The new music room is finally finished and ready for the best part...listening to music!

Michael Nesmith's six early 1970s albums for RCA Records appeared on various platforms today, and even more surprisingly, each album was chock-full of bonus tracks. https://www.monkeeslivealmanac.com/blog/michael-nesmiths-rca-albums-arrive-unannounced-with-previously-unreleased-bonus-cuts

Cowboy Junkies just announced a limited quantity of the newly released vinyl re-issues of The Caution Horses, Black Eyed Man and Pale Sun, Crescent Moon. These releases are all audiophile quality, remastered by the band and Peter Moore. Each album is spread across two discs for optimum sound quality, pressed on 180gm vinyl, and in gatefold sleeves with enhanced artwork. Also restocked is the audiophile vinyl re-release of The Trinity Session and the Trinity Revisited CD/DVD, as well as The Kennedy Suite. You’ll also find vinyl and CD copies of All That Reckoning. http://https//www.cowboyjunkies.com/new-vinyl-available/

Soul Of The Machine- A Windham Hill sampler LP of New Electronic Music.

I found this mint vinyl copy at Half Price Books for a buck. The high quality sound and vinyl pressing sounds clear, dynamic and well balanced with a nice lower bass register, all typical attributes of recordings from Windham Hill Records. Soul Of The Machine was first released 31 years ago in 1987 and on the back of the album jacket they remind us that this release is "available on CD and BASF chrome cassette". This release is a collection of various keyboard and electronic artists so if you like this style of music be sure to pick up a copy for yourself. if you stumble across a vinyl version pick it up for sure or, maybe youI can find it on CD...or, cassette. 5 Stars.

Mark your calendar. The 2018 edition of National Record Day is April 21st. You can access the RSD website here, type in your zip code and find out which specialty music retailers in your area will be participating. As in past years, there will be many special editions, re-releases, remixes, outtakes and fun album artwork. http://www.recordstoreday.com/Home

Emily Hurd's new album, Backbone, is out now. Emily has been hard at work, completely gutting and building her new restaurant, The Norwegian. Kids, career, family and countless remodeling 'issues' have slowed progress in opening The Norwegian. However Emily has learned a lot about herself and developed an even stronger backbone. You can purchase her new album here https://emilyhurd.com/music

Emily was also recently interviewed by Jason Todd and Alex Gary at Thinker Ventures podcast studio in downtown Rockford, IL. Have a listen as Emily talks about life, family, and her music. Click on this link to stream from the Thinker website. Or listen to it on the Apple and Android podcast stores. Enjoy.  https://thinkerventures.com/podcast/seeing-finish-line-emily-hurd/

FOX 10's Matt Rodewald spoke with famed musician Alice Cooper, as news came Tuesday of Glen Campbell's passing. Campbell was 81 years old. 

You have to love vintage Bang & Olufsen's design. Over 20 years old and it still has a modern look.

Add a pair of Play:1 powered speakers to the Sonos Playbar and SUBwoofer for a great sounding 5.1 surround system.

We are reaching out to our customers in regards to a recent update Sonos rolled out in early December, 2016. Sonos software release 7.0 included some improvements that Spotify has made to the music experience on Sonos that has resulted in better reliability and will ensure the best listening experience moving forward. These improvements include the exciting launch of full control of Sonos from the Spotify app. 

We wish all of our friends and customers a very merry Christmas and holiday season! 🌲

Hi everyone-

Many of you will have noticed another update from Sonos. This update now allows their TruePlay feature to acoustically set up your Playbar, Sub and, if you have them, your Sonos surround speakers. TruePlay allows you to equalize your Sonos speakers to the acoustics of your room. TruePlay can make an amazing difference in the sound of your Sonos system. Just apply the update on your phone, iPad, Tablet, etc and follow their easy instructions.

Check this out: The latest Sonos firmware update brings Trueplay support to all of its speakers http://www.digitaltrends.com/home-theater/spotify-trueplay-playbar-sub-spotify-connect/ 

Good listening!

Doug

I love Deezer. While driving this morning in my new (to me) used '09 Honda Element I heard an old song by Three Dog Night. Once home I opened the Sonos app on my phone, selected Deezer and searched Three Dog Night. Up popped all of their albums on my Sonos app. I selected Seven Separate Fools.

Now reliving fun music from my musical past. All for the price of one CD a month. Well worth it.

The Sonos SUB (subwoofer) will soon be available in white. Add a white (or black) sub to your existing Sonos system. We are taking orders for October shipments. For previous Hear More Music customers we will deliver and set up at no charge. Contact us to place your order. hearmoremusic@gmail.com. Thanks!

This Spring we installed a 65" Seura television on the back outside wall of this home. Seura outdoor televisions are true weather resistant products and can withstand snow, sleet, rain and hot sun. Good for temps of -30 to 130 degrees! A true high end product. In this application the Seura's audio is tied into their Sonos system which includes two complete outdoor audio zones. For the outdoor audio we installed Paradigm's 'rock speakers.

Wow. I stumbled upon this album today and I'm listening to Can't Get Enough today. It reads like a super group- Stephen Stills, Kenny Wayne Shepard and Barry Goldberg make up The Rides. Mix in some Chicago style blues, rock and stellar jamming and songwriting and it equals a rock 'n roll album with emotion. It feels like hearing that new album that rocked you when you were younger. Their version of Rockin' in the Free World is, well, rockin'.  Can't Get Enough in is stores now and their upcoming album Pierce-Arrow will be out soon.  Catch them on tour- it 'sounds' like it will be a great show. http://www.theridesband.com

-Doug Campbell.Hear & Now.March 2016.

Hear More Music LLC

Hi everyone-

Many of you have purchased a Sonos system from us so we thought you might be interested in hearing about Deezer Elite, a great music service to pair with your purchase. Deezer has done a fantastic job designing a music service for the home and here’s why:

Best Sound Quality- While services like Spotify and Pandora stream in standard digital formats such as MP3 and AAC, Deezer Elite streams in much higher quality FLAC (16-bit/44.1 kHz) and is currently the best sound quality available on Sonos. FLAC is CD quality sound performance- no substandard MP3 or AAC. Imagine millions of songs and albums available to stream in CD quality in any room or outdoor zone in your home!

Unmatched Music Library- With over 40 million tracks in their FLAC format, Deezer has the largest music library among the streaming services.

Seamless Sonos Integration- Deezer’s integration with Sonos lets you easily play a single song for the whole house or a different song for each room. Full albums too!

Great Playlists-  Deezer’s Editors create great playlists intended for use cases in the home. You can also create your own.

In addition to the above, you can also access Deezer’s mobile app and listen to your music anywhere and anytime, all for the same price as standard streaming services.If you’re interested in learning more or signing up, please follow the link below and enjoy a free trial.

Free trial subscription link -------->  http://dzr.fm/aff_ddxqjt

Vinyl is back!

Many people still have vinyl records that they no longer play and some of that great music is still not available on CD or todays streaming music services.  If it is older music from the 50s and earlier it may never have made it to CD.  Vinyl is back- both older artist's albums and today's new music is available so why not add a quality turntable to your Sonos system? Fun!

VinylPlay turntables gives music fans a best-of-both-worlds solution: an excellent record player that's easy to use and can be simply integrated into a modern streaming system such as Sonos.  VinylPlay's integrated analogue-to-digital converter and phono amp makes it simple to connect up to a wide range of modern music systems. For example, you can plug it straight into active/powered speakers to create an instant system. VinylPlay also works with conventional hi-fi and AV systems and if you want to enjoy your records in every room, you can easily connect it into a SONOS system. VinylPlay can be connected directly to the SONOS PLAY:5 speaker, or into a SONOS CONNECT/CONNECT AMP, and onto any speaker on the network!  Enjoy your vinyl records in any Sonos room or zone!  Unlike inferior 'USB' turntables that can damage precious records, VinylPlay uses high-quality components, which also means better-quality sound. VinylPlay is a true hi-fi product - precision made in the UK - but with none of the fiddle or fuss of 'audiophile' turntables. VinylPlay is easy to use - a quick-start guide on the platter will have you set up in seconds; you're only minutes away from music when you open the box! Its sleek, monochrome design - which matches the black and white of SONOS speakers - is kept protected and clean by VinylPlay 's clear, hinged lid. VinylPlay is brought to you by Flexson, the British specialist in high-quality accessories for SONOS.

• Looks good, sounds great
• Set up in seconds; enjoy music in minutes
• Just add powered speakers for instant music system
• Pair with SONOS (directly into a PLAY; 5, or via CONNECT/CONNECT AMP) to stream records around your house
• Make back-up, digital copies of precious records
• Sleek monochrome styling with protective lid
• Plays singles and albums; 33 & 45rpm speed
• Just $599. Can be special ordered in either black or white.
• Free delivery and set up in the Hear More Music service area!

The original Play:5 has been replaced by a new, upgraded PLAY:5. It sounds so much better than the original with more internal power and speaker drivers. It also incorporates Sonos' new Truplay technology- use your iPhone to equalize the PLAY:5 to the room acoustics. Stunning sound plus you can use two of the new PLAY:5 as a left and right stereo pair for a fantastic stereo experience.

We have them in stock and ready for local delivery.

Thanks-

Doug @ Hear More Music LLC

hearmoremusic@gmail.com  815.877.6832

First came MOG. Beats Music replaced MOG...

Now- Apple purchased BEATS several months ago and have replaced it with Apple Music.  Apple Music is now available in near CD quality sound on your Sonos system.  Visit the app store and update your Sonos app.  Apple Music will appear as another available music source in the 'Add Music Services' menu.  Like it's predecessors Apple Music is a monthly subscription service with a free initial trial.

Enjoy-

Doug

If you haven't attended the Axpona Audio Show in Rosemont, IL you've been missing out. http://www.axpona.com

High-end audio, headphones, amplifiers, speakers, CDs and vinyl for sale. Meet manufacturers and factory reps. If you love audio and music you should attend this show. Plus our vendors Paradigm, Anthem, Sonos, Audioengine, Grado headphones, Technics and more will be on display! http://www.axpona.com/exhibitors.asp

*You can still take advantage of early registration until 1/31/16.

Schedule of events and schedule  >>>>  http://www.axpona.com/sessions_grid.asp 

Enjoy!

Doug @ Hear More Music LLC

We have been selling accessories that are manufactured specifically for Sonos for some time now.

Have a Play:1 Sonos speaker that is sitting on a shelf, desktop or (shudder) on the floor?  Add one of these cool stands to not only make your Play:1 look better but also to improve it's sound quality.  Placing the speaker on a stand decouples it away from the shelf or floor that it is setting on.  The result is clearer sound and much greater clarity in the vocals and midrange area of the sound and open up the sound performance of these little gems. Even AM talk radio sounds much better when using these stands. If you stream music from your music library, Deezer, Pandora, etc the improved performance is amazing.

If you are interested in adding these to your Play:1 give our office a call at 815.877.6832 or email us at hearmoremusic@gmail.com. Previous customers will have my cell number and are welcome to call me personally or text me.

Enjoy!

Doug @ Hear More Music LLC

Sonos has released a new room equalization technology for fine-tuning their stand-alone Play:1, Play:3 and Play:5 powered speakers. This coincides with the recent release of their brand new Play:5.  You can use your iOS device's microphone and the Sonos app to tune these speakers to play at their best audio quality. See this Sonos video that explains the technology and how to use it.

The new higher-powered Play:5 offers improved sound quality, more internal speaker drivers and an updated box design.

DID YOU KNOW?

Sonos stand-alone speakers can be used as stereo pairs? Rather than listening to one speaker you can add a second, creating a true stereo sound experience in your room. Add a Sonos SUBwoofer for serious deep bass that also improves the sound of your main speakers.

Feel free to call or email if you have questions- or if you'd like to order a system for your home.

Thanks-

Doug at Hear More Music LLC

815.877.6832

Earlier this week at the annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas Luxul was awarded honors for their network components. We are proud to offer sales, installation and programming of these fine products.  As people add more streaming, wifi and connected products in their homes the network becomes of even higher priority. Just as a solid foundation is needed to build a proper structure, quality networking products are now the foundation of our internet-connected homes.

If you wish to learn more about Luxul and how we can integrate their technology into your home to offer reliable connected and wifi service feel free to call or email us.  Congratulations to Luxul!

This news just released by Sonos regarding people using Apple devices as controllers-

Doug

Hear More Music LLC

From Sonos- We're sending out a software update tomorrow. If you're no longer running iOS6 on the iPhone or iPad you use with your Sonos, you'll be good to go. However, if you're still controlling your system with a device that's running iOS6, here are a few changes you should be aware of. 

During our audio/video system installations the past several years we have been convinced of the importance of a quality internet network.  Like in many businesses today the home's internet network is now the backbone of the home.  This is especially true of one's wireless network and the many devices that now rely on it.

Five years ago there were generally a handful of wifi devices in use at home- a laptop, an iPad and a smartphone. Now, in addition to everyone in the house with a smartphone there are multiple laptops, iPads, Kindles, iPods, Roku, Apple TV, 'smart' televisions, lighting, audio, video (see a trend here?) on the wifi. The old $49 router from your local superstore just can't keep up with all of the internet and wifi traffic anymore.  This decreases the reliability when you want to stream music, youtube, etc.

In 2013 we began selling and installing a high end network product from Ruckus and Access Networks for clients who need a more reliable internet experience. We have now expanded that by adding a second supplier, Luxul, a company that offers a major performance upgrade over the old traditional router.  Luxul offers commercial-grade gigabit routers, switches and wifi access points (even outdoor access points!) that offer fast and reliable service for those who want such performance.

If you have questions regarding the addition of Luxul, Ruckus or Access Networks networking components for your home or commercial business please give us a call or drop us an email.  815.877.6832 / hearmoremusic@gmail.com.