London based start-up Musaic has unveiled its first wireless hi-fi system. The company, led by former Cambridge Audio technical director Matthew Bramble, demonstrated a suite of products it plans to launch later this year. The advantage that this system has over the competition is two fold, the audiophile will appreciate the fact that it can playback 24-bit files and the music service enthusiast will be able to get the full functionality out of their chosen provider rather than the limited version offered by many wireless systems. Musaic will play music from, Apple and Android devices, Macs and PCs, UPnP/DNLA servers and NAS drives plus many streaming apps. Musaic claims compatibility with apps from Napster, Rhapsody, Grooveshark , iHeartRadio, SomaFM, TuneIn and Aupeo! And is working with another well known service to increase its appeal.
The Musaic system comprises wireless music players in different sizes with in-built internet radio pre-sets, party mode (rooms can be grouped to play the same music at the same time) and touch button control. The players allegedly make use of sophisticated digital signal processing and a fully digital signal chain. They are compatible with MP3, AAC and up to 24 bit /192kHz playback from WAV, AIFF, FLAC and ALAC (Apple lossless). Bluetooth is included for simple point-to-point connections. The Musaic HS20 Home Server stores and backs up content so that it can be played without the need to have a computer turned on.
The system is controlled via free bespoke apps compatible with both Apple and Android devices. The Musaic Control apps allow customers to browse artists, albums and tracks, create playlists, and control where their music is played. The apps also allow customers to browse, play and set favourites from more than 20,000 internet radio stations. Musaic’s PC and Mac apps will also be able to control the Musaic Players, plus control and sync to the Musaic Server, and even act as a server themselves. The apps automatically find content on a user’s computer by interrogating shared folders, Windows Media Player and iTunes. Additionally, the Musaic PC and Mac apps feature metadata clean-up, playlist creation and CD ripping.
Musaic is a member of the recently announced AllSeen Alliance, run by the Linux Foundation. This aims to advance adoption and innovation of the ‘Internet of Everything’ and includes some of the world’s leading consumer electronics and home appliance manufacturers. The AllSeen Alliance’s AllJoyn framework addresses the need for secure, universal interoperability among devices and apps enabling the creation of products that can seamlessly discover and dynamically interact with each other, regardless of brand, platform or operating system.
Musaic will be on Kickstarter from February 2014 – to find out more visit www.musaic.com.