Russound is tapping two new market segments with its first multizone/multisource receiver and first HDD-based music server.
The receiver is the $1,999 CAM 6.6T, and the server is the $2,899 SMS3. Both are plug-and-play compatible with $199 UNO-S1 keypads, which incorporate Russound’s proprietary RNET communications protocol.
The six-source/six-zone receiver features a 12×20-watt amp and the ability to distribute six sources simultaneously. It’s expandable to 36 zones, and its modular expansion slots can be used to add an optional XM tuner. It doesn’t distribute video.
The smart keypad is a single-gang model with five-character LCD that displays source name, radio frequency name, preset name, and artist and song titles from the HDD server and from the recently available ST2-XM AM/FM/XM tuner at $999. The keypad features built-in IR code library and ability to learn IR codes.
Shipment of the three-zone music server, the SMS3 with 160GB HDD, was pushed back until October from the spring. The 1.75-inch-tall server features CD drive to rip music, plus the ability to store songs transferred from an Ethernet-connected PC.
The server will also store JPEG images transferred from a networked PC or from a CD. It rips and stores in MP3, Ogg Vorbis and WAV audio formats and accesses the Gracenote and Muze databases to automatically retrieve title information and cover art for display on a connected TV and on Russound in-wall keypads.
The SMS3 integrates with other brands of distributed-audio systems via IR and RS-232 and Russound’s RNET connections.
