We tested the Samsung R7 Wireless Audio 360 speaker, which promises to emit uniform 360 degree audio. See the pros and cons of the gadget.
THE Samsung launched in Brazil the R7 model of the line Wireless Audio 360 in October 2015. The product promises to provide a unique way of reproducing sound in 360 degrees and has a different design, which draws attention; as well as the price: R $ 2,199. I tested the device for a few weeks and these are my impressions.
Design
Samsung wants the Wireless Audio 360 it is also an object of decoration for your home. And not just any object, but the one that draws the most attention. He looks like a big egg. Few materials were used in its construction: a resistant matte plastic makes up the body of the product and there are some metallic details in the sound outlets, the minimalism was enough to make it a magnet for the eyes, thanks to the shape.
Above one of these metallic details there are the capacitive buttons for Play / Pause, Volume Control, Input and On / Off. A thin beam of light indicates when the speaker is connected in that same region.
The tweeter is facing up, and the mid-woofer is in the middle. The box measures 181 x 422 x 181 mm and weighs just over 3 kg. In addition to the small chrome base that comes with the model, Samsung sells a trip separately.
Wireless Audio 360 is available in colors white and black.
Sound
If the design is different and attractive, the sound even better. Samsung cared about the quality of the product. Audio technology Ring Radiator causes the sound to be spread in all directions of the room, generating 360 degree audio of equal quality. It is possible to increase the sound a lot without distorting it.
It is capable of reproducing a dynamic and open sound field, with well-defined high frequencies and a balanced mid-range. The bass is slightly less than expected, precisely because of the positioning of the speakers, which are physically separated. The tweeter points up and the mid-woofer points down. In practice, there may be differences in sound depending on the positioning highest or lowest of the device.
It is also worth mentioning that this is not an ideal product for those who want a immersive solution, to watch movies and series, for example. The sound propagates in 360 from the boxes and does not generate a clear positioning of the sound elements.
Connectivity and Performance
THE Wireless Audio 360 it practically has no physical entrance. There is no P2 plug, nor RCA, just a microUSB that is hidden under the metal base. Everything controlled via Bluetooth 4.0 or Wi-Fi (2.4 / 5GHz).
The speakers are easy to set up. Connecting via Bluetooth requires nothing but the smartphone or computer you want to use for the transmission; just press the “Source” button, wait for the warning “Bluetooth is ready” and pair the devices.
If you prefer to use WiFi, which guarantees more stability and sound quality, you need to download the application Samsung Multiroom, available for iOS and Android. It is necessary to follow some instructions, which appear on the cell phone screen; It is necessary to press the Play / Pause button simultaneously with the On / Off button for 5 seconds and then enter the connection password, in a few seconds everything is already configured. It is also possible to connect to a Samsung TV using the TV SoundConnect.
The application has a number of features that complement the experience from Wireless Audio 360. It integrates with music apps, such as Spotify, Deezer, 8tracks and TuneIn, but is also capable of playing from the user's library. AAC, OG, AIFF, MP3 (up to 320 kbps), WMA, ALAC (up to 192 kHz), WAV (up to 192 kHz) and FLAC (up to 192 kHz) formats are supported.
From it you can connect more than one Samsung speaker to play the same content. The staff sent two R7 boxes and I was able to test more possibilities, like making a pair in the living room or leaving one in each room of the house; in this second case it is possible to control them independently. Putting both in the same space is not so interesting, the 360 ​​degree sound is very uniform and there is only a gain in volume.
The app displays the cover of the album that is currently playing and has a fun way to switch between songs, simply rotating around the image to browse. There is also a search menu that includes all the content sources that are connected and an equalizer.
Image gallery
Completed
THE Wireless Audio 360 a huge speaker. Beautiful to the point of being a beautiful decoration item for your home, with a high reproduction quality. The sound really comes out in 360 degrees. It is easy to set up and intuitive to put music on, a very nice experience to use. However, ask for some details like limited connectivity to Bluetooth and WiFi, a P2 plug wouldn't hurt, would it?
If you have R $ 2,199 and you want to invest in beautiful, quality equipment, a very interesting speaker.
