the App, and choosing between six different audio settings; Easy listening, Soft and Comfortable, Rock the house, Jazz club, Movie time and Live concert.

With the Libratone Airplay speakers now available here in the UK, i'm sure the updates to the iPhone App will come in handy.

iPhone 4S has issues with Airplay speakers

If you own an iPhone 4S and an Airplay compatible speaker/sound system, then there is a chance that you have experience a drop in the audio stream, as iLounge is reporting that an Airplay speaker developer has confirmed issues with streaming from the new iPhone 4S.

Libratone, the manufacturer of the iconic Libratone Live & Lounge Airplay speakers, are writing the following on their troubleshooting page.

"Users of the new Apple iPhone 4S may experience both short and prolonged AirPlay audio drop-outs from time to time, and this issue seems to be occurring on all AirPlay-enabled speakers (from Libratone and other vendors alike). We are working actively with Apple and other speaker manufacturers to resolve this issue and will update our FAQ when we know if the solution is related to the iPhone 4S and/or the firmware for our Libratone speakers. In the meantime we urge you to use other iDevices or a Mac/PC to stream music to our speakers."

 Now it is not unusual that there can be occassional drop-outs in audio stream between an iOS device and an Airplay speaker, but the issue seems to be consistent and severe when it comes to the iPhone 4S. As always there has been no public announcement about this from Apple, but according to this article Apple is working with Airplay speaker developers in finding out the cause of this problem.

Are you an iPhone 4S owner and have experienced issues with audio drop-outs or other streaming problems with an Airplay device? Then please leave a comment below and share your experience with the wider world.