Hear More Music

Songza, the streaming music service for expertly curated playlists, is taking the music world by storm. When Songza introduced a new version of its mobile app in June, it was downloaded 1.15 million times in 10 days, and shot to the top of Apple’s App Store rankings. So, what does a red-hot music app do for an encore? Partner with Sonos, of course. Sonos is the first home audio product to bring Songza into the living room, kitchen and beyond. And with all the great buzz about Songza, this is sure to be great news for music lovers. Adding to the excitement is the fact that Sonos users will have exclusive access to Sonos playlists, curated by popular artists like Tori Amos. Oh, one more thing: Songza is 100% free on Sonos and there are no listening limits or audio ads.

With Songza on Sonos you can:

Stream thousands of original playlists curated by music experts Let Songza’s Music Concierge suggest playlists for every day, mood & room Explore the playlist library, organized by genres, activities, decades & more Listen to exclusive Sonos playlists curated by popular artists Discover featured and trending playlists Listen for free, without audio ads or monthly listening limits

The recently introduduced A2 self-amplified loudspeaker has been a favorite of ours since its release late 2011.  We have them on display for audition in our downtown sound.gallery.

Being self-amplified, the A2s can be used with an iPod, iPhone, iPad, mp3 player so you can enjoy the music on these devices without headphones.  Or, team the A2 up with the Sonos Connect for a fantastic internet-based music system.  Call us for details.

 

Here is a new review from Home Theater Review of this fine loudspeaker for your home or office.

***** 5 STARS ***** for the Paradigm SHIFT A2 from HomeTheaterReview.com

"Simply put, the A2 is a fun, fun, fun mother #*&!!! loudspeaker that just so happens to also sound fantastic."

This Friday at J.R. Kortman's Center for Design and Gallery...FIRST FRIDAY!  Stop in and see the fantastic new exhibit and listen to music on our sound.gallery's Sonos sytem.

Doc & Jerry's invite:  We have an exciting First Friday coming up on August 3rd.  “Mao Zi: an exhibition of traditional Chinese hats” opens in the Kortman Gallery. The colorful, mostly hand-made hats represent different periods and provinces of China. Mao Zi is the Chinese term for hat.

    As in most cultures, hats tell a story or represent social status or even express ceremony or celebration. Many of the hats on display are hats created for children by family members, so you could even say that hats represent family endearment.
    Most of the hats on exhibit are older, representing colorful folk art and provincial traditions, while some of the hats are newer, influenced by the cultural revolution. Also included in the show are painting and sculpture replications influenced by Chinese artist Yue Minjun that feature hats.
    These hats are not only little works of art, but personal objects. This exhibit presents a chance to get a first hand glimpse, both visual and tactile, of the culture of this vast and compelling country. You  are welcome to touch the hats’ fabrics and other decorative materials.
    And , of course, Dennis Horton, wearing his finest Chinese hat, will be hosting the Gallery Bar.
    So enjoy the City Market and one of the great Downtown restaurants before or after stopping by and seeing this colorful and exciting cultural event in the Kortman Gallery.

What: “Mao Zi” an exhibition of traditional Chinese hats 
When: Opening reception: Friday, August 3rd, 5:30 to 9pm. The exhibition runs through                     
             September 8th. Gallery & Store open Monday to Saturday, 10am – 6pm.
Where: Kortman Gallery, upstairs at J. R. Kortman Center for Design, 
             107 North Main St.
Admission: Free 
See you this First Friday!
Doc & Jerry

For those of you with Sonos systems, the new SUB is on display in our downtown sound.gallery.  It operates with any amplified Sonos components.  Call us to set up and demonstration in our sound.gallery.  Or, we can arrange to demonstrate the subwoofer in your home.

Now thru August 31st.  Purchase this 4-room Sonos music system and save $150 on labor and installation plus receive a FREE remote control device.

This system includes four amplifed speakers (your choice of black or white). Use one in four different rooms; two in two rooms (in stereo pairs); or one each in two rooms with a stereo pair in a third room!  They can be portable too so pick one up and take it out on the deck!

Listen to your music that is stored on your computer.  Listen to local, regional, national or international radio stations.  Listen to free Pandora Radio.  Listen to many other available services (some have a monthly cost).

Call or email us to find out more.

hear.more.music.

815.877.6832

Cool Stuff For Your Home.

We recommend MOG to all of our customers.  If you want to have access to millions of albums and songs from most any music genre (for only $9.99 a month) at CD sound quality then check out MOG.

If you are the owner of a Sonos music system, MOG can be seamlessly added to your system.

We love MOG and use it everyday at home.

Check out the Forbes.com article about MOG below.

A great article on Forbes about MOG & Spotify. http://www.forbes.com/sites/frederic...blows-it-away/ ============================== When Spotify introduced its streaming music service in the U.S. a few months ago, I raved about it. It gives you access to about 15 million tracks of music, on demand, where and when and on what device you want them, as long as you have an Internet or cell phone connection, and you can download tracks too. It’s almost like owning most of the record albums in existence, and for that reason I wrote that it made a music purchase service like iTunes feel obsolete. Why buy a track at a time when you can have all of them at once? And Spotify costs, in its fullest version, with no advertising interruptions and usable on all mobile devices, just $9.99 a month. Well, move over Spotify. Make way for MOG. MOG is a service like Spotify. It may have slightly fewer tracks—14 million or so, its people say*—but it offers several big advantages that to my mind make it altogether a better deal than Spotify at the same $9.99 top rate a month. First and foremost, everything on MOG streams at a highest-level 320 kbps bitrate. That means every track is just about CD quality. Spotify, which began in Europe and has been around longer as a subscription service, has said for years that it is upgrading its songs from its older standard of 160kbs, but an awful lot of them still come across at the lower bitrate. That makes a real difference if you’re plugging into a good sound system. Sometimes you’ll get great sound from Spotify, sometimes you won’t. With MOG you don’t have to worry. It really is like owning all those CDs. Second, MOG has a better collection in certain important, to me, areas. In pop music, it has all of Bob Dylan and Pink Floyd, where Spotify has almost nothing. In classics, it has the great Universal Classics catalog, meaning recordings by artists like Herbert Von Karajan, Maurizio Pollini, the Emerson String Quartet, and other best-in-the-world acts. Spotify has those, but with tracks missing from every album, having apparently not negotiated as good a deal with Universal. If you care at all for classical music, you should be far happier with MOG. Third, MOG has true gapless play between tracks. In music where one track bleeds right into the next, Spotify imposes a jarring break of a second or two. MOG plays just like a CD. There are other advantages to MOG, too. You can download an unlimited number of tracks from MOG; Spotify isn’t as generous. MOG offers wonderful playlists, so for instance when you search for “Ella Fitzgerald” you get not only hundreds of songs and dozens of albums but also about 20 playlists people have put together that include songs of hers. That’s a nice way to discover new music and artists, with great mixes of tunes someone has lovingly compiled. Also, MOG gives you a a radio player with a slider where you can choose anything from a Pandora-like mix of related material to 100% the artist you’re asking for. Spotify made me very happy. But now MOG simply thrills me. As Chris Connaker wrote for Computer Audiophile, “MOG has nailed it with simplicity, a relevant song selection, and better sound quality. The MOG desktop interface and mobile application are incredibly intuitive and without distracting features. MOG’s catalog is not only more relevant it’s streamed and stored in higher quality. MOG has made the deliberation over what service to keep and what service to cancel very easy. It’s really no contest.” *Corrected: I originally had 11 million here. (These numbers seem to be impossible to verify, but both services have amazing catalogs.)

The Goal:  To add a music in a room that currently has no stereo system.

What You Need: (1) Sonos Connect: Amp and (1) pair of speakers and (1) remote control.

Sources You Can Listen To:  Thousands of local, regional, national and international radio stations.  Any music you have stored on your computer in iTunes (we'll set that up for you). Pandora Radio. MOG. Wolfgang's Vault. Sirius/XM.  And lots more!

 

In the past a stereo system consisted of 'black boxes' such as a stereo AM/FM receiver, a CD player, turntable, cassette deck and speakers.

Now...this can be your home music system:

Your remote control can be an iPod Touch or iPad. Or, use your Kindle Fire or the Sonos Controller. No more clunky remote controls that are difficult to use and you can have as many of these devices as you wish to control all of your music.  Chances are you already own some of these devices.

 

Add the Sonos Connect:Amp as your stereo amplifier...funky looking, isn't it?  As you can see from the photo it has a volume up/down and mute control on the front.  That is it (cause you use your remote control).

 

Next, we connect loudspeakers to the back of the Connect:Amp with good quality speaker cable. Use bookshelf or floor-standing speakers.  Maybe you already have a nice pair of speakers? Use those.  Or we can supply you with a nice pair of loudspeakers from Paradigm.

You now have a complete music system in a room.

The Connect:Amp can be hidden from view so the only thing that you will see is the loudspeakers...unless you let us install speakers in your ceiling or walls!

Recap: One Sonos Connect:Amp + One pair of speakers + One remote control = THOUSANDS of music options in your home.

Give us a call to schedule a free home consultation to see how this combination (or variations) can be a part of your home.  815.877.6832 or email at hearmoremusic@gmail.com

Stop in our sound.gallery and hear just how good a system designed by hear.more.music. can sound.  Best part?  You can have it at home too.

2nd Floor. Inside the J.R. Kortman Center for Design and Gallery.  Downtown Rockford.