Onkyo Begins Shipping Its NCP-302 Wireless Speaker, Activates Chromecast on Multiple Products
Onkyo(April 28, 2017) Onkyo has announced that its new NCP-302 Multi-room Wireless Speaker is available for purchase ($349 MSRP) in the United States and Canada. Originally announced at CEDIA 2016, the NCP-302 is Onkyo’s first official FireConnect capable wireless speaker. FireConnect is used to transmit network music, CDs, even vinyl, from any FireConnect enabled Onkyo or Pioneer component. It also allows multiple NCP-302 speakers to be used as a whole-home audio system.
The NCP-302 carries dual 3-inch woofers and a single 1-inch tweeter housed in a solid MDF enclosure that sports a classic retro flair (available in black or white); it’s sized to fit perfectly in small spaces. On the technology front, Onkyo has endowed the speaker with more than just FireConnect, owners will also find support for DTS Play-Fi, AirPlay, Google Cast, and standard Bluetooth (in addition to rear accessible Ethernet and 3.5mm inputs). The speaker supports a variety of streaming services out of the box, including Spotify, Deexer, TuneIn, and TIDAL.
The inclusion of these technologies makes the NCP-302 rather unique, as most wireless speakers on the market do not offer Play-Fi and Google Cast together.
In other news, Onkyo has also announced two major firmware updates enabling Chromcast built-in and voice control with Google Home for select Onkyo and Integra home theater receivers.
Chromcast built-in gives users the power to share music, Internet radio, and other digital content from Chomecast-enabled apps on commonly used devices and computers to Onkyo and Integra home theater systems. The Chromecat ecosystem is designed to be intuitive and easy to use, allowing users to listen to their chosen content instantaneously without special device set up, password entry, or pairing processes for devices sharing the same network.
The following Onkyo and Integra models are eligible for the update:
- Onkyo: TX-NR676, TX-NR575, TX-8270, PR-RZ5100, TX-RZ3100, TX-RZ1100, TX-RZ810, TX-RZ710, TX-RZ610, TX-NR757, TX-NR656, TX-NR555, HT-S7800, SBT-A500, and the aforementioned NCP-302.
- Integra: DRC-R1, DRX-R1, DRX-7, DRX-5, DRX-4, DRX-3, DRX-2, DSX-3 and DLB-5
