Pioneer readies home stereo with powerline networking
updated 02:30 pm EDT, Thu September 21, 2006
Pioneer MT-01
Transmitting audio across a home without dedicated cables almost always depends upon wireless adapters, which are frequently prone to dropped signals or compression that affects the resulting quality. Pioneer has developed a new stereo system that avoids wireless broadcasting altogether: its new MT-01 Power Line Sound System uses the same lines that supply its electricity to transmit audio to remote speakers placed around the home. A central base station accepts input from multiple RCA and USB audio sources and then streams it to nearby compatible speakers; a 50W stereo speaker set is included as the primary listening source in addition to a single 5W speaker to project the sound into a nearby room (as many as six speakers are possible). Pioneer has also built in multi-source support that allows different base stations to transmit their audio to different speakers. A remote is standard with the MT-01, which has yet to receive a price or shipping date.
