We knew that Cisco would be invading the home audio space in '09, but we didn't know it'd be so quickly (and under the Linksys name). Here at CES, the outfit has unveiled the admittedly complex Wireless Home Audio system, which utilizes Ethernet / 802.11n / DLNA in order to stream audio over multiple zones throughout the home. The kit is actually comprised of some very specific components, so let's not waste any time, eh? There's the Conductor DMC350 Wireless-N Digital Music Center, Director DMC250 Wireless-N Music Player with Integrated Amplifier, Player DMP100 Wireless-N Music Extender, Stereo Speaker Kit DSPK50, DMWR1000 Wireless-N Touchscreen Remote, iPod docking station and the DMRIR500 IR Remote. For details on the specific kits, which should go on sale this quarter for $300 and way up, give the read link a peek.

As if the iPod wasn't ubiquitous enough, Russound has just licensed Dana Innovations' patented iPort concept and integrating technologies in an attempt to tie in Apple's darling with whole home AV systems. Apparently the company views said PMP as a "music server rather than a simple portable player," and now that the agreement is in place, we should see a slew of new kit designed with tight iPod integration in mind. Unfortunately, details beyond that are scant, but Charlie Porritt, Russound's vice president of sales, did note that the forthcoming products would be aimed at consumers "who treat their iPods as a primary source of entertainment in the home."

Not content with just 160GB in the NV-M3 music server? Never fear, as NuVo Technologies has a capacious new version that packs a full half-terabyte of space and an even more astounding price tag. The June-bound NV-M3-500 handles WAV, WMA and those ghastly compressed MP3 files, and its ability to sync to a home computer means that it won't take issue with playing back DRM-laden tracks, either. On the unit itself, you'll find a polycarbonate, capacitive touch front panel interface with an OLED display and a smattering of ports 'round back, but we still can't understand how NuVo landed on $2,999 as a suitable price for this thing. Nevertheless, the full release is posted after the jump for those interested.

For those spending upwards of $6,000 on a sophisticated Q110 music management system, having an expansive 17-inch touch panel to control things is a practical necessity. The new TS17 controller can be wall-mounted or used on a tabletop in order to delve deep within your music library and come as close as you'll ever be to being a conductor. Additionally, Qsonix is introducing the v2.42 software, which enables users to burn CDs while playing back and adds client support for DirectWay and satellite-based internet service providers, the ability to import music from external USB drives and Ready-to-Play CD conversion service. No word on a price for the TS17, but current Q110 owners can snatch the update gratis right now.

[Via Electronic House]

Being that music lovers everywhere are scrambling to find bona fide replacements to their suddenly antiquated compact disc players, it follows logic for Olive Media to give us one more option besides the OPUS Nº5. The OPUS Nº4 is a high-end digital music server which features between 320GB and 1TB of internal storage space, an integrated CD burner, 4.3-inch 480 x 272 touchscreen, gigabit Ethernet / 802.11g WiFi, a USB 2.0 port, a slew of audio outputs and native support for WAV, FLAC and MP3 files. As for the iPod-friendly MELODY Nº2 companion, it enables various rooms of the home to access tunes stored on the OPUS Nº4 as well as songs on any networked Mac, PC or NAS drive. If you couldn't guess, both units are aimed squarely at the affluent sect, which probably explains the $1,499 to $1,799 (OPUS Nº4) / $599 (MELODY Nº2) price tags.

[Via Macworld]

High end speaker manufacturer THIEL is showing off THIELnet, their new IP-based audio distribution system developed in conjunction with BICOM. It's a system, indeed, with multiple parts to mix and match: the distribution processor (dB1), speakers (SCS4D) and subwoofer (SS1D) are all IP-addressable; there's a IP adapter (dS1) for bringing third-party speakers to the, um party; and PC-based software (Streamer) to tie into your library. Maximum capacity for the system is eight zones, each with eight speakers, and synchronization is done between zones to get rid of nasty echo effects. If this all sounds complex, don't worry -- the system is designed for quick setup even by novices. Better still, THIEL has kept everything digital right up to the speaker cones -- each speaker has its own digital crossovers and 250-Watt amplifier. Put it all together and you get great sound for everybody. THIEL expects to be spreading the IP/crossover/amplifier module across its lineup, but is starting off with the SCS4D. Pricing is still unannounced, but expect a high end style ticket befitting the THIEL sound quality and name.