Bang & Olufsen unveils the Playmaker wireless audio bridge

If you wished that more Bang & Olufsen products offered AirPlay or DLNA support, you might be in luck as the company has recently taken the wraps off the Playmaker (pictured above in the center). With the receiver hooked up, your AirPlay and DLNA devices will be able to stream audio to pretty much any of the company’s speaker offerings. Now we’re sure that some of you guys, particularly audiophiles, who might be concerned about the drop in quality due to wireless streaming. Well while we haven’t actually got a chance to try the Playmaker out ourselves, Bang & Olufsen is promising that the device will still help to provide clean and powerful sound thanks to a built-in DAC.

The Playmaker is expected to arrive in stores by the end of the month and will retail for $425, pretty expensive for a receiver alone but then again with Bang & Olufsen, it is almost to be expected. However if you’ve got the cash to spare, Bang & Olufsen is offering the Playmaker that comes packaged with BeoLab 3 speakers which will set you back a whopping $4,310 for the whole setup. So, any takers?

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Bang & Olufsen BeoPlay A8 audio system gets an update, Bang & Olufsen BeoPlay V1 arrives in the US,

Bang & Olufsen unveils Playmaker wireless audio bridge, makes sure AirPlay and DLNA speak Danish

Bang & Olufsen unveils Playmaker wireless audio bridge, makes sure AirPlay and DLNA speak Danish

Bang & Olufsen has been slowly but surely adapting to a wireless world. Its new Playmaker (shown at center) brings that evolution to audio: with the receiver linked up, any AirPlay- or DLNA-friendly audio device can beam its sound to a set of the Danish firm’s designer speakers. Wireless audio bridging isn’t anything new by itself — we know at least one rival that might say it’s old hat — but the company is promising clean and powerful sound through a built-in DAC that can drive even the beefiest of BeoLabs, like the 2,500-watt BeoLab 5. We can look forward to the Playmaker reaching stores before the end of the month, but we’ll pay a premium for all that theoretical power. The bridge by itself costs $425, while a special bundle with BeoLab 3 speakers will set listeners back an eyewatering (if ear-melting) $4,310.

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