Beep, a streaming adaptor that turns nearly any speaker system into a WiFi streaming speaker, has reportedly raised $4-million. Beep also added Spotify to its short list of supported music services, joining Pandora.
Beep is an attractive tabletop device that plugs into any powered speaker, or receiver in a traditional stereo system. Any sound-generating home system that has an AUX IN jack, or RCA plugs, can work with Beep. The device has one-touch activation, and a big volume knob so you don’t have to dig into a phone app to turn the music up or down.
There is a Beep app, though, for choosing the music and setting up independent groups of Beep’d speakers.
In the pricey WiFi speaker market, the $99 Beep offers a less costly way to put streaming music in the home, obviating the need for new speakers that are natively enabled for WiFi.
The Beep app connects the Beep device directly to the music service (Spotify or Pandora), so there is no range issue as with Bluetooth speakers which require proximity to the phone. Beep users can even leave the house, and the music will still be playing when they return. Pausing the streaming is a one-touch affair, and Beep resumes where it left off when next tapped.
Too bad none of these things (This, Sonos) have local control- e.g. presets that can be assigned to playlists or stations.
The Grace GDI-IRA500 is a <$100 internet radio tuner, doesn't have a smartphone app but works well.