Fasetto, the company that announced its Audio Cu audio-over-powerline solution in October, has now released the prices for its transmitters and receivers. Each Audio Cu transmitter costs $800, and an individual receiver has been priced at $400. To take advantage of Audio Cu, you’ll need at least one transmitter per TV, and one receiver for each passive speaker or powered subwoofer.
Audio Cu’s promise is that you can entirely eliminate an AV receiver from your setup, and you don’t have to rely on powered speakers with built-in wireless connectivity such as Sonos. You place the transmitter on the back of your TV (connected via HDMI eARC) and then place a receiver on the back of each passive speaker — whether new or vintage — and as long as the speaker is located somewhere near a power outlet, it can receive audio wirelessly.
However, given Fasetto’s pricing, this could end up being an expensive route. If you want to run a basic 5.1 surround sound home theater system entirely via Audio Cu technology, the total price would be $3,200 — and that’s before you factor in the price of the speakers themselves.
The technology has been certified by Dolby Labs for Dolby Atmos, it’s hi-res compatible, and you can run 10 channels of audio from a single transmitter, with up to 32 channels per environment.
Curiously, even though Fasetto says that the top reason for buying its powerline-based solution is to avoid fishing speaker wire within walls, under carpets and floors, or in the ceiling, and “lengthy and costly home audio installations with certified contractors,” the company is only selling Audio Cu via certified contractors.
Fasetto says that availability will be limited initially and it’s encouraging integrators to reach out for more info including wholesale pricing, which will presumably be lower than the numbers the company gave us above.
Perhaps once the early launch period is over, Fasetto will consider selling Audio Cu components through normal retail channels like Amazon or Best Buy.
