Arcam rPlay adds hi-res music streaming and multi-room to any audio system

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Arcam's rSeries continues to grow apace and the latest addition to the family is this, the £399 rPlay, a nifty little box that can add hi-res streaming and multiroom capability to any audio system.

It uses DTS PlayFi, Apple Airplay and UPnP (Universal Plug and Play) to stream content to your system.

DTS PlayFi supports high-resolution audio up to 24-bit/192kHz from a wired network and enables lossless multi-room wireless audio streaming from services such as Spotify, Tidal, Qobuz, Deezer, Pandora and Amazon Prime. And if that isn't enough choice for you, then there are thousands of internet radio stations to choose from as well.

DTS PlayFi has another trick up its sleeve: it will soon be compatible with Alexa, Amazon's voice control assistant, so owners will be able to use an Amazon Echo, Dot or Fire TV to control music via the rPlay.

Arcam's familiar die-cast aluminium casework means the rPlay should survive a few knocks and scrapes, and high-quality audio circuitry is used throughout.

There's a choice of control options: either the DTS PlayFi app for iOS and Android, or the Arcam MusicLife app for UPnP music streaming from a PC/Mac or NAS drive.

Connection to your home network can be wireless 802.11b/g/n or wired via ethernet.

Although the rPlay has its own built-in 24/192 DAC there's also a SPDIF digital output if you want to hook it up to an ecternal DAC.

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Andy Clough
Andy Clough

Andy is Global Brand Director of What Hi-Fi? and has been a technology journalist for 30 years. During that time he has covered everything from VHS and Betamax, MiniDisc and DCC to CDi, Laserdisc and 3D TV, and any number of other formats that have come and gone. He loves nothing better than a good old format war. Andy edited several hi-fi and home cinema magazines before relaunching whathifi.com in 2008 and helping turn it into the global success it is today. When not listening to music or watching TV, he spends far too much of his time reading about cars he can't afford to buy.