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Panasonic targets the bedroom with updated ALL wireless speaker range

Firm announces new wireless audio kit including a stereo system, a sound bar and a CD player

Panasonic has updated its ALL range of multi-room speakers with several pieces of new hardware including a bedroom speaker, sound board, a CD player, DAB radio and a hi-fi.

Unveiled at the Panasonic Convention in Frankfurt, the new products fill in some gaps that had existed in the ALL range. Most intriguing is the new SC-ALL2, which is a compact speaker with touch controls and an alarm clock function that looks set to take on Samsung’s Shape M3 wireless speaker.

The SC-ALL2 is targets the bedroom and kitchen with its compact design and touch-sensitive controls. Like all the products in the ALL range, the SC-ALL2 uses Qualcomm AllPlay, meaning you can stream audio from devices connected to your home Wi-Fi network.

It also has Bluetooth built in so you can connect devices even when you don’t have a Wi-Fi network available. This also means audio streaming services not yet supported by Panasonic can still be played through it (and all other ALL speakers). It has an 80mm speaker and subwoofer meaning it should be capable of producing some powerful sound when turned up to full volume.

The buttons on top can be programmed as presets for internet radio stations, although exactly how these will be implemented is unconfirmed, although adding custom presets through the pre-existing Panasonic Music Streaming app (see below) would make the most sense, according to a Panasonic representative.

Panasonic sees the SC-ALL2 as an entry into the ALL ecosystem, and it expects buyers to gradually add more ALL speakers as they upgrade their audio kit over time.Also announced at the event is the SC-ALL5CD, a wall-mountable CD player and FM/DAB radio with a built-in speaker that can stream audio to other ALL speakers. The firm also announced the SC-PMX100 hi-fi and  the SC-ALL30T speaker board, which also have both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth built in. The firm also announced the SC-ALL70T sound bar, which has HDMI 2.0 and 60fps 4K passthrough.

Because the soundbars and soundboard have ALL connectivity, you can output sound from your TV to any speaker in your home and even create a surround sound setup using other ALL speakers, if you happen to have some lying around. You don’t need a Panasonic TV to do this, either.

The firm also showed off an updated version of its Panasonic Music Streaming smartphone apps, although they look fairly old-school to us, with an old iOS-style design looking a little dated, particularly the Android version. What it lacks in terms of design it makes up for with compatibility with third-party services, with Spotify, Napster and TuneIn all supported. Panasonic says HD audio streaming services Tidal and Qobuz are also on the way.

Pricing and availability has not been announced, but expect new ALL speakers by the end of this summer.

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