14 DAY TRIAL // Although not many of you are familiar with the Barix name, the Swiss company is behind some of the most advanced IP control and communication solutions available, its product portfolio just gaining a new member, namely the Exstreamer P5 amplified IP decoder, that can turn almost any 8-ohm speaker into an IP speaker solution.
Designed in order to be used in hotels and large retails stores, the Extrastreamer P5 enables zoning applications for multi-speaker systems, allowing individual local/remote channel selection and volume control.
Furthermore, the unit receives all its power through PoE (power over Ethernet) and is equipped with high-efficiency class D amplification, providing Hi-Fi audio quality sound to the connected speakers.
As it’s the case with most of the devices released in the Exstreamer line, the P5 is compatible with a wide range of IP standards including TCP/IP, RTP, SIP, Multicast and Ethersound.
“The Exstreamer P5 gives integrators a way to install ‘IP Speaker’ without limiting their architectural and environmental options - including retrofits for legacy systems,” said Johannes G. Rietschel, CEO and founder of Barix AG.
“For general applications, the biggest benefits are low-cost and flexibility. You can IP-enable almost any speaker with this device, and establish addressability and monitoring down to the individual speaker in larger installations,” concluded the company's rep.
According to Barix, the Extrastreamer P5 is compatible with almost all 8-ohm speakers in the market and can withstand temperatures between 0 and 55 Celsius.
Sadly, no information about pricing is available at this time, although the company states that all of its products are “inexpensive,” including the Extrastreamer P5.
The Barix Exstreamer line contains other six products apart from the P5, ranging from the entry level Exstreamer 100 to the Exstreamer 1000, all of these supporting audio decoding for MPEG1&2 Layer3 (MP3), HE-AAC v2 (AAC+) , WMA, Ogg Vorbis files. (via Audioholics)