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playGo USB hands-on: Like AirTunes, only better
Right now, if you want to pump music on your Mac or PC to some nice speakers or a stereo in your house, you have a few options. With iTunes, you can always use AirTunes to wirelessly connect your laptop or desktop machine to an AppleTV or an Airport Express Wi-Fi base station that's connected to a stereo or speakers. playGo is a US$449.99 piece of hardware from Bicom that doesn't rely on Wi-Fi to stream lossless sound to speakers. TUAW received a review unit recently, and here's my take on this bit of audiophile technology. Design The playGo comes in two colors -- white or orange -- and is made up of two pieces; the playGo tx, which transmits music from your computer, and the playGo rx, which receives the signal and connects to speakers or an amplifier. The playGo pair is machined of Corian, the rock-hard material that's used for countertops. The units are then hand-assembled, and the quality of construction is pretty obvious. The disk-shaped (4" diameter by 1" high) playGo tx connects to your computer via a USB to micro-USB cable, and is bus-powered. The square playGo rx (4" x 4" x 1" high), which looks like a larger, bleached version of the current Apple TV, must be plugged in, and includes a pair of gold-plated RCA connectors and a single digital audio out port. There are no controls on the tx unit with the exception of a single connect button on the bottom. On the rx are capacitive touch controls that are engraved into the unit -- a power button, play/pause button, beginning/previous and end/next buttons, and volume up/down buttons. %Gallery-156595% The specs for the digital output are impressive: 24-bit/96khz digital spdif output (TOSLINK), 192kHz option Burr-brown SRC4192 sample rate converter Clock regeneration for jitter-free clocking Distortion-free volume control (256 step 0dB to -127.5dB digital attenuation) and the analog output is no slouch either: 24-bit/96khz digital to analog conversion 106dB dynamic range -93dB THD+N 2V output Gold plated RCA connectors Green LEDs illuminate the center band of the playGo rx and tx units when they're in operation. How playGo USB works For me, the test of how well-implemented a hardware device is revolves around the need or lack of a user manual. Fortunately, one was not included with the unit I was testing, so I had no choice but to bravely start plugging equipment together. The tx unit was plugged into my office iMac with the included USB cable with its gold-plated connectors, while the rx went downstairs into a Bose home theatre unit. When the playGo tx was plugged in, the middle of the unit glowed red, indicating that it was not yet connected to an rx unit. The second that I plugged in the rx unit, both glowed green to show that they were talking to each other. Setting up output was as simple as pulling up System Preferences and choosing the Sound settings, then selecting the playGo tx as the output device. During playback of tunes from my iMac, the playGo rx LEDs pulsed green to indicate that it was busy receiving tunes. Powering down the unit causes the power button to glow white so that it's easy to find when you want to power up again. I made a connection to the speakers through the traditional analog cables and was instantly rewarded with crisp, clear music coming through the Bose unit. As mentioned earlier, the playGo USB doesn't use Wi-Fi, so there's no Wi-Fi connection required. It uses its own wireless protocol that doesn't interfere with others, so you're assured that it's not chewing up your network bandwidth when you're playing music. The big plus of the playGo USB is just how easy it is to set up. I didn't need a user manual, I went through no complicated setup process; instead, it was truly plug and play. One concern I do have is that Bicom advertises the playGo USB as being able to simultaneously transmit music to multiple rx units in different rooms, but there's no indication that they sell the rx units separately. The future and my conclusions Bicom apparently realizes that the market for this device is somewhat limited, as they've recently begun a Kickstarter project to bring the playGo AP1 device to market. This will be an AirPlay-compatible version of the playGo, so that any Wi-Fi connected iOS device or Mac can beam music to the box. Since Wi-Fi setup will be required for the playGo AP1, the new device will include Ethernet and USB outlets on the back. The design remains pretty much the same. I can't help but feel that the playGo USB won't be a big seller and that Bicom is betting the house on the AP1 instead. The price tag of the present unit definitely puts it into the realm of audiophiles who aren't averse to spending a few hundred bucks for a new way to move music around. The AP1 is less expensive since it won't require a separate tx unit, and that may make it more attractive to a larger audience. I was very impressed with the playGo USB. The setup process was the first I can honestly describe as plug and play; it just worked. The sound quality of the music beamed from my iMac to the Bose home theatre unit about 50 feet away was exceptional, and the build quality of the paired devices is unparalleled (except for Apple products). Whether you decide to back the playGo AP1 project and wait for that edition of the device, or if you buy a playGo USB now, Bicom and the playGo product both bear watching in the future.
Bicom turns to Kickstarter to fund its new playGo AP1 AirPlay device
Bicom, makers of the Corian-hewn playGo USB will unveil a new AP1 AirPlay device, but only you if help fund it. After finding out that it wasn't able to produce last year's gear in enough quantity to bring the price down, the company has gone down the Kickstarter route to raise $150,000 in advanced funding. If it reaches its goal, the AP1 will connect to any stereo or pair of powered speakers, pumping out lossless audio for the audiophile in all of us. You can pre-order one right now for $200 or wait and see if the company succeeds, when it'll cost $275 off the shelf.
playGo USB does wireless audio in the style of a kitchen counter top (update)
Audiophiles wanting to wirelessly liberate their music from desktop speakers have a tough choice -- buy a $99 Airport Express, which uses a less-than-ideal 3.5mm line-out jack, or spend big on a Sonos. Audiophiles wanting to wirelessly liberate their music from desktop speakers can either grab a $99 Airport Express or a $299 Sonos Play:3. Bicom's playGo USB is the new cord cutting kid on the block, and it's aiming for the middle slice of that market. For $450 you get a transmission unit which connects via microUSB to your computer and a receiver that connects to your HiFi with RCA or Optical cables. Song streaming couldn't be easier, the two have a range of 75 feet and pair up automatically over the 2.4 GHz band to send 24-bit sound to your beloved home audio kit. To stand out from the crowd, the playGo is hewn from Corian (yes, the stuff used for kitchen counter tops) and has a layer of LEDs to add some color to your musical experience. It's currently on sale for $400, but let's be honest -- you can't put a price on freedom from wires, can you? Update: The Airport Express' line-out port is a hybrid -- capable of using analog or optical cables. Update 2: We incorrectly wrote in the original version of this post that the Sonos Play:3 was more expensive than the playGo USB, the Play:3 is $299 [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
THIEL adds HDMI and wireless to its zoet multiroom audio system
The press release doesn't get too specific about details, but THIEL is already lining up upgrades to its IP-based, multiroom zoet audio system. Sometime in 2009 after the April launch of the zoet db1 system, expect to see HDMI (8 inputs, 2 outputs) and wireless connectivity making way onto the options sheet. Don't let these future upgrades keep you from picking up the first version, though, as they will be retrofittable to early adopters (for a fee, of course). Unfortunately, we can only guess what the upgrade pricing might be. This system is based around powered versions of THIEL's SCS4 (the SCS4D), so we'll make two guesses -- it will sound good, but it won't be cheap. Full press release after the break.
THIEL showing off IP-based, high-end multiroom audio
High end speaker manufacturer THIEL is showing off THIELnet, their new IP-based audio distribution system developed in conjunction with BICOM. It's a system, indeed, with multiple parts to mix and match: the distribution processor (dB1), speakers (SCS4D) and subwoofer (SS1D) are all IP-addressable; there's a IP adapter (dS1) for bringing third-party speakers to the, um party; and PC-based software (Streamer) to tie into your library. Maximum capacity for the system is eight zones, each with eight speakers, and synchronization is done between zones to get rid of nasty echo effects. If this all sounds complex, don't worry -- the system is designed for quick setup even by novices. Better still, THIEL has kept everything digital right up to the speaker cones -- each speaker has its own digital crossovers and 250-Watt amplifier. Put it all together and you get great sound for everybody. THIEL expects to be spreading the IP/crossover/amplifier module across its lineup, but is starting off with the SCS4D. Pricing is still unannounced, but expect a high end style ticket befitting the THIEL sound quality and name.