Think multiroom audio, and the first name that’s likely to pop into your head is Sonos. Its products sound great and, more importantly, work beautifully, but they’re very expensive. Now British digital radio manufacturer Pure is attempting to undercut Sonos, announcing the first product in its new multiroom audio system at a press launch in central London yesterday.
Available in November for £150 each, the new Jongo S340B speakers will allow users to stream music, podcasts and digital radio to it from a new version of the Pure Connect app. As with Sonos’ multiroom system, users will be able to add extra S340B speakers and have audio play synchronously through them.
One key advantage of the new system is the ability to add existing Pure devices, such as the Pure Sensia 200D Connect and the Contour 200i Air, to the Jongo network and use them as multiroom speakers in their own right.
The Jongo S340B itself is an attractive-looking piece of kit. It’s a small cube, with rounded corners and speaker grilles wrapping around the flanks, and comes in a variety of bright colours. Underneath those grilles there are four tweeters, one firing out from each side of the cube and a larger driver firing up for bass and mid-notes.
The multiroom connection is made over Wi-Fi, using an existing wireless network, and the speaker can also be used in standalone mode either via Bluetooth, or via a simple 3.5mm audio input on the rear.
We wouldn’t like to pass judgement on the sound quality – there was too much crowd babble at the Pure event to properly hear the music – but the device appears to be nicely designed and well made.
The Jongo S340B also packs a few rather clever features: each one has its own integrated, rechargeable battery, which is good for a claimed ten-hours of music playback, so you can pick it up and take your music out into the garden with you if you want.
Users will also be able to choose between four sound profiles, depending on where they’re listening. Three 360° settings allow central positioning – mono, stereo and a separate boost mode for cranking up the volume outdoors – and there’s a forward-facing stereo mode too.
It’s certainly an interesting approach — especially the backwards compatibility with existing devices — and Pure plans on adding further products, including a hi-fi adapter, over the coming months. Ultimately, though, its success or failure as a multiroom system will hinge on how easy it is to setup and use, and for that we’ll have to wait until we have our hands on one, or two, or three of the new devices.
