Samsung has announced local pricing and availability for a range of new speakers in its wireless multi-room range, the R1, R3 and R5, and two portable models — the R6 and R7 (pictured above) — which are designed to be portable.
The hook with Samsung’s wireless audio R series is the 360º design; you can hear music and audio from all sides, no matter which way the speaker is oriented. According to Samsung, the new range deliver superb balance of treble and bass to minimise distortion by clever placement of the speaker cones within the speakers themselves.
As with most wireless speakers, Samsung’s R series is designed to be easy to transport and install, alongside a table-friendly design and simple ‘tap-and-swipe’ design. Samsung’s app to control the speakers — Samsung Multiroom — is available for both Android and iOS platforms, allowing users to control and configure the speakers over WiFi. The speakers support a range of music services including Spotify, Pandora, Rdio, and Deezer, but without a Chromecast Audio, it doesn’t appear that Chromecasting is supported.
Samsung are keen to see their new range adopted, as you’d expect. Samsung’s Philip Newton (Corporate VP and CMO) said:
“The new R Series speaker range delivers exceptional sound quality and represents the pinnacle of our continued investment in audio innovation and delivering an immersive experience for Australians. These speakers will deliver amazing sound quality from almost any position in the home, this is due to the 360-degree, omnidirectional, design that has been engineered to disperse audio evenly and in every direction.”
The new R series is available for purchase now from Harvey Norman and JB HiFi, as follows:
- R1 speaker from RRP $299
- R3 speaker from RRP $499
- R5 speaker from RRP $649
- R6 portable speaker from RRP $599
- R7 portable speaker from RRP $699
Samsung’s speakers enter a crowded market, where both high and low-end manufacturers are getting in on the space. LG’s Music Flow speakers are a popular option, and Bose’ new range of SoundTouch speakers are a force to be reckoned with. Even Aldi is getting on board with its Bauhn-branded wireless speakers. All of these entrants, including Samsung, support broadly the same features, with the real differentiators being (a) price and (b) quality. As with most markets, you get what you pay for, and Samsung is clearly pitching its R range at the higher end, so the expectations are appropriately high.
