Skip to main content

Como Audio debuts a new streaming Wi-Fi music system and a turntable to match

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Multiroom wireless audio systems are a great way to fill your house with music, but for a long time Sonos was the only option. Since then, some challengers have stepped up, such as Yamaha with its MusicCast system, but there still aren’t many options. The latest company to enter the game is Como Audio with its new SpeakEasy multiroom Wi-Fi music system, and the company has a few other tricks up its sleeve as well.

The SpeakEasy features a 3-inch, four-layer voice coil woofer along with a 0.75-inch silk dome tweeter, all housed in a compact package with a tuned bass port at the rear for better low end response. It even has actual knobs to control volume, which is something of a rarity these days. Even better, the SpeakEasy features Google Assistant built in, letting it act as a hub for your smart home, controlling your thermostat or lighting.

“As with other Como Audio devices, I want to fill a void in the marketplace and create a product that not only includes all of the great advantages that the Google Assistant has to offer, but is coupled with a beautifully designed, great-sounding music box,” Como Audio founder and CEO Tom DeVesto said in a statement. “Designed as a multiroom audio system, listening to great-sounding music from a plethora of sources just became sweeter and so much more.”

Como Audio is aware of the resurgence in vinyl record sales and wanted SpeakEasy buyers to be able to play their records everywhere they’d play other music. To that end, the company is introducing its first-ever turntable, simply named the Como Audio Turntable. The trick here is that this turntable features wireless streaming, letting you easily play your records over your SpeakEasy system.

The SpeakEasy comes in a variety of finishes, with the walnut finish selling for $350, while the designer hickory, piano black, or piano white models will cost you $400. The SpeakEasy is initially being offered via a Kickstarter campaign, and will launch everywhere in October. The Como Audio Turntable will also come in walnut, hickory, piano black, and piano white finishes and will arrive this fall. So far, no pricing information for the turntable is available.

For more information on the SpeakEasy, see the Kickstarter page. If a full multiroom wireless system is a little much for you, be sure to take a look at our list of the best Bluetooth speakers.

Editors' Recommendations

Kris Wouk
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Kris Wouk is a tech writer, gadget reviewer, blogger, and whatever it's called when someone makes videos for the web. In his…
New leak hints at Sonos’ future: Bluetooth, spatial audio, and lots more home theater
Rendering of a reportedly unreleased Sonos speaker created by The Verge.

You have to imagine that Sonos CEO Patrick Spence is getting a little tired of leaks originating from within the company's walls. For the second time in 2022, The Verge's Chris Welch has published details of an unreleased and unconfirmed Sonos product that Welch claims is code-named Optimo 2. According to this information, which he claims was gleaned from work-in-progress images of the Optimo 2, it's a speaker that will likely take over from the current Sonos Five, a product that hasn't been meaningfully updated since it debuted as the Play:5 in 2009.

If the report is accurate -- and it's worth noting that Welch's prior reporting on the Sonos Ray ahead of that product's debut was very close to what was eventually announced -- the Optimo 2 could represent the beginning of a new era for Sonos. It reportedly contains the mics needed for Sonos Voice Control, as well as plenty of RAM for future updates. A wireframe render of the speaker created by The Verge (which is what you do when you need to protect the source material) illustrates an unusual mirror-image shape -- it looks vaguely like a VR headset -- which appears to be designed to direct sound outward in at least two directions -- forward and backward -- though Welch says that some of the Optimo 2's drivers will aim sound upward, too.

Read more
Hands-on with a WiSA wireless home theater system
The Platin Audio Monaco 5.1 Tuned by THX WiSA wireless speaker package.

The key to a great home movie experience -- beyond finding yourself an awesome TV -- is a great sound system. But if you’ve ever looked into buying an A/V receiver and all of the attendant speakers you need to create a 5.1, 7.1, or fancier surround sound system, you’ve likely noticed that it can be an expensive and complicated commitment.

All of those speakers need to be wired to the receiver, which in many cases means hiding speaker wires under carpets or running them through walls or ceiling cavities. For some, it’s a fun DIY challenge, but for most folks, it’s so daunting that they find themselves turning to the next best thing: Soundbars.

Read more
Denon unveils Denon Home: Three new wireless multiroom speakers
Denon Home 350

Japanese audio company Denon has revealed a system of three wireless multiroom speakers called Denon Home: The $249 Denon Home 150, $499 Denon Home 250, and the $699 Denon Home 350. Each model is compatible with Denon's HEOS Wi-Fi audio platform and can play hi-res audio files. AirPlay 2 and Bluetooth round out the speakers' wireless connections. The new models will go on sale in the first quarter of 2020, though no specific release date has been shared.

Intriguingly, all three models of Denon Home speakers will come equipped with two microphones for future voice assistant support. However, these microphones will be disabled and not functional until a future software update is available, according to the company. Denon has not yet indicated which voice assistants will be compatible with these new speakers.

Read more