Sonos isn’t the only company doing multi-room anymore, and now that Samsung, LG, and Panasonic are giving it a good thwack, it’s time to see what other companies can do.
One of the companies trying out multi-room audio, though, is one we haven’t seen before and yet wants to have a presence in Australia. It’s a brand called “Lenco,” and it hails from the Netherlands, with a history dating back to 1946 and a heritage creating turntables of all things.
We’re still fans of vinyl, and we know plenty who are too, but digital music is the thing these days, and getting it across your home is paramount. It’s not enough to must play it in one room, and with multi-room audio technologies, you can make sure the same track is heard from the bathroom to the living room to the bedroom and so on.
With that in mind, Lenco is entering the multi-room game, employing the same technology that Panasonic is using, with Qualcomm’s AllPlay platform.
Just like in the Panasonic version, Qualcomm’s tech will provide the WiFi connectivity with an app link to let you control the music across various speakers, and Lenco will take care of the audio technology.
We’re told there will be two speakers to start the range off, with the PlayLink 4 and PlayLink 6 providing a 40 watt and 80 watt speaker respectively, but with Near-Field Communication and Bluetooth thrown in if you don’t want to rely on WiFi.
Lenco’s PlayLink 4 has our attention more than the bigger unit because of one very nifty feature, with a removable battery, meaning you can take it out of the house and make it portable, which could make it useful when you’re having outdoor parties.
Both speakers are equipper with Class-D digital amps, and we’re even told the range is compatible with high-resolution audio, meaning there’s support for those 24-bit/192kHz FLAC files you’ve been collecting since more devices started including the technology.
There will also be a PlayConnect model arriving shortly, but there’s no speaker here. Rather, it’s a black box that can turn your existing home stereo system into a multi-room streamer, which could be very useful if you’ve already spent thousands of dollars at home on speakers and don’t want something below your regular dependable speakers.
We’re intrigued by these, and not just because more competition in the multi-room market is good, but also because we’re interested to see how these play with the other Qualcomm AllPlay speakers available through the Panasonic range.
Sound will be the most important part, though, and we can’t yet tell you what the Lenco speakers sound like because we just don’t know, but if you’re keen to audition them with your own ears, you’ll find the Lenco range in stores shortly with the PlayConnect available for $249, the PlayLink 4 without a battery for $359, the PlayLink 4 with a battery for $399, and the PlayLink 6 for $549.
