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B**T
how to reset device for Ethernet use, and stuff about AirPlay
The sound is really excellent. I have one big problem which knocked it down a bunch, and two small ones which knocked it down some more. I'd probably give it 3.5 stars if I could.The big problem: it really doesn't support AirPlay. That is, it doesn't show up on your itunes airplay menus, or on the main airplay menu on your phone or iPad. After much searching, I found this: http://www.p4c.philips.com/cgi-bin/cpindex.pl?ctn=AW5000/10&dct=QAC&faqview=1&mid=Link_FAQs&refnr=0096564&scy=BG&slg=ENG&view=aa12_view_partial.htmlwhich says, essentially, that if you want to use this speaker with Airplay, you have to connect it to an AirPort Express. That's why I bought this- to get rid of my airport express. You can connect a clock radio to an airport express, too. That's not useful.It has its own media manager, which allows you to play stuff from your phone and, with some difficulty, from your computer (through your phone). It's very convoluted, and I'm not sure I'll be keeping it. But I love the sound, and they may come out with new firmware to fix this problem.The other problems: (1) it seems to be not for the US. I got two power cords, both with different Euro-style plugs. Since there is no transformer, I used a power cord I had lying around. But note: The speaker uses Euro-style keying for keeping the polarity the same. The square bit goes inside, whereas in the US it goes outside. So you have to use a non-keyed cord (like, say, the one that comes with the AirPort Express :-)) but you may screw up the polarity. And it may not matter at all. And it's not a mistake, because the picture in the box shows it with the two power cords only. (2) as I have posted before in other reviews, I am a big believer that wireless music is fraught with issues like cutouts, so it's not for me. It's possible, but not easy, to connect this thing with an Ethernet cable. For me, at least, the wisdom contained here:http://www.p4c.philips.com/cgi-bin/cpindex.pl?ctn=AW5000/10&dct=QAC&faqview=1&refdisplay=K14_CAS_SETUP_WIRED&refnr=0095830&scy=GB&slg=ENGwasn't accurate. So I had to reset it and then it worked.I will keep you posted if something changes. For now, I've got about 4 weeks to decide if I will keep it. Love the sound, however.Compare this to the Pioneer XW-SMA1 airplay speaker. That one works great, right out of the box, and you can adjust the settings with a browser. But the sound isn't as good (this sound is great. Did I mention that??).
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