It has been awhile since we heard from Hitachi, but the company has just announced its W Series of wireless, multi-room audio speakers, built on the AllPlay Wi-Fi audio platform. Designed to compete against multi-room systems from the likes of Sonos, Denon, Polk, and Definitive Technology, the W Series includes three tabletop speakers: the $200 W200, the $180 W100, and the $150 W50, all due out this month.
From Hitachi
Hitachi America, Ltd. has announced the debut of three stylish new Wi-Fi enabled speakers powered by the AllPlay smart media platform, a wireless whole-home audio solution developed by Qualcomm. AllPlay is a complete hardware and software whole home audio platform that offers manufacturers and consumers a unified solution for local media and cloud based Wi-Fi streaming across iOS and Android platforms.
Hitachi's smart speakers offer seamless streaming of high-quality local and cloud-based audio content--with the high performance and versatility of Wi-Fi--at three affordable price points. Industry-leading audio streaming music services such as Spotify, Rhapsody and others have committed to supporting speaker products powered by AllPlay this year.
Consumers can use multiple methods for delivering their favorite audio sources to Hitachi Smart Wi-Fi Speakers. A smart phone or tablet can be easily connected wirelessly to individual or multiple speakers using consumers' existing home Wi-Fi network. In addition, iHeartRadio, the all-in-one digital radio and streaming music service, as well as other audio content on Bluetooth-enabled devices, can be streamed to individual Hitachi Smart Wi-Fi Speakers and re-streamed over Wi-Fi to other Hitachi Smart Wi-Fi Speakers connected to the same Wi-Fi network. For even greater flexibility, each high-style Hitachi Wi-Fi Smart Speaker is equipped with a standard 3.5mm auxiliary direct input connection.
2015 W Series Key Features:
Hi-Fi Quality up to 192-kHz and 24-bit audio resolution
Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and Aux In (3.5mm) connections
NFC for quick Bluetooth connection support
Downloadable Smart Device App (Apple iOS (v6,7,8) or Android OS (v2.2 through v4.4)
Party Mode Flexible Speaker Grouping
Up to 10 zones
Individual volume controls for each group
Supported audio codecs: MP3, AAC, AAC+, FLAC, WAV, ALAC, PCM
Shared/Social Playlists
Over-the-air firmware updates
A/C Adaptor
W200, $199.99, available in May
22W, Quad-Driver Array with Bass Reflex
W100, $179.99, available in May
12W, Triple-Driver Array with Bass Reflex
W50, $149.99, available in May
10W, Dual-Coil + Passive Bass Radiator
Additional Resources
• Can DTS Play-fi De-throne Sonos? at HomeTheaterReview.com.
• Polk Omni S2 Wireless Music System Reviewed at HomeTheaterReview.com.
