Wired
Introducing the “sound” that I felt after using Belkin’s high-quality smart speaker “SOUNDFORM ELITE Hi-Fi Smart Speaker” for two weeks.
Following the product outline and setup in the first part, we will evaluate the sound quality as a “speaker” in an environment where you cannot produce a loud volume in an apartment.
Equipped with a vibration elimination mechanism using dual woofers
According to Belkin, the “SOUNDFORM ELITE Hi-Fi Smart Speaker” is packed with technology without compromise to achieve high sound quality in a compact body.
In particular, it features high sound quality due to Devialet’s patented Speaker Active Matching (SAM) technology and a dual woofer configuration called “Push-Push” that reproduces rich bass while eliminating vibration.
I tried to use it for two weeks to see if I could feel the high sound quality in my daily life.
1. First, play a hit song in the living room
When I played the hit song playlists of YouTube Music and Apple Music, I got the impression that the bass was too strong by default.
From the Google Home app, you can adjust the bass and treble to 12 levels from +6 to -6 with the equalizer, and change the sound quality to your liking. In the case of the author, raising the treble and lowering the bass resulted in a favorite sound quality that did not bother the bass too much even at night.
2. Working on PC at night
I often work on my PC at home at night, but because I live in a condominium, I can’t make a loud sound, especially at night.
I reduced the volume to 15% of the full volume, and while thinking “I wonder if I can bring out the potential of high-quality speakers,” I played a playlist such as a jazz piano that I often listen to when I want to concentrate on my work.
What surprised me here was that the sound quality was easy to hear without losing the thickness of the sound even when the volume was turned down.
It was the biggest discovery for me to be able to listen to music firmly not only with loud sounds but also with quiet sounds.
3. Online live
Recently, online live performances by many popular artists have been held, and opportunities to watch using PCs and iPads have increased.
So, listen to the 1st Billie Eilish live by Billie Eilish and the 2019 Budokan live by Official Hige Dandism on your iPad with Belkin’s smart speaker, which is released on Apple Music. I did.
I was able to enjoy the performances echoing in the live venue and the cheers of the audience with a powerful sound, and I felt that the level of online live performances would rise by one.
4. Watch movies and dramas
I played Apple TV + and Amazon Prime movies and dramas on my iPad and listened to the audio through a smart speaker connected via Bluetooth.
What impressed me was that even though I was playing with a single speaker, I was able to enjoy a spacious sound like surround sound.
I tried to compare the sounds of Amazon Prime movies from the theater rack that I use with a built-in 2.1ch speaker in the TV stand, but the result was the overwhelming victory of “SOUNDFORM ELITE Hi-Fi smart speaker”. ..
In contrast to theater racks where the sound is not powerful unless the volume is raised considerably, the “SOUNDFORM ELITE Hi-Fi Smart Speaker” has a realistic sound even when the volume is turned down, and in the scene where music is playing in the background. It was easy to hear the conversations of people, and I enjoyed watching movies alone at night.
5. Radio and podcasts
In the case of radio broadcasting of the iPhone “radico” app or podcast talk, the bass may be too effective when the speaker is male, but lowering the bass level with the equalizer makes it clearer and easier to hear. It was.
6. Game
When I tried it in multiple games, the car racing game “Asphalt 9”, which features flashy sounds and beautiful graphics, was able to enjoy the engine sound and the explosion sound at the time of a crash with a force different from AirPods Pro. It was.
7. Online conferencing, webinar
I also tried “SOUNDFORM ELITE Hi-Fi Smart Speaker” at the webinar and the online conference by telework which has increased recently.
I connected my MacBook Pro to a smart speaker and joined an online meeting. I tested my voice to see if the microphone was picking up the sound, but I felt that the microphone sound wasn’t much different from the MacBook Pro’s built-in microphone. It seems good to divide the microphone for voice command input of Google Assistant.
The good sound quality of the speakers was demonstrated when listening to the webinar audio. When I listened to it with clear voice, I got the illusion that the contents of the webinar came to my mind more than usual.
The actual price is around 40,000 yen
The selling price (tax included) of “SOUND FORM ELITE Hi-Fi smart speaker” is 38,682 yen for black and 42,545 yen for white at the price posted on Amazon.co.jp at the time of writing this article, which is almost the same as 36,080 yen (tax included) for HomePod. It is a price range.
At first, I thought it was “a little expensive”, but I thought it was worth the price, considering the high-quality sound that makes the most of the low volume and the beautiful design that fits into the interior.
By the way, Devialet’s speaker is 159,000 yen (tax included) even for the most affordable model “Phantom Reactor”, and it may be rather cheap for a smart speaker packed with Devialet’s technology to be 40,000 yen.
Summary: The biggest attraction is that the sound is good even if you squeeze the sound.
I used the “SOUNDFORM ELITE Hi-Fi Smart Speaker”, which boasts high acoustic performance, every day for about two weeks, but the maximum is about 50% of the full volume, and most of them are 30% or less, so I mainly listen at a modest volume. did.
If you live in an apartment, it will be almost impossible to produce a loud volume that will bring out the full output performance of the speakers.
That is why, for the author, the greatest appeal of this product is that the sound is well-balanced even when the volume is turned down, and that a clear and easy-to-hear sound can be obtained.
And I realized that the time to enjoy music with good sound enriches my life.
Product Information: Belkin
(hato)
Source: iPhone Mania