Denver –Wireless multi-room-audio company Sonos came to the CEDIA Expo to announce that its Playbar active soundbar will get a software upgrade so it can be integrated with third-party surround speakers to create a 5.1 surround-sound system.
Previously, dealers had to use a pair of Sonos’s own $299-each Play:3 amplified wireless speakers as surround speakers when used with the $699-suggested Playbar, introduced earlier this year. With the Playbar’s software update due in October, dealers will be also be able to use Sonos’ $499 2×55-watt wireless Connect:Amp to power third-party surround speakers. As a result, Sonos said, dealers will be able to integrate a Sonos Playbar into existing home-theater systems that include in-ceiling, in-wall or bookshelf surround speakers and achieve the aesthetic look that a customer wants. The Connect:Amp can also be used in new home-theater installs that include a Playbar, Sonos added.
The Connect:Amp was developed originally as an amplifier/wireless-music streamer that users could connect to any pair of passive speakers to stream and play back music from a networked PC or direct from online music services.
