Philips undercuts the market on price with its new whole home audio system

Philips is the latest to throw its hat into the multi-room audio speaker system competition. Instead of loading up on features and raising the MSRP, these new options look to slide in at a lower price point. Philips is putting the focus on a simple one button approach to getting the music started. Head below to learn more about the new Izzy BM58 speaker.

The small speaker, which was designed with Gibson Innovations, has dual 2.5-inch drivers as well as a passive bass port. A volume knob, power, and playback controls can be found on top of the device.

Here is where things get interesting: Philips is not opting to utilize your router or a proprietary network connection to pair the speakers together. Instead, it will connect to your device via Bluetooth and link the others together in the same fashion. By pressing the group button on top, listeners can pair up to four speakers together at once. With a range up to 328 feet, it should in theory work just fine in most homes. An LED light on top gauges the signal strength from one speaker to the next.

This is a stark difference from other systems like SONOS, and it certainly has its benefits. Users will be able to link multiple speakers together or use them individually. However, because it’s a Bluetooth connection it will not be possible to play different songs throughout your house from a single device. But at $130/each, those savings add up when putting together a whole system. In comparison to SONOS’ $199 option, Philips’ Izzy may make a lot of sense for some consumers. These new speakers will be available at Best Buy come October.

Source: Digital Trends

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