jongo | GIZMODO.cz

If you've been thinking of adding speakers around the house but are loathe to run wires, Pure's Jongo system is now available in North America, joining the likes of Sonos' Play:3 in the wireless multi-room sound game. For now, it consists of the $129 Jongo A2, a WiFi- and Bluetooth-equipped bridge (at bottom) that spreads "perfectly synchronized" sound to different rooms, and the $199 Jongo S3 portable speaker (top left). The products will work on their own by receiving Bluetooth sound from your handheld device, together with other Pure devices like the Sensia 200D or with your existing sound system, thanks to digital and analog audio outputs on the A2. The Pure Connect iOS app coordinates the hardware and also lets you stream your local playlists, along with 15 million tracks from the Pure Music subscription service. You can deck out either product with the room-coordinating grilles (above) at $30 for the S3 and $20 for the A2, while a Jongo T6 100W flagship speaker will join the party later in the year at an undisclosed price. To see where to grab them, check the PR after the break.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Wireless, HD

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Many consider Sonos the main game in town for mobile-friendly, multi-room audio. Pure wants to give us at least one major alternative. Its new Jongo speaker line delivers multi-speaker streaming for radio, podcasts and Pure Music subscriptions across the home through WiFi, rather than a proprietary network, and includes Bluetooth for those who want to skip the network altogether. The system promises to cut the traditionally high costs of spreading sound throughout the home, as well: the inaugural Jongo S340B portable speaker (at left) coming in the first quarter of the year should cost $229, or about $70 less than its stationary Play:3 rival. An A140B audio-to-WiFi bridge (bottom) and a 100W S640B flagship speaker (top) should fill out Pure's plans when they ship later in the first half of the year, although there's no immediate pricing for a point of reference.

In tandem with the hardware, there's a matching refresh of the Pure Connect app. The software update brings in the control of Jongo speakers that you'd expect, but it also promises simpler navigation, tie-ins with Audioboo's user-recorded spoken word content and a dedicated discovery area to find music beyond the beaten path. Android and iOS users should have access to the app during the first quarter. Pure Music, a music store and a social listening component should reach the app in the near future, although Americans will have to wait until sometime in 2013 to use the service that their British and German friends have today.

Gallery: Pure Jongo @ CES 2013