If you wanted a big ugly hi-fi system and wires around the room – that’s what you’d have already. Systemline AirWay is designed for people who don’t want (or simply don’t have the space for) extra boxes and clutter within their room. The AirWay System takes up zero space in the room.

As to amplification; the AirWay speakers are an ‘Active’ pair. That means the right speaker has a high quality stereo power amplifier built into it. This is pretty clever; but even cleverer is the fact that the system requires just a single standard cat5 cable to be run from the wall plate to the right speaker and from there, on to the left speaker. That single cat5 caries the stereo audio signals as well as low voltage DC power for the amplifiers.

Chris suggests it would be more elegant if Airplay chips were integrated into the speakers. Well it would be more elegant, but offers no advantages (no less cables) and is distinctly less practicable  . Why? Because, by definition, an ‘installed’ system is regarded as permanent and therefore needs to able to cope with possible (and unpredictable) changes to the ‘source’ equipment. What happens if Apple upgrade the Airplay system or change it completely? Maybe a rival comes out with a better system? With Systemline AirWay it will be simply be a case of replacing the easily accessible (and supplied) Airport Express.