01.JPGAltec Lansing has come to the rescue of music lovers who like the idea of streaming music wirelessly aroundthe home, but can't afford to invest in systems from Olive or Sonos, or who don't want to be shackled to Apple Air or iOS devices. The inMotion Air universal wireless speaker can pump out any audio stored on a computer up to 333 feet away via an included adapter, while mobile devices can also supply the music via Bluetooth. Audio enhancement technology offers CD-quality performance, regardless of source compression encoding.
Whatever the source of your computer-based audio – Windows Media Center, iTunes, internet radio and so on – plugging in the supplied USB adapter will allow you to stream your sounds to an inMotion Air speaker over a football field's length away, or 333 feet (100 meters) to be precise. Each adapter can support up to two units (for basic multi-room configurations) and a full-featured remote can control the main functions in iTunes, Windows Media Player, and most other music players.
The 13.2 x 3.5 x 4.1-inch (335 x 90 x 105mm) universal wireless speaker can also source audio from most Bluetooth-enabled devices from up to 33 feet (10 meters) away, including iPod Touch, iPad and numerous smartphones. To counter the often below-par sound associated with Bluetooth audio, Altec Lansing has integrated apt-X codec technology to provide a CD-quality audio experience, regardless of file compression encoding. Further enhancement is provided by Waves Maxx audio algorithms.
Within the slate black and gunmetal gray outer casing sit a couple of 3-inch full-range long throw speakerdrivers that are said to offer distortion-free, quality audio, even at high volume. There are top-mounted controls and a useful carry handle, and an auxiliary input jack offers a wired connection for any non-Bluetooth music player. A headphone/line-out jack caters for private listening or routing through to external speakers, and the onboard Li-ion battery is said to give around seven hours of playback between charges.
The inMotion Air universal wireless speaker goes on sale next month for a suggested retail price of US$199.95
