DTS Play-Fi – Wireless Hi-Fi for All

 

Fee Fi Fo Fum…  What the heck is DTS Play-Fi..? 

Let’s talk a little wireless home audio.  Some folks just don’t want to mess with running wires and cables all over the house.  Too messy… too scary… whatever.  The current king of the hill in the wireless audio world is Sonos.  They have had a few competitors over the years, but now there is a serious threat to their niche domination.  That challenger is DTS Play-Fi.
Why, you ask..?

One major reason, Sonos technology is proprietary, meaning if you want a Sonos home audio network, you have to buy Sonos products.  Sure, these are nice products, but let’s face it, you are limited as to what you can buy.  Play-Fi does not have this limitation and can be licensed by any audio company for their own products.  Well-known audio companies such as Polk Audio and Definitive Technology currently have Play-Fi gear available.  Other manufacturers such as Paradigm and McIntosh are slated to join the party soon. 

So now for a quick rundown of the Play-Fi story…   A gent by the name of Dannie Lau, founder of a company called Phorus, came up with the technology.  DTS snapped it up (handed over a bunch of cash stacks) in mid-2012 and has proceeded to license and market the technology. 

In sum we have a streaming audio technology, a powerful backer in DTS, and buy-in from several audiophile companies.  It doesn’t hurt that Play-Fi is very user friendly and flexible in setup and configuration.  This sounds like a winning combination to me.  If you are in the market for a wireless solution with audiophile aspirations, be sure to give Play-Fi products a look.

Coming soon:  reviews of the Phorus PR5 receiver and PS5 speaker…