CEDIA 2015

Part of the expense of many distributed audio systems is the proprietary hardware required to make them work. Simpfony is looking to turn this model upside down by leveraging standard hardware for other companies to deliver flexibility, affordability and ease of use while still delivering a terrific user experience.

The core system features a built-in CD drive that can be played back to any audio zone in the system as well as on-board support for vTuner, Pandora, Spotify, and AirPlay. An analog audio input allows connection of any legacy sources, and the internal 100-Gigabyte drive can house a music collection for streaming to multiple zones. The system’s analog audio output connects to a separate amplifier and can be either fixed or variable.

Adding additional listening zones or sources is as simple as connecting from hundreds of standard, third party USB devices that offer either analog or digital audio outputs for connection to other amplifiers or amplified devices for directly connecting speakers. These devices range in price and performance, letting end users tailor the system to fit their needs and budget. The company also touts “near infinite expandability”

Beyond the lower cost – Simpfony estimates a non-amplified 8-zone system to retail for around $2000 – the beauty of the system lies in the scalability and flexibility, letting users add additional zones and sources as needed. Further the company’s purpose-built iOS and Android apps feature a very clean design and offers cool user features like sleep timers and alarms for each zone.