German hi-fi company Raumfeld is making its U.S. debut by offering presales on Nov. 20 of select high-resolution wireless multiroom-audio products through its website.
The company unveiled its wireless products and U.S. marketing plans earlier this year. The company is carrying over its direct-to-consumer distribution strategy from Europe so it can offer a great value and get direct feedback from customers, the company said at the time.
Raumfeld is offering the products at a discount during the presale and expects to ship products to U.S. consumers in February. The company will also sell through Amazon in February.
The presale products consist of the tabletop One S speaker at $189 for a discount of $60, a bundle consisting of the One S and One M tabletop speakers at $848 for a savings of $159, and a bundled soundbar, subwoofer and One S at $1,449 for a savings of $399. The One S is a mono speaker that can be paired with a second One S to create a stereo pair.
The company has also said it plans to offer three active stereo pairs: the $649/pair Stereo Cubes, the $1,399/pair Bookshelf M, and the $2,399/pair floorstanding Stereo L pair along with a $299 Connector, which adds wireless multiroom audio to an existing sound system. Also planned is the $89 Xpand, which creates a Raumfeld-dedicated network.
The products are positioned as offering “the best of Teufel,” a sister hi-fi company that’s also owned by privately held Berlin Acoustics Group.
All products stream high-resolution audio files up to 192kHz/24 bits, access a variety of music services including Tidal’s CD-quality service, and use coaxial drivers to retain sonic detail and deliver wider imaging, the company said. The stereo pairs will feature wood cabinets.
The products stream audio from networked PCs and NAS drives, networked mobile devices, and devices plugged into a speaker via USB or line input, including turntables. The company’s iOS and Android apps will aggregate all networked content and content stored on USB-connected devices.
Each speaker will also access the cloud directly to stream music from Spotify, Tidal, Rhapsody, Sound Cloud and TuneIn, with others to come. They also feature Spotify Connect technology.
Each model is available in white or black matte, with all but the opening-price model featuring cast aluminum accents. All come with four preset buttons so consumers can choose a cloud service or playlist without launching a smartphone or tablet app.
The products incorporate Wi-Fi b/g/n and Raumfeld’s patented sync technology to sync the arrival times of music from room to room. Raumfeld does its own R&D and design.
