Joshua,

I'm a EE, and viewed by the CI's here, as a DIY'er. But I think I may be able to give you an idea of how to proceed here.

You posted the following:

"To try out the product you'll need:
- A PC (hardware requirements are minimal) with Windows XP or later
- At least one iOS device (iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch) running iOS 4 or later (iOS 5 or later required to test AirTunes functionality)
- Several sound devices (one for each zone). We prefer USB based DACs, but any sound device should work. If needed, we can provide some for you to test with.
- Speakers and amplifier for each zone"

For me, this brings up lots of questions, and doesn't give me much idea of what Simphony (which I'm assuming is software that runs under Windows) really does, and how a system looks.

OK, I need a PC, and apparently DAC's are connected to it, via USB. A DAC, digital to analog converter, is used to create the analog signal to feed to the amp. So, how does this system connect to sources? Does it only play back digitized files? If so, what types? How about internet radio? Is this handled in your software, or other software that has to run concurrently? Since the DAC's are USB, I assume such a system is only well suited to the computer, sources, and amps located in the rack? (Assuming as USB doesn't travel 100's of feet cheaply.)

So, if I understand the above correctly, why is this better than WMC or iTunes? Since the hardware is not proprietary, then the interface is largely undefined, and how do you control the sources from the zones? Does your system include software to configure IR and serial control of the various sources? Does it present users with a nice UI in the zones on their portable device? Are the controls that have been configured for the sources depiced in the software presented on their portable device? Do you have a way to handle TOAD vs discrete commands?

Unless you paint a picture of how you use this, and what it provides that is better than what is available, the people who choose to test this will likely be people with time on their hands, who just want to try some free software.

I tried to get some answers via your website, but it is the ubiquitous stealth company website that says nothing except your name.