LG Challenges Sonos With New Home Audio Streamers

LG is taking on Sonos with a new range of streaming home audio speakers, offering whole-home music playback. Shown off at CES 2014 NP8540 and NP8740 pack 40W and 70W respectively, with both WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity, as well as the ability to create a mesh network to expand coverage beyond the range of your WiFi network.

The wireless speakers can stream from internet radio stations, from locally stored music, or from a nearby device such as a smartphone or tablet connected over Bluetooth. Control is courtesy of an LG app for a smartphone or tablet.

Just as with Sonos, there's a "party mode" which automatically pushes the music to all the speakers in the home, synchronized so you'll hear the same thing as you walk between rooms. There's also a Personal Mode which allows the music in each room to be changed independently.

Meanwhile, LG has also introduced two new sound bars, intended to bring more impressive audio to a flatscreen TV. Two models will be offered, the NB3740A, and the NB5540, with a matching subwoofer; there's more details in our earlier coverage.