Latest Spotify news from Sonos.  

Sonos and Spotify have been working together, making some significant upgrades to ensure that your customers who listen to Spotify on Sonos enjoySpotify, all around their house.

Dear Sonos users-

If you desire additional controllers for your Sonos system Amazon may have just the ticket. They just began taking orders for a $49 Android-based controller.  It could be a perfect solution for downloading and using the Sonos app. See Amazon's info here:

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Amazon expects to put new tablets and Fire TVs under the Christmas tree with the launch of a $49.99 tablet, a new kids' tablet with a price cut, and two new Fire HD tablet sizes at 8 and 10.1 inches.

The 10.1-inch model is the company’s largest screen tablet to date.

On top of that, the company unveiled two new Fire TV cord-cutting streaming-media players, both the first with 4K Ultra HD streaming. And it added the Alexa voice assistant to the Fire TVs and a new Fire TV Stick.

Here are the details:

Amazon's Fire TV with voice remote

Fire TV Trio

Three new Fire TVs include a new Fire TV Stick, a Fire TV set-top box that adds 4K Ultra HD streaming, and the first gaming-oriented set-top-box package with included game controller. It also streams 4K.

All are the first with Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant to scour the web for information and streaming songs and deliver a natural-language response. The Fire TV devices continue to offer voice control via an app or voice-enabled remote, but Alexa will be extended next year to such functions as finding and playing TV shows and movies, navigating Amazon Fire TV, launch apps, and the like.

The Fire TV Stick is available with standard remote at $39.99 like before, but a $49.99 version now comes with voice-control remote, previously sold separately at $29.99, It is available for pre-order today (Sept. 17) and ships Oct. 22. Like its predecessor, it comes with 1GB RAM, dual-core processor, and 8GB of storage.

The Fire TV set-top box with 4K 30 fps streaming is available for pre-order today at $99 and ships Oct. 5. It retains its predecessor’s $99 price point but adds 4K streaming of content from Netflix, Amazon Video and Prime Video, enabling it to access more 4k content than any other streaming-media player, the company contended.

It also features 75 percent more processing power than the predecesor, which ran up to 1.7GHz. The new model runs at 2x2GHz plus 2x1.6GHz.

The new models also offers twice the graphics performance and adds expandable microSD storage up to 128GB to complement 8GB of embedded storage. The original 1080p model launched in early 2014 lacked memory-card slots, came with only 8GB of embedded storage, but was later updated with a firmware upgrade to add USB storage.

The new model also steps up to add Wi-Fi 802.11ac and the more efficient HEVC video codec, reducing the home-network bandwidth needed to stream HEVC-encoded HD content.

RAM remains the same at 8GB.

The Amazon Fire TV Gaming Edition is available for pre-at $139 and will start shipping Oct. 5. It combines the new 4K Fire TV with a new game controller, a 32GB MicroSD card, and two included games: “Shovel Knight” and “Disney's Ducktales.”

Amazon Fire TV Gaming edition

The new game controller, also sold separately, features new ergonomic design, a headphone jack and microphone to access Alexa voice search.

The streaming-media players access such video services as Netflix, Amazon Video, HBO Now, Hulu and WatchESPN; access to streaming-audio services; and can download and play games, the company said. The settop box versions play high-performance games, while the Stick plays casual games, the company said.

$49.99 Fire Tablet

Amazon's $49.99 Fire tablet

Amazon’s current opening-price tablet is the $99 6-inch Fire tablet, which isn’t getting an upgrade, but the company is reducing its opening price for a tablet to $49.99 with the launch of the 7-inch Fire with 1024x600 IPS display with 171 PPI, quad-core 1.3GHz processor, 1GB RAM, front- and rear-facing cameras with 2-megapixel and VGA resolution, 8GB embedded memory, up to 128GB of expandable storage, Wi-Fi b/g/n/, and battery delivering seven hours of activity.. A buy-five-get-one-free six-pack costs $249. The new model is available for preorder and ships Sept. 30.

Its new Fire OS 5 includes an updated user interface said to replicate the look and feel of a magazine plus “hundreds of new and upgraded features and platform updates,” the company said.

This Friday & Saturday is Rockford Art Museum's Greenwich Village Art Fair/2015. Enjoy works by over 135 artists along the Rock River at Riverfront Museum Park. While at the fair, stop by Point Bar! presented by Kortman Gallery and enjoy a Love Lemon Martini, a blend of vodka. limoncello, and a splash of fresh lemonade garnished with a lemon slice pierced with a peppermint stick!...now a fair tradition...and new this year...Fresa Mojada Martini, a blend of strawberry run, tequila, finished with a splash of ginger ale and garnished with a fresh strawberry! Both cocktails are deliciously refreshing! And of course a selection of beer and wine and other popular drinks.

Hi everyone-

We have resisted adding 'learning remotes' to our line card. Quite frankly as a category they are hard to set up, program and reliability has been average at best.  I only sell and install products that I know are reliable and high performance so our customers don't have issues.

I've changed my mind. We have added the Harmony remotes to our product family.  They continued to ask us to carry their products and after a number of clients asked me if we offer such a product I decided to try Harmony.  I bought one to use at home and I have to say they are very cool!  I programmed it to control our audio/video system at home and it has been very reliable.  The Harmony comes with it's own remote and 'hub', which connects to your wifi router.  The really cool feature is that once you purchase and we program the system we can join the Harmony app on your smartphone or tablet to allow system control from anywhere in the home.  You don't need to be in the actual room to control your A/V system. Example- you've gone to bed and it dawns on you that you left your audio/video system on downstairs. Pick up your smartphone from the comfort of your bed and turn the system off with one 'button' push.  Very cool!

The Harmony remote will also control 'scenes'. One selection will turn on your TV to the desired input, turn on your Blu-ray player, turn on your home theater receiver and switch each device to the proper input. No more multiple remotes laying on your end table. For Sonos users some Sonos features may also be controlled from the Harmony remote.

There are various remotes and options available depending on how many devices you wish to control.

*The SmartHome remote series also allows control of Nest thermostats, Phillips Hue lighting and some window shade brands.  We can also supply you with Nest and Phillips Hue products.

Give me a call or send me an email if you'd like more information.

Thanks!

Doug

Hi everyone-

Sonos has a new software update that drops today.  Among other updates they have updated the Controller app (including for those that use the original Sonos remote control CR200 Controller).   Updated features include:

Google Play: Music recommendations based on time of day; enhanced playlist support

Pandora: Shuffle between all of your Pandora playlists using the Sonos app.

TuneIn Radio: New intuitive set of user icons; high def album art

Play:1 Hardware update: A fine-tuning of the Sonos Play:1 speaker at mid to higher volume levels AND more audio optimization when using the Play:1 speaker with the Sonos SUBwoofer. Don't have a Sonos subwoofer?? Call me to buy one!!

Home Theater: More integration when using the Playbar with the Sonos SUBwoofer and twin Play:1 as surrounds.

*FInd out more about these free enhancements to your Sonos system here http://blog.sonos.com/news/and-the-listening-is-easy/

Thank you!

Doug

Hear More Music LLC

815.877.6832

hearmoremusic@gmail.com

Hi everyone-

Just a note to clear up any confusion to all who are subscribing to Beats streaming music (formerly MOG) service and who own Sonos systems.  Beats Music was recently purchased by Apple (yes, THAT Apple).  Apple has now created their own music streaming service and named it, strangely enough, Apple Music.  So eventually Beats will go away and Apple Music will replace it.  That is all fine and hopefully good but...

If you own a Sonos system and if you currently subscribe to Beats you know that you can access Beats and enjoy it on your Sonos system. However Apple Music is not yet available on Sonos.  Sonos announced that Apple Music will be available through their system 'later this year'.  Good enough but, again, if you unsubscribe to Beats now you can not YET replace it with Apple Music on Sonos.  Sonos as they announce below will notify you when Apple Music is available.

In the mean time enjoy Beats on Sonos!  If you don't subscribe to Beats...never mind.

Enjoy.  Thank you- Doug at Hear More Music.

Commercial break- did you know we have a Facebook page? 'Like' us hearmoremusicllc.  We are also on Twitter as @hearmoremusic. Please follow us!

Below is the email that went out to Beats Music users today:

KEEP THE BEAT ON APPLE MUSIC.

Apple Music is here! It packs the features that you know and love from Beats Music with a whole lot more. But don't take our word for it - feel it out for yourself. If you want we'll make sure all of your playlists and music preferences join you. (Oh yeah, and the first three months are on the house.) Want to migrate your music? Visit our FAQ: https://support.beatsmusic.com/hc/en-us/articles/204806894  PS. If you're not ready to jump ship yet, no sweat. Beats Music is still kicking. We'll give you a big heads up before last call. 

Sonos will be updating the controller software for all Sonos systems this summer.

Important Controller Info from Sonos Sonos is dedicated to providing the ultimate music experience and continually adding new features through software. As a result, we must focus our software development efforts on newer operating system versions. This will impact existing functionality in affected controllers that we unfortunately can no longer support. Controllers affected: • CR200/Control • Android 2.1 • MAC OS X 10.6.6 This summer some controllers will no longer have the ability to set up a new Sonos system, add new players to your existing Sonos system nor manage music services. The controllers affected will still be able to control your system as it does today to search, play music and group or ungroup rooms. We are working to keep your existing app functional for as long as possible, but the Sonos app will no longer be available for download for this Android or OSX version. *If possible we suggest you update your Android or Mac device to the newest software

Sonos Two-room promotion  Sonos is offering a two-room starter promotion for a limited time only. Priced at just $349 it consists of two PLAY:1 amplified loudspeakers.  If you are starting a new Sonos system this is an affordable way to introduce this music system  experience in two rooms or use both Play:1 as a stereo pair in one room.  Add their SUB (subwoofer) for a funtastic sounding two channel stereo system.  Add a $99 Sonos BOOST for increased SonosNet coverage. This promotion is available now and will be ending soon.  Questions? Give us a call at 815.877.6832.

Following beta testing over the last several weeks, Sonos 5.3 is now available for all supported iPhones, iPads, and Android devices. The update introduces some new things for your Sonos and fixes others that they did not get right with the release of the Sonos app last spring. You’ll enjoy simpler room control, an improved design for the tablet app, and a quicker way to move back and forth between screens.

I've been using Tidal's new high-resolution music streaming service. It sounds so much better than Beats, Spotify and Pandora!  Here is a review of their service from our friends at ToneAudio. ToneAudio publishes a free online audio review magazine which you can receive free to your inbox each month. www.tonepublications.com. They also review music, wine, high-end cars and more cool stuff.  The review:

A First Look At Tidal’s Music Streaming Service

Along with all the wacky things that happened in the world today, TidalHiFi launched their music streaming service.  So the quote goes, “who needs another rock and roll band,” and it might be said with equal weight, “who needs another music streaming service?”

But we do.

Unlike all the other streaming services, Tidal is serving up their music at 16/44.1 resolution.  For those not so techie, this is pure CD quality resolution, not the dumbed down mp3 files that everyone else is offering.  And the difference to anyone that cares is huge. Yes, yes, I love analog and my vinyl, but I’m totally tired with the thought of moving 12,000 CDs and 6,500 albums this May when Pamela and I move into Portland’s Pearl district and an 800 square foot apartment.  Millions of tracks, served up on my iPod, through the digital output to my dCS DAC?  Sign me up.

I love music, that’s the reason I bought my first decent stereo system in the first place when I was about 17 years old.  38 years later my enthusiasm hasn’t waned, but lugging around physical media has.  If you had been sitting next to me in high school (like our web editor, Ellen Green was) and whispered in my ear, saying “dude, someday you’ll have 20,000 albums,” I would have never believed you.  But it’s 2014 and I do.

If you’re the rabid music collector that has ten or twenty pressings of everything, the idea of streaming CD quality music probably doesn’t sound like anything that impressive.  But if like me, you’re a music lover, who even after purchasing almost 20,000 albums, cringes when the person behind the counter at the music store says, “find everything you need?” This is your lucky day.  Of course I found everything I fucking needed, I just couldn’t afford to bring 1,500 albums home today.  Duh.

Even with todays music servers, you still have to rip all those darn CD’s that you no longer want and then, depending on the size of your music collection, you might just have to become a part time IT guy as well.  Who needs it?  Not me.  The Tidal service sets you free and allows you to discover and enjoy music without any of the headaches.

So, how does it work?

Unlike the logjam that is Spotify, you’ll be up and listening to music in about 90 seconds with Tidal.  Give em a user ID, password and credit card number.  Download the app – bingo!

Like most other systems, there is an artist, album and track layout, with others favorites, etc etc. You can stream on your iPhone or iPad instantly through headphones, and if your phones are up to the task, you’ll immediately notice the increased fidelity that streaming 16/44 makes.  But we’ll argue about that more later.

Using my iPhone 5 as the physical streamer proved decent, but the larger screen of the iPhone 6+ definitely makes this all more readable for those of us 50 and over.  Interestingly, the Bluetooth connection between the Apple TV and the iPhone 6 makes for a much better musical interface, with a much bigger and more fleshed out sound, the 5 sounding like mp3 by comparison.  An hour into the demo, it’s getting a lot more interesting.  Yeah, they’ve got 12 Tommy Bolin albums in the queue.  Hmmm.  Keith Richards, check.  The new Annie Lennox album, double check.  No Tim Curry yet though, or the Beatles, but they expect to flesh the catalog out sooner rather than later. Do I really want to move all that vinyl in May?  I’m thinkin EBay.

How does it sound?

With so many audiophiles peeing themselves about DSD downloads, seriously, I could care less.  I’ve got a couple of great DAC’s in the house and for the most part, this vinyl lover can live happily every after with 16/44.  And who knows, maybe Tidal will start streaming high res files one of these days.  Until I know for sure, I’m not giving the guys at HD Tracks another penny, and neither should you.

While the sound quality via Bluetooth is excellent, hardwiring the connection from the iPhone, going via USB is much, much better. A quick listen of Laurie Anderson’s Home of the Brave instantly reveals how much more musical nuance is brought to the party – particularly in the upper registers.  Now, the Bluetooth connection sounds like early CD, with a bit of graniness. However, the Iphone does not use the latest, greatest Bluetooth protocol, so there’s probably more performance to be had here.

Tidal does not mention what master is used for any of these tracks, but a side by side comparison of the Laurie Anderson stream from Tidal and the original CD reveals no discernable difference between sources, via the dCS Paganini stack.  So the rest of you should be ace.

The bad with the good

As awesome as all this is, there are still a few things to be addressed, but for a 1.0 release, Tidal is pulling all A’s.  First, they don’t have everything, so you can’t dump your whole music collection just yet.  But there is a lot to listen to, and I was truly amazed at the catalog depth they’ve pulled off out of the chute. Bluetooth playback is still slightly glitch, but it is with every other Bluetooth device I’ve used, so we’ll call this a neutral.

However, that’s about 3% neutral to bad, 97% awesome.  Sound quality when Bluetooth is on point is excellent, and hardwiring your iDevice to your DAC sounds as good as any transport or streamer.  Tidal is promising Sonos and other streamer compatibility in the near future, so you can count on this getting better too.

The ability to make and save favorites and playlists is also quite good, but being wishful, if Meridan licensed the Sooloos interface to Tidal, the combination would be untouchable.

All nitpicking aside, Tidal offers a way to ditch all or most of your physical media, and have the music you love whenever and wherever you want it, all for $20 a month.  If this isn’t worth an Exceptional Value Award for 2014, I don’t know what is.  I can’t think of a better way to enjoy music!  Now you can be the guy with the major music collection without lugging all those boxes of albums around.  And, they are streaming music videos too…

www.tidalhifi.com