Samsung's 'Ring Radiator' speakers look strange, but sound pretty good
When Samsung announced a trio of audio products ahead of CES, the two egg-shaped speakers immediately grabbed my eye. Obviously, these don't look like regular in-home gear, and while Bang & Olufsen has been making said audio tech more decorative for quite some time, an affordable entry would certainly be welcome. As a part of that oval design, the WAM7500 and WAM6500 have so-called Ring Radiator technology that blasts sound in 360 degrees, rather than a single direction. If you're familiar with the compact UE Boom or Megaboom, this concept is similar. While that latter model is an on-shelf option, the former is meant to be used with a stand, or more awesomely, hung from the ceiling like a light fixture. Keeping with the home accent theme, Samsung is showing off not only black and white versions, but also wood and metallic models.
There are a number of products here at CES taking aim at Sonos' connected-home audio line, and this is yet another. Both the WAM7500 and WAM6500 can connect to TVs, soundbars and that phone or tablet to wrangle tunes or a movie. WiFi is used to connect to a fleet of devices, and Bluetooth provides a one-on-one connection for beaming content. What's more, the WAM6500 is being hailed as the "moveable" option -- not only around the house, but also wherever you need to take it thanks to a built-in battery. Even in the throes of a busy trade show booth, these speakers sound pretty good. Of course, I'd want a more confined listening session before I committed funds, but Samsung's duo looks, and sounds, promising. Despite how much anyone might be smitten with these, there's no information on pricing or availability yet. So for now, we'll have to be content with the quick glance and cross our fingers that the company delivers sometime in the near future.
