AQ Audio SmartSpeaker Preview

AirPlay, for now, is the new thing to have in many products. It allows you to stream content from your iDevice to...whatever...wirelessly over your wi-fi connection. But AirPlay isn't the only game in town. Microsoft has its own version it calls Play To. Plus what about all the Android phones? With only AirPlay, all these other devices are completely ignored.

AQ Audio's new AQ SmartSpeaker solves all these problems. First, it is AirPlay and Apple Remote App compatible. This allows you to not only stream whatever you are listening to, but the audio from many popular apps (YouTube, Internet Radio stations, Spotifiy, etc.). The AQ SmartSpeaker is Works with iPhone certified and is compatible with iPhone 5, iPhone4s, iPhone4, iPhone3GS, iPod touch (5th, 4th, 3rd and 2nd generations) and with iOS 4.2 and iTunes 10.1 (Mac and PC) or later.

As you might have suspected, the AQ SmartSpeaker works with Microsoft's Play To protocol. AQ has also developed an app (AQ Play - soon to be released) that is DLNA certified for streaming audio from your Android device. An AQ Direct will also allow you to stream AirPlay outside of your home network. The AQ SmartSpeaker features one-touch AirPlay setup as well as being WiFi certified. AQ acquired the WWM License for QoS enabling increased audio transfer stability. 

The AQ SmartSpeaker sports two drivers, two modes of operation, and three settings. There is wireless mode for your wireless connection and Holiday (we didn't name it) mode for a 3.5mm connection. There is a USB port on the back that can be used for firmware updates or charging your device (no USB direct digital connection). A rear switch allows you to chose between left, right, or middle settings. With the middle setting, the AQ SmartSpeaker gets all of the audio but still presents a stereo image. The left and right settings allow for a true stereo experience. Multiple AQ SmartSpeakers can be used in conjunction to provide whole-home audio.

With 24-watts of power, the AQ SmartSpeaker will provide 20 hours of playback in Holiday (wired) mode and 10 when streaming (it specifies AirPlay but we imagine that other wireless streaming has a similar run time). The AQ SmartSpeaker will turn itself off (well, into standby mode) after 10 minutes without a signal. It will operate while plugged in if you have a semi-permanent location for it. Even if it is plugged in, it will power down after a week of non use. 

Conclusion

Out of the box, the AQ SmartSpeaker will stream from your iDevice/iTunes via AirPlay or your Windows 7 machine via Play To. With a DLNA certified Android streaming app on the horizon, the AQ SmartSpeaker is the most compatible wireless speaker we've ever seen. For $179 a pop ($349 for two, $675 for four), the AQ SmartSpeaker is an easy way to add a whole home audio system without wires. With each of the speakers able to be set in mono, left, or right modes, you've got a multitude of options. A 3.5mm jack allows you to take the speaker with you. It all sounds great. All we need to know now is how the AQ SmartSpeaker sounds.

For more information, please visit www.aqaudio.com.

Unless otherwise indicated, this is a preview article for the featured product. A formal review may or may not follow in the future.