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The multi-room speakers of CES 2015

A long dormant category, multi-room speakers have exploded in popularity and can offer better sound quality than typical Bluetooth. Here are the best examples on show at CES 2015.

Ty Pendlebury
Ty Pendlebury is a journalism graduate of RMIT Melbourne, and has worked at CNET since 2006. He lives in New York City where he writes about streaming and home audio.
Ty Pendlebury
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1 of 9 CNET

Devialet Phantom

At CES 2015, the range of wireless and multi-room speakers on display covers the gamut from inexpensive to quite expensive.

The football-sized Devialet Phantom fits in the later category. At prices starting at $1,999 (around £1,320 or AU$2,475) it's a luxurious device to be sure, but watching the sides pop out like puffer fish during deep bass parts is almost worth the price of admission in itself.

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2 of 9 LG

LG Music Flow

The LG Music Flow system, first shown off at IFA, is coming to the US and offers a similar lineup and feature set to its competitors -- standalone speakers, add-on units -- and all controlled by a single app.

One advantage is that the app can also be used to listen to music on your phone, so you can seamlessly switch between private listening and whole home audio.

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3 of 9 Google

Google Cast

Not a system as much as a streaming technology, Google Cast aims to bring the benefits of Chromecast to your music.

App support currently includes Pandora and Rdio, and speakers are forthcoming from Sony, LG and Denon.

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4 of 9 Samsung

Samsung WAM7500

One of several "360-degree" speakers on display at the show, the Samsung WAM7500 is compatible with the company's Multiroom system and streams via both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.

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5 of 9 Raumfeld

Raumfeld does true stereo

German company Raumfeld will launch its range of stereo streaming speakers in the US later in 2015.

The system's main selling point is that it will do 24-bit streaming over Wi-Fi unlike some of its competitors. Already on sale in the UK, prices start at $299/£150 (around AU$370) for an adapter or a handsome $1,399 /£720 (AU$1,730) for the Stereo M bookshelves pictured above.

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6 of 9 CNET

Sony Symphonic Light Speaker

As part of its Life Space UX range, Sony announced the Symphonic Light Speaker, which lights up like a lamp while playing music "in all directions."

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7 of 9 Enclave

Enclave 5.1 system

Not a multi-room system, but the Enclave is an intriguing 5.1 wireless speaker system based on the WiSA standard, and will be available for under a grand in the US.

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8 of 9 CNET

Philips Spotify

The Philips Spotify speakers use Spotify Conect to stream music from your phone for $130 or £100 (which converts to AU$185).

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9 of 9 CNET

Supertooth

Part Bluetooth, part proprietary wireless the Supertooth speakers are $300 (£200 or AU$370 converted) for a set of three.

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