Russound has been talking up its Xstream Wireless Music System for quite some time. Now, they are using this week's CEDIA Expo as a bit of a coming out party for the compact box.
The Xstream is part of Russound's "Audio Everywhere" initiative. And when the company says "everywhere," they mean it. The compact box is designed to connect to any existing network. It does that pretty easily, too, since it's packing both wired and wireless connectivity. That means that you should be able to put the Xstream almost anywhere in the house.
Once it's connected, it can provide a slew of streaming music services. Which ones? Well, we don't know yet.
That said, we like the idea of whole-house music without the need for additional gateways or expenses. In fact, Russound says that dozens of X5 zones can be installed throughout the home. The system's limitations would only depend on your bandwidth.
A complete Xstream system could include locally wired keypads (such as Russound's MDK-C6, SLK-1 or TS3) or you could opt for wireless control via the My Russound App for iOS and Android devices. It will also feature support for third-party integration and control through Ethernet or WiFi, thanks to RIO, Russound's IP-based control protocol.
"Custom pros are always asking for wireless solutions that do more than skim the surface of what is possible in a modern whole-house audio system," said Charlie Porritt, CEO of Russound. "Xstream is a true whole house system, and our dealers will find that it's a seamless fit with nearly any project, no matter if it calls for a wired or wireless audio solution."
As mentioned above, the biggest piece of the puzzle that's still missing here is a list of which services Xstream will actually be streaming. There's no word on pricing or availability yet, either. Expect those announcements to be coming at a later date.
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