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[jmone]

A few threads on active speakers, so what is the short-list for an Active Speaker that shows as a Zone in MC (so can push to it from Gizmo etc)?  I'm presuming
- Wireless (wired a desirable option)
- these will need to be DLNA
- not worried by price (so much)
- want to be able to put on a deck, move the workshop etc.
- battery option would also be handy

Thanks
Nathan

[jmone]

FYI, found some run out of the Pioneer A3's for A$125 so placed an order.  Will see how it goes I guess.

[jmone]

Just arrived and setup.  First impressions:
- Easy to setup with a wired connection first, then configured the wireless from Its web page
- Updated Firware just fine
- Works on Wireless just fine
- Supports LCPM @ 2ch at 44.1 or 48hz (setup a profile in MC and associted it with the speaker)

Audio quality is "OK".  Certainly not a high fidelity box, more of a small room or workshop quality as it gets quite boomy at high volumes (and you need that to get reasonable sound pressure levels... and even then it will never fill a large space).... but this is what I would expect from a $125 setup. 

I've not had a chance to test how it goes with Sync in a multi room setup (I've had all sorts of probs with mutltiple devices getting out of sync).

There is also a Android (and iOS) app but why bother, as remotes like Gizmo/EOS controls it all.

Verdict?  For A$125 (US$110) it is a great buy as you get
- DLNA Connectivity to MC & Control from Remote Apps (Gizmo, EOS etc)
- Battery Operated
- Wired / Wireless Support
- Acceptable sound quality for casual listening.

The original price was $400... and at that price point it would be overpriced.

[Arindelle]

EDIT : OOPS euh DLNA euh yes, forgot about that little detail   FAIL

friend of mine picked up one of these ... http://www.marmitek.com/en/products/listen/wireless-music/audio-transmitters.php might have more choice with this type of set up -- he has some cheap studio montiors which are biamped that sound ok (no longer good for monitors). You could add some M-Audio AV40's for 100$ not bad

Another has a bluetooth receiver and a pair of Audio Engine A5s these sound very good for what they are ... not specifally audiophile, but nice for what you are talking about. Even the A2s are good for PC speakers - tiny but powerful if you are close or a very small room. Their bluetooth receiver is too expensive for what it is IMO http://audioengineusa.com/

both would turn out to be more money though than what you spent though

Not convinced that spending lots of money on active speakers with wireless is worth it, just my opinion of course

[6233638]

Hmm, the retail price for the A3 is $450 here, and they are currently available for $150 - I guess they must be EOL?
I have heard people say good things about this line of speakers, but was not aware the A3 included a battery.
 
I've been looking for a wireless speaker to fill a small room, so this might be ideal.
I don't expect high fidelity sound from anything that size, but as long as it sounds good I think I will be happy at that price.
 
I would prefer that it had playback controls on the device, but very few wireless speakers seem to any more.

The original price was $400... and at that price point it would be overpriced.

I would say that's true of any of these wireless speakers that I've heard.
This puts it in the same price range as the Sony X7, which I also thought was seriously overpriced - but if it is comparable to that unit, the discounted price seems like it would be about right.

[BernhardS]

I've been looking for a wireless speaker to fill a small room, so this might be ideal.
I don't expect high fidelity sound from anything that size, but as long as it sounds good I think I will be happy at that price.

Take a look at A4, without battery, incl. subwoofer. Bought one by Amazon Germany for 210 Euro (round about 270 $)

[6233638]

Take a look at A4, without battery, incl. subwoofer. Bought one by Amazon Germany for 210 Euro (round about 270 $)

I need the battery, but thanks for the suggestion.
 
The selection for DLNA/AirPlay speakers which are completely wireless (battery powered) is very limited, but I think I will be happy with this for the price.

[jmone]

For the run out price it is very good.

[apgood]

Hey Jmone. Where did you get them at the run out price. JB hifi,  Harvey Norman?

[jmone]

I think this is the link but the Web Pages are not loading for a bunch of sites for me at present!

[apgood]

Tanks. Looks like both the 3s & 4s are both sold out

[Arindelle]

just a question, a little late to regain my street cred I know Started thinking it would be cool to have something like this for me.

These Pioneer's a3 -- ok portable battery etc, some waterproofing ... that's good. But I got to listen to them yesterday and I don't think they would work for me especially outside unless I bought 2 of them. Sort of reminded me of a good "blaster" back in the day without the boom-boom.

Of course these need to be plugged in and connected to each other and are some what "near-field", but I was thinking more of an occasionally BBQ set up and my workshed -- and I don't care. which I now get that this is what you guys were interested in.

Wouldn't something like this work for me pr http://www.ebay.com/itm/WiFi-AirPlay-DLNA-Audio-Receiver-Wireless-Stream-Stereo-Bluetooth-Speaker-3-5mm-/181325646815 (the one I crossed out was not DLNA compliant). + M-Audio AV40  109 euro for both speakers. (nuts for monitors but very efficient although the bass cuts of at 85hz).  Anybody have a suggestion to replace the e-bay box which looks cheap and fragile, that'd be appreciated.

BTW the A3s are 175 usd at amazon US add about 30% for duty for europe -- they have 3 left

[jmone]

What I'm really waiting for are these.  I've a heap of Axiom Speakers and they are great and well priced.

This will save having to duck tape together,
- DLNA device
- Amp
- Speakers

[6233638]

My A3 arrived yesterday and I've listened to it for a few hours now. I'll try to keep things brief:

• I'm very happy with this for the price I paid - and I think that its original price was fair when compared to other devices of this type. (rather than speakers in general, where $429 would get you a pair of pretty nice bookshelf speakers)
• As soon as I switched it on, I realized why I had previously taken it off my list - it does DLNA and AirPlay, but not Bluetooth. It's not a deal-breaker, but definitely makes it less convenient for guests.
• WiFi reception is terrible. Unless I am in the same room as the router, once I get more than 5ft away, the connection LED is always blinking to indicate a weak signal. Sometimes it will take two or three minutes before it manages to connect to the network, however once it is connected, I have had no issues and it has been very responsive.
  
• Enabling the "quick start" feature keeps the network connection active while the device is sleeping as long as it is connected to the ac adapter, which mostly eliminates the annoyance of the previous point. It also means that the device is always available via DLNA/Airplay, and will wake when you send it music.
• Because the design tilts backwards, and the antenna only rotates, the overall footprint of the device is larger than I expected, and so it sits 3/4" over the edge of the shelf I intended to use it on. :-\
• The speaker looks nice enough. I bought it in white, and it seems like something Apple might have released ten years ago when everything was white plastic instead of aluminum.
• Capacitive buttons are never a good idea. I have managed to accidentally switch to the 3.5mm input, and switch the device off when reaching above my head to hit the volume controls. I will get used to where they are, but real buttons would have avoided the problem.
• Comes with a mini IR remote that has playback controls on it. Why are these not on the unit itself?
• Not that it matters, Media Center completely ignores these commands when connected via DLNA.
• I don't believe it's an issue with this speaker, since these are exactly the same issues I had with the Sony SRS-X7.
• Airplay works well. Perfect sync across devices, playback controls on the IR remote actually work etc.

It's a much better speaker than the Sony's SRS-X7.
One of my biggest issues with that, was that it used too much DSP to make up for a bad design, and just did not sound good with at least 1/3 of the tracks I played. There were weird phasing effects on many tracks, and the sound changed considerably as you moved about the room.

The Pioneer A3 has none of these problems. While it may not be the highest fidelity speaker, the majority of tracks I have played sound great.
Make no mistake, it still sounds like a small ported speaker, but it's rare that I play a track and think "this sounds wrong."
 
(yes, that was me keeping things brief)

[6233638]

Well that's no good, went to play some music this morning and it is now refusing to connect to the network at all via WiFi.
 
jmone, how is the WiFi reception on yours? There was some slight cosmetic damage on mine, but I wasn't going to do anything about it. If the WiFi reception is fine with yours I'll see about getting a replacement, otherwise, a refund.

[jmone]

I can test on the weekend if you can wait that long.  Also for BT I already have one of those little BT adapters I use on the large outside system and it is very handy.

[jmone]

Mine seems fine.  Just did a walk around the House and Outside powering it on and off.  Seems to connect each time in under a minute.  The blue NW light is solid in the areas I have good reception and flashes in the areas where it is week but I could still push music to it.

Anything in particular you want me to try?

[6233638]

Mine seems fine.  Just did a walk around the House and Outside powering it on and off.  Seems to connect each time in under a minute.  The blue NW light is solid in the areas I have good reception and flashes in the areas where it is week but I could still push music to it.

Anything in particular you want me to try?

No, but thanks for testing. 5ft away from the router, but through a door, I'm getting a weak signal that can even drop out.
 
In places where it can't connect, other wireless devices show a strong signal, so I think this particular speaker must have been faulty.
 
Due to problems related to DLNA rather than this particular speaker though, I've decided that I'm just going to get a refund instead of a replacement now.
 
If Media Center supported AirPlay, I'd be keeping it.

[jmone]

I used the Pio A3 while building the Chook Shed.  It is 75m from the router, and inbetween was a double brick wall and a suspended concrete slab.  Worked like a champ pushing content from MC (using Gizmo).  The signal was weak but it all still worked (did a spead test from my phone and got 1.6mbps up and down, in the house I'll get 46/1.6mbps when near the router).  Better still I could push live radio streams to it (so it must be able to decode this as it is hit and miss with Andriod Devices I've found!)

[horse]

Hi Jmone,

Does the DLNA support gapless with MC?
Just purchased the last one of these from Pioneer for US$99 to use portable around the garden / yard for background music.

[jmone]

Nope!