Skip to main content

Hi-Fi Corner: Outfit your home in style with the W7 multi-room speaker

definitive techology w7 multi room wireless speaker technology
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Multi-room wireless speakers are the easiest way to spread sound around your home — without calling the installer. Companies from Sonos to Samsung have created multi-room speaker series, allowing you to control a bevy of pieces from numerous sources, all from a single app. But while most of these speakers are proprietary, the latest from Definitive Technology, the premium W7, uses the new open-source Play-Fi protocol that allows you to mix and match speakers from several brands.

And it looks pretty good doing it, too.

Related: Sonos Play:1 goes blue for 75th anniversary of Blue Note Records

The W7 is crafted into a beautiful cube of sound. The speaker sports the same signature molded silver metal against black we’ve seen from Def Tech before, from computer speakers to sound bars. And thanks to its design, the speaker is able to spin sound from both the front and sides to load up the room with your favorite tunes.

Inside the speaker are a nice collection of drivers, including dual 1-inch aluminum dome tweeters matched by a 4-inch midrange driver at the front, and another 1-inch dome tweeter at each side, along with twin passive radiators at the sides to beef up the bass.

The speaker definitely compensates for its small size (around 6-inches on all sides) by loading up the low end with some musical heft. And while that makes the midrange a little cloudier than we’d like, there is some vivid brilliance above thanks to those dome tweeters. Pin-point precision in the treble makes for some fine listening, especially for lighter arrangements, like acoustic tracks and jazz.

There’s also a digital Optical port, and a 3.5mm port to plug in. And of course, thanks to Play-Fi, you can mix and match the W7 with other brands, including Polk (Def Tech’s sister brand), Wren, and Phorus for starters, with more brands slated to come on board. Perhaps best of all, the app is intuitive, clean, and easy to use, allowing you to source audio from your phone, media servers, Internet radio stations, and services like Pandora and Deezer. However, there’s still no Spotify — yet.

At $400, the W7 is pretty pricey. And we should also mention the top of the speaker scratches easily, so you’ll have to be gentle. But if you’re looking for a stylish cube of sound that will grow with more pieces in the multi-room speaker fashion, this new Play-Fi device from Def Tech is a fine choice.

Ryan Waniata
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Ryan Waniata is an audio engineer, musician, composer, and all-around lover of all things tech, audio, and cinema. Hailing…
The 10 best comedy movies on Netflix
From Netflix Originals to much older comedy classics, these are the best you can stream on Netflix
Monty Python and the Holy Grail

 

Finding a great movie on Netflix is hard enough, but it can sometimes feel like finding the best comedy movies on Netflix is nearly impossible. While Netflix certainly makes plenty of comedies of all stripes to choose from, they're often less than excellent. We're not here to judge, of course, but if you're looking for a comedy that has actual production value and some decent jokes, you may need to get just a little bit choosier. Thankfully, we're around to help you find the best comedy movies that Netflix has to offer.

Read more
Hugh Jackman on playing Wolverine again: ‘It literally doesn’t matter how I answer this’
Hugh Jackman isn't sure whether he'll be back as Wolverine
Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds in Deadpool & Wolverine.

Deadpool & Wolverine's arrival in theaters is imminent, and with it, the return of Hugh Jackman's Logan. Jackman has been playing some version of Wolverine since all the way back in 2000. In 2017, it seemed like he had hung up his claws for good with the critically acclaimed Logan, which sees the character meet what seems to be a permanent end.

Seven years later, though, he was drawn right back into the fray. In a recent interview with Collider, Jackman was asked whether he would be playing Wolverine again, and he seemed to understand that fans could no longer take him at his word.

Read more
Steven Spielberg is to blame for the lack of kissing in ‘Twisters’
Steven Spielberg wanted to keep things professional for the Twisters leads
The cast of Twisters.

Fans of disaster movies are relishing in the news that Twisters made more than $80 million in its opening weekend. The decades-later sequel to Twister had an opening weekend that wildly exceeded expectations, and left many wondering whether we may eventually get another sequel.

For all of the movie's critical and commercial success, though, some notice that this disaster romance was lacking something that the first Twister was sure to include. Namely, the movie ends without Glen Powell's Tyler and Daisy Edgar Jones's Kate sealing their new relationship with a kiss. Some people naturally wondered why there was no kiss in the film, and it turns out that legendary director Steve Spielberg is the one to blame.

Read more