Bluesound today announced that its Generation 2i line of high-fidelity wireless speakers and home theater systems will each receive a software update on December 11 that will enable AirPlay 2, including the Pulse 2i, Pulse Mini 2i, Pulse Flex 2i, Pulse Soundbar 2i, Node 2i, Powernode 2i, and Vault 2i.
With the AirPlay 2 update, multi-room audio playback will be possible between multiple Generation 2i speakers or systems and other AirPlay 2-enabled devices, including the HomePod, Apple TV, select speakers from Sonos, Libratone, and Bang & Olufsen, and select audio receivers from Denon and Marantz.
AirPlay enables users to easily stream audio from Apple devices to Generation 2i speakers, including music, movies, videos, news, podcasts, radio, audiobooks, and more from apps such as iTunes, Netflix, and YouTube on a Mac or iOS device.
AirPlay also allows for Siri control of Apple Music or Podcasts playback via iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, HomePod, and Apple TV.
Generation 2i speakers and systems will appear in the AirPlay Picker within most apps and in Control Center on devices running iOS 11.4 or later. With AirPlay 2, the speakers can also be added to the Home app on iPhone, enabling users to control all of their HomeKit and AirPlay-enabled products from one place.
Using the BluOS Controller app for iPhone or iPad, it will be possible to group older Bluesound speakers and systems with a Generation 2i speaker or system, allowing them to stream the same AirPlay 2 content throughout the home.
AirPlay 2 is Apple's latest wireless streaming protocol, released in May. Apple maintains a list of supported speakers on its website.
Top Rated Comments
They work with a Mac for multiple speakers, which is ok I guess, but why not update to airplay 2 so I can control them all at the same time from my iOS device? Not to mention they stopped working properly before the 10.14.2 update.
I'm getting sick of this disposable electronics world we are becoming, especially when they cost so much money - you expect them to last until they die from hardware malfunction (which usually isn't long anyways!).
My 3 year old Denon receiver won't even support Airplay 2 FFS.
So I respectfully suggest that MacRumors might do well to delete the reference to home theaters from this article, it appears to have been written in error.