Autonomic is the preferred music management system among the highest-revenue integrators (report), but its products are rather expensive and not particularly flexible for smaller homes. That’s all about to change with the eSeries, a distributed high-resolution audio (HRA) system that employs a proprietary audio-over-Ethernet technology for greater installation flexibility.
“We wanted to be able to provide dealers with the convenience of distributed audio over Cat 5,” Autonomic CEO Michael De Nigris tells CE Pro. “We’re going to convert all our products to eSeries.”
Out of the gate, the eSeries comprises two components: the MMS-1e music player – the stuff that the original MMS is made of — and the M-120e four-zone amplifier.
The MMS-1e packs all of the technology of Autonomic’s famed Mirage Media Server into a small box retailing for $995. MMS is a music-management platform that supports (formally, via partnerships with providers) most of the popular streaming audio services including Deezer, Pandora, SiriusXM, Tidal, Tunein, iHeartRadio, iTunes and others. Proprietary TuneBridge technology enables users to pick favorites from one service and transport them to another.
The new product can be used as a standalone single-stream player to feed into any popular home automation system. Or it can paired with Autonomic’s new M-120e amplifier to distribute two streams simultaneously to as many as four zones.
The amp is a compact unit distributing 30 watts per zone in a form factor suitable for mounting on a wall or in a structured-wiring can. Hardware is provided for both.
Wiring for the multiroom audio system is all Ethernet through a standard switch, but the technology, called eAudioCast, is proprietary to Autonomic.
“We’ve been working on it for years,” de Nigris says. “eSeries represents capable high-resolution audio over Ethernet.”
Autonomic has been showing the eSeries for about a year, mostly behind closed doors. De Nigris says the feedback from dealers has been “excellent” with some jobs already spec’d for the new solution.
“Dealers say this gives them the opportunity to provide music where they couldn’t before,” he says.
The new opportunities come from the wiring scheme – all Cat 5 (Ethernet) – as well as the extensibility of the platform.
“Home builders are not going to install consumer products that go on furniture,” de Nigris says. “Even in luxury homes, the builders just put in the speakers and leave it to after-sales for the music platform. This lets them sell the platform. The whole system is extensible as long as there’s wiring for Cat 5.”
With multiple M-120e amps, the eSeries supports up to 96 zones, making the platform particularly attractive for commercial applications.
De Nigris reminds us that, despite the broader appeal of the eSeries, this is not a mass-market system.
“The quality of eAudioCast is premium,” he says. “It’s still a luxury product.”
Expected to begin shipping in late September, the MMS-1e single-stream player “retails” for $995; the two-stream/four-zone package with the player and M-120e amplifier (collectively, the MAS-4-2e), starts at $1,995. MSRP.
Autonomic eSeries Features
High Resolution Output
The MMS-1e supports high-resolution audio, and the Japan Audio Society has certified the MMS-1e as a high-resolution player with built in 24/192 DACs.
Flexible Output Options
The MMS-1e will support one analog output through it’s internal 192 kHz /24 bit DAC, plus mirrored high-resolution PCM digital outputs with both Coax and HDMI ports. The MMS-1e will support one stream mirrored to Analog, PCM, and HDMI outputs, and two streams when using the eAudioCast technology.
All Solid State
The MMS-1e is completely solid state. Autonomic has eliminated all moving parts by leveraging solid-state storage and re-engineered passive cooling systems, which translates to years of trouble free and silent performance, lower power consumption and faster response times.
Wi-Fi support
The MMS-1e supports both wired and bi-directional Wi-Fi connections for convenient placement.
Integrates into all popular control systems
The Autonomic MMS-1e and M-120e can be used as a standalone entertainment solution or integrated into any of the popular home automation platforms as part of a larger smart home package.
M-120e amplifier
The Autonomic M-120e is a 4-zone amplifier delivering 30-watts per zone. There is an analog RCA-style input for connection of a local audio device and a coax output for digital redistribution of audio inputs. An infrared (IR) output enables connection of a remote keypad such as the Autonomic KP-6.
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