Visit in store to hear how Simple Audio's Roomplayers compare to the mighty Sonos
If you haven't heard of Simple Audio before, the company was founded in 2008 by ex-Linn employees.
Their brief was to create a new system that would deliver the very best quality audio possible, not only now, but in the future. They wanted it to be simple to use and simple to set up. It would have to be scalable too, capable of meeting the music needs of a single person, or that of an entire family home. What's more, they wanted it to be an affordable high-definition digital sound system without a high-end price tag, so everyone could benefit from the joy of experiencing the wonderful depth and richness of studio-quality music in their own home.
The first thing the Simple Audio team decided was to use HomePlug AV Powerline technology to transmit music to different zones around the home, rather than wireless networks used by the likes of Sonos and AirPlay.
Why? Because PowerLine technology is more robust, therefore minimising the dropout and sound quality problems often associated with wi-fi.
The aim was to create a system that is simple to set up, distributing music via the mains electricity cables already installed in your home.
The other key requirement was to make the system capable of playing everything from standard MP3 files to high-resolution 24-bit studio quality music. To that end, the system will handle MP3, AAC, WAV, AIFF, FLAC and Apple Lossless files, as well as internet radio. But not WMA or DRM files.
You also get access to Deezer and WE7, plus Tunein internet radio, so you'll never be short of music to play.
In addition to playing back music from your iTunes library and internet music services, it will also handle music from attached devices such as an iPod or iPhone via the 3.5mm jack on the front.
The hardware
Simple Audio is offering two products. The Roomplayer I (£599), with 2x50W built-in Class D digital amplifier, which connects directly to your speakers.
If you already have an existing hi-fi or home cinema system, you can add the Roomplayer II (£499) which does without the built-in amplification.
There's also a free iOS control app for your iPhone or iPad, although it hasn't yet been optimised for the iPad's larger screen – that development is in the pipeline we're told.
Sat, 09 Jun 2012 19:38:22 GMT