We knew that
Cisco would be
invading the home audio space in '09, but we didn't know it'd be so quickly (and under the Linksys name). Here at CES, the outfit has unveiled the admittedly complex Wireless Home Audio system, which utilizes Ethernet / 802.11n / DLNA in order to stream audio over multiple zones throughout the home. The kit is actually comprised of some very specific components, so let's not waste any time, eh? There's the Conductor DMC350 Wireless-N Digital Music Center, Director DMC250 Wireless-N Music Player with Integrated Amplifier, Player DMP100 Wireless-N Music Extender, Stereo Speaker Kit DSPK50, DMWR1000 Wireless-N Touchscreen Remote, iPod docking station and the DMRIR500 IR Remote. For details on the specific kits, which should go on sale this quarter for $300 and way up, give the read link a peek.
posted Jan 7th 2009 2:01AM
me first. hahahahahahoooooo
this is pretty cool. squeezebox has nothing on this.
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http://www.ROCKandREVIEW.com/
man this is real sleek!! esp the ipod dock!
For those 40mb wav files .. lol
It would look better without the big on button.......... plus why wireless N, it is just music.
expandability? we live in uncertain times: it remains to be seen what standards will win. maybe they'll add a video component, for bluray and/or downloadable content, or a player component that is compatible with one of the new HD music formats.
about time someone released a decent audio system :)
Selling my kidneys to fuel my unnecessary purchases this coming year!
Unnecessary purchase!? Dude, you need to stop smoking...Very sexy, can't wait to ditch my Sonos...
Someone in our house works for linksys and brought this home one day. It's a great product but so many bugs behind it. Hopefully the finally version wont have the problems. The picture may make you assume it's made of high quality material but only it seems like cheap plastic.
Yeah wireless N for music? anyway these bugs you speak of, is it that bad?
So where is this system any different from a Sonos? I have a Sonos system and it has been exceptional. I have owned Linksys products (routers) and they have been less than exceptional. The Sonos has been around for quite some time and is pretty fine tuned, so if I were on the market for a multi room audio system I would probably go with the Sonos so I don't have to be a beta tester for a first gen product from a company that has produced troublesome routers that don't last very long.
Hopefully it will be as good as the Sonos - More importantly with another "Sonos Like" device, hopfully they will all come down in price in a year or so.
(Then in a couple more years we will all be asking why they arn't inter-compatable!)
If I were Sonos I'd be terrified. They've gone years and years charging through the nose for unremarkable hardware tied together by a massive proprietary software system: those days are over. DLNA & UPnP, heralded in by the Xbox360 & PS3, are setting a new bar for home AV system control, and the little monopoly Sonos has held and charged through the nose for is breaking as standardized consumer electronics come to the market at 1/8 the price. And surely, as more companies begin playing in the market, we'll see diversification and evolutions that the Sonos monolopy never had to explore. If I were Sonos I'd be terrified: my monopoly is ending.
It costs as much as a Sonos but doesn't appear to have the mesh networking (yes it is proprietary, but that's because regular 802.11g/n is only hub and spoke) that allows Sonos to scale to many many zones and remain in sync which is the only reason to buy a Sonos over a Squeezebox Duet, anyway. So they've made a Squeezebox Duet that costs the same as a Sonos. And given Linksys's history with media extenders it will be more awkward to use than either. Huh?
Reminds me of the 20th Anniversary Mac.
was about to post the same thing lol
Okay, so it looks pretty sleek, but what I really want to see is something which will allow me to stream h.264 compressed HiDef wirelessly to my TVs... My PS3 does okay for avi, but that isn't what I want! If I could stream HD-movies wirelessly from my mediaserver to my TV, I'd already be queing up, but right now, I don't really see the reason for trading in my Squeezebox duet system.
Multi zone synced audio over wireless ethernet. That's what Sonos has done for 4 years. That's why Sonos is $$$. It's proven, predictable, and it just plain works. Squeezebox can do it up to 4 zones. Cisco's new kit apparently can also do it. Multi zone synced audio. PS3's, XBox 360's, PC Clients, CAN'T DO IT. If you have many rooms and have a need to have total flexibility as to what plays where, it's gonna cost you. Any of you Sonos users that want to jump on the Cisco kit will have no problem finding buyers for the used Sonos kit. It will take some time for Cisco to iron out the bugs. I hope Cisco get's it right, that's tho ONLY way Sonos will ever lower their prices, and then I can afford some more zones. Sonos isn't overpriced untill somebody can do it for less. Until real user reviews start the jury is out.
Why 802.11n? It has greater bandwidth! No limitations of the sonos proprietary mesh network. Mesh network limit the number of zones (although most people will never notice). 802.11n is an open standard, meaning someday ofther manufactures may be able to talk to the cisco gear and vice-versa. If more companies can adopt the technology then cost should drop - fast. 802.11n has QoS and potentially the ability to carry video - seems like someone at cisco is not just thinking about today but the future, at least one press report said something about similar technology in a set-top box from atlantic.
Why 802.11n?
It the bandwidth, QoS, and open standard.
Bandwidth will potentially allow video as well as audio. More rooms can be added than the Sonos mesh network.
QoS in n will make high quality audio and video possible to all zones; even when you are printing a batch of photos or downloading a movie.
The open standard should allow cisco to talk to other devices and vice versa - this means more companies involved and lower costs to all of us.