Bluetooth speaker options are plentiful, but if you want a solution that offers superior sound quality or whole home coverage, then you need to look elsewhere.
Google Cast promises to deliver that experience and LG’s Music Flow family of speakers are among the first to bring it to market. The accompanying Music Flow app will allow you to control your music from Android, iOS, Chromebooks or any PC. Quite a few high profile services are supported by Google Cast, Google Play Music, Pandora, Songza, TuneIn, iHeartRadio and Rdio. And although Spotify fans can’t enjoy Google Cast, the Music Flow speakers do support Spotify Connect separately.
The LG Music Flow lineup starts at $179 and goes all the way up to $999 for the largest sound bar. The lone portable option is the H4, which comes in at $199 and will be available starting in May.
Here’s the pricing across the full lineup:
Wi-Fi Streaming Speakers:
H3 30W speaker: $179
H4 20W portable speaker: $199 (available in May)
H5 40W speaker: $279
H7 70W speaker: $379
Wi-Fi Streaming Sound Bars
LAS751M: $499
LAS851M: $599
LAS950M: $999
Like Sonos part of the pitch for Music Flow is the simplicity of adding on speakers one at a time if you wish to bring audio throughout your home. The Home Cinema mode coupled with the sound bar options also makes LG Music Flow a credible wireless home cinema option.
You will be able to pick up the LG Music Flow speakers from Amazon, Best Buy, HH Greg and even the Google Play store soon.
Anyone looking to roll out a Google Cast system in their home?
LG-Google Collaboration Offers More Listening Choices and Premium Listening Experience That’s Easy to Enjoy
PR Newswire
ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J., April 13, 2015
ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J., April 13, 2015 /PRNewswire/ — LG Electronics USA today announced pricing and availability for the LG Music Flow family of Smart Hi-Fi speakers and sound bars, which are among the first devices to feature Google Cast. LG’s Music Flow is a smart Hi-Fi audio system that takes the experience of reconnecting with favorite music to a whole new level. Google Cast will allow anyone to send music from their AndroidTM phone or tablet, iPhone, iPad, Mac, Windows laptop or Chromebook to their Google Cast-enabled LG Music Flow audio speakers and sound bars.1
The versatile LG Music Flow Wi-Fi audio lineup for the United States includes the company’s first battery-powered Portable Wi-Fi streaming speaker (Model H4), three additional Wi-Fi streaming speakers (Model H3/H5/H7), and three new Wi-Fi streaming sound bars (Model LAS751M/LAS851M /LAS950M). Each model can be controlled using LG’s intuitive Music Flow mobile app for various Android, iOS or Chromebook mobile devices.
A key competitive advantage for LG Music Flow devices is that they have Google Cast built-in so users will be able to stream music from their mobile devices and listen to tunes from their favorite online music services, including Google PlayTM Music, Pandora, Songza, TuneIn, iHeartRadio and Rdio, among others. Listeners can enjoy higher audio quality than what they would hear with a Bluetooth speaker because the music is sent from the cloud, not a mobile device.*
“We are pleased to announce that LG Music Flow will be among the first devices in the market to feature Google Cast,” said David Vanderwaal, Vice President of Marketing, LG Electronics USA. “With Google Cast, music lovers will enjoy a customizable premium sound experience with virtually limitless music options.”
Users can enjoy audio quality beyond what traditional audio systems have offered with Music Flow and Google Cast because the music is sent from the cloud, not mirrored from the mobile device. This particular aspect of Google Cast ensures that other phone operations such as incoming calls or text messages do not disrupt the playback.
LG has integrated additional streaming partners including the popular services Deezer and Spotify to complement customers’ personal music collections. Spotify users can take advantage of Spotify Connect, which will act as a remote, allowing them to control their LG Music Flow speakers through the app.
LG Music Flow is designed to be modular, so customers can start with just one speaker and add more over time to create a customized listening experience throughout their home. The lineup offers audiophiles a broad range of additional convenient features:
The Home Cinema Mode enables users to enjoy a true home cinema sound experience, by adding an LG Music Flow sound bar to the network and synchronizing it with the Music Flow speakers;
Multi-Room mode lets you customize your home audio experience by synchronizing your speaker to play the same music or listen to different music in each room;
Auto Music Play automatically syncs with users’ devices via Wi-Fi when the device is brought within one foot of the speaker so music can be enjoyed without interruption;
A Mesh network combined with dual band technology that minimizes interruptions of your music to deliver reliable, superior sound performance; and
Compatibility with many streaming services and Bluetooth® for endless music options.
LG Music Flow series is available at competitive prices from major retailers including Amazon, HH Gregg, Best Buy and Google Play store.
Models and suggested pricing:
Wi-Fi Streaming Speakers:
H3 30W speaker: $179
H4 20W portable speaker: $199 (available in May)
H5 40W speaker: $279
H7 70W speaker: $379
Wi-Fi Streaming Sound Bars
LAS751M: $499
LAS851M: $599
LAS950M: $999