Aerielle Technologies representatives said their StreamBase and Stream XR wireless audio transceivers will be available for purchase on Amazon.com around the end of January.
Already available through Costco’s Canada branch, the Fremont-based developer’s transceivers extend the broadcast range of home entertainment systems, iPods™, MP3 players, televisions, and gaming systems. The portable Stream XR connects via a standard 3.5mm headphone jack, while the StreamBase is intended for use with home entertainment systems and includes RCA, Digital Coaxial, Digial Optical, and headphone connector plugs alongside two Mini-USB charging parts.
Both the Stream XR and StreamBase incorporate volume and broadcast controls.
The transceivers can broadcast 7 possible channels of audio data to fellow transceivers across a 2.4GHz frequency simultaneously within an extended range — 75 feet for the Stream XR, and twice that range on the StreamBase. Their wireless networks allow audio playback across speakers spaced across a house or area without spreading cables from speaker to speaker.
The precedessor to the Stream XR, the i2i Stream (compatible with all newer models), is available through Costco Canada as a pack-in deal for a limited time.
Trauben’s Impressions
I’m intrigued by the technology on display here, although I’d have to try it out on my own system (in a quieter place than a convention show room) to really get a good feel for the concept’s execution. All the same, I’m pleased to see the tech applied here; who wants to have to string wires all over the place?
Huneycutt’s Impressions
This is something of a nebulous affair for me. The system worked adequately, and the tech is solid, but ultimately the question is sound quality. The example we were shown was a pair of relatively high-quality noise-dampening headphones connected to an MP3 player, a laptop, and a TV. The X-Factor here was the quality of the individual audio units, and this was something that was completely unquantifiable. That said, I felt the performance from the MP3 player (whose distance from the streaming unit was about 1.5 feet) was the best, the laptop was completely acceptable at a distance of 20 feet, and the television was frankly awful. This is a bit perplexing, as the TV, at approximately 15 feet had a smaller broadcast range. All I can conclude from this is that I would need a more in-depth hands-on with the hardware to give it a fair run. Its applications seem to be limited to the home-user environment, though this is far from a limiting factor. The ability to connect a MP3 unit to the XR and wirelessly control the audio of an environment without moving is attractive, and should give this unit a strong move-factor. The StreamBase has the advantage of giving the home-user the option to move audio around the house, or watch a film without disturbing other occupants of the same room. Ultimately, the real question is quality and degree of sound delivery over space, and its nearly impossible to judge the unit without extended testing in a controlled environment. Look for our hands-on review, hopefully following shortly.