Skip to main content

Hi-Fi Corner: Samsung’s new audio lab creates gorgeous multi-room speakers

hi fi corner samsungs new audio lab creates gorgeous multi room speakers wam7500 table
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Samsung has no shortage of accolades when it comes to product categories like TVs, refrigerators, and even washing machines. However, the tech behemoth has had a harder time getting a strong foothold in the audio realm. To change that, Samsung has created an all new state-of-the-art audio lab in Valencia, California. Last week at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, we got to check out the first germination of those efforts, the WAM7500 and WAM6500 multi-room speakers.

The WAM series is designed around the latest evolution in wireless audio in which speakers emit audio in all directions to fill the room with sound from any origin. The new speakers follow other spherical sonic companions like the similarly designed Kickstarter darling, the Archt One speaker. Samsung’s new speakers achieve their 360-degree sound pattern thanks to a proprietary driver design called “Ring Radiator” technology.

Related: The futuristic looking Archt One speaker shoots sound in all directions
WAM6500 gret TableThe Ring Radiator driver configuration is designed to provide balanced audio across the bass and treble in all directions. The WAM7500 Table Top speaker is meant to be the centerpiece of your listening room, while the smaller WAM6500 is designed for portability, with a handle and a rechargeable battery on board so you can take the sound on the road. We didn’t get much time with the smaller of the two, but the WAM7500 definitely showed some promise.

Samsung had the showroom demo of the new speaker confined to an automated feed, so it was difficult to tell how many speakers were playing at a time. However, the sound we did hear was clear and very present, with a frequency response that appeared to be as balanced and smooth as Samsung promised. And thanks to the 360-degree sonic signature, the sound was also remarkably hard to track down, emanating in a buoyant, room-filling expanse.

One thing we didn’t get much chance to check out is Samsung’s updated app for the speakers, the convenience of which could be a major deciding factor on whether the WAM series sinks or swims. However, the features we did see were pretty interesting, including an intuitive ring at the center that allows scrolling through artists. We were also told by one of the exhibitors that the app looks a lot like Samsung’s Milk, but we’ll have to wait till the speakers hit the open market to see how it turns out.

This post originally appeared on our brother site, Digital Trends.

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