- Victrola’s once Sonos-only wireless Stream turntables got a big update
- The free software upgrade adds Bluetooth, UPnP and Roon-ready smarts
- …and given the year Sonos has had, it’s a sensible expansion
Victrola’s Sonos-connected turntables just got an important over-the-air upgrade to add thoroughly, er, non-Sonos wireless connectivity – and given the disastrous past 12 months Sonos has had, it’s hard to see the move as anything other than Victrola pulling Sonos for that awkward “I’m going to perfectly honest, I think it’s time we started seeing other people” talk.
Victrola has expanded the wireless streaming capabilities of its Victrola Stream Carbon, Victrola Stream Pearl, Victrola Stream Onyx (not to be confused with the cheaper, non-Sonos-supporting but Bluetooth-aptX-toting excellent Hi-Res Onyx) and Victrola Stream Sapphire turntables.
What’s being added? Well, you could say that Victrola doesn’t just want to see other wireless giants besides Sonos, it’s actually looking for a three-way (sorry). Alongside ‘works with Sonos’ support, the four Stream turntables now get:
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Universal Plug and Play (UPnP): this allows your Stream turntable to automatically jump on a network of similarly-enabled products over Wi-Fi, to stream vinyl wirelessly to UPnP-enabled audio devices, including wireless speakers, A/V receivers, hi-fi streamers and smart TVs.
Bluetooth output – this (as you probably know) lets you stream directly to the best Bluetooth speakers and best wireless headphones, bringing simple wire-free audio to your home.
Roon Ready relay – stream vinyl up to 24-bit/48kHz lossless FLAC quality to any Roon endpoint.
Victrola tells us the update is already live in its Stream Sapphire model, but it’ll be rolling out automatically to all Victrola Stream Carbon, Onyx, and Pearl turntables very soon.
Making new connections
The Victrola Stream range was, as Victrola states in its press release “previously designed exclusively for seamless integration with the Sonos ecosystem”, but you don’t need to be a genius to see that the lineup is much more versatile (and desirable) now, thanks to this free update. We felt the Stream Sapphire struggled to validate its higher price-point under intense review, but this update may well change things.
It’s no secret that 2024 was the year Sonos slipped, so it’s fair to say that if a product doesn’t have to stick with a Sonos-only deal, its makers should certainly look to branch out and make new friends.
The automatic software update will be deployed, says Victrola, to all existing and future Victrola Stream Carbon, Onyx, Pearl, and Sapphire turntables, requiring no manual installation. Existing owners can expect to see the update automatically. In the app (where they would typically select a default Sonos speaker), users will now find toggles for additional options, including Bluetooth. The app will also provide “simple instructions for switching between Wi-Fi and Bluetooth using the knob” according to the company.
Full disclosure: I have a Victrola Stream Carbon and a Sonos Five, on which I listened to vinyl from 2022 until, well, right after the new Sonos app updates started causing big issues. I moved house in November last year, and both products are currently languishing in storage, for this very reason. Now, though – alongside the news that Sonos seems to have fixed the awful lag on the volume control – I will be making a trip to that storage unit, to dig out my Sonos/Victrola vinyl system.
I’ll let you know how that goes – and please, if you also own a Victrola Stream turntable, feel free to tell me in the comments what you think of it.
