WirelessAudioBridge
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Bang & Olufsen unveils Playmaker wireless audio bridge, makes sure AirPlay and DLNA speak Danish
Bang & Olufsen has been slowly but surely adapting to a wireless world. Its new Playmaker (shown at center) brings that evolution to audio: with the receiver linked up, any AirPlay- or DLNA-friendly audio device can beam its sound to a set of the Danish firm's designer speakers. Wireless audio bridging isn't anything new by itself -- we know at least one rival that might say it's old hat -- but the company is promising clean and powerful sound through a built-in DAC that can drive even the beefiest of BeoLabs, like the 2,500-watt BeoLab 5. We can look forward to the Playmaker reaching stores before the end of the month, but we'll pay a premium for all that theoretical power. The bridge by itself costs $425, while a special bundle with BeoLab 3 speakers will set listeners back an eyewatering (if ear-melting) $4,310.
Monster's iSoniCast wireless iPod bridge finally starts shipping
Monster first started talking this one up way back in August of last year, but the company just now seems to have gotten its act together, with it finally starting to ship its iPod Wireless Audio Bridge out the door. Now dubbed the iSoniCast, the device relies on "proprietary 2.5GHz technology" to wirelessly stream music from your iPod to the home audio system of your choice and, like many other similar products, includes a dock conncetor-attached transmitter to let you use the iPod itself as a wireless remote. As you can see above, the device has also gotten a bit of a facelift since its initial debut, but it's hung onto the same price tag, with it setting you back $100 even.[Via Crave]
Monster's latest iPod streamer, the Wireless Audio Bridge
While the iPod remotes have gotten closer and closer to replicating the iPod interface, there's still really no replacement for the original -- which is why we've seen several products that effectively turn the iPod itself into a remote by beaming music from a dock connector-attached transmitter directly to a base station. Monster's new Wireless Audio Bridge brings a dash of style to this approach, with a minimalist black-and-chrome base station and a sleek transmitter. Specs of note include a 30-foot range over the oh-so-popular 2.4GHz channel, and a not-unreasonable $99 pricetag. No word on availability, but we wouldn't be surprised to see these popping up relatively soon.
