Ever been worried that your speakers are listening to you? So were Sonos. Post their public battle with Google, the wireless home-audio specialist, Sonos is launching Ray, their budget-friendly soundbar alongside its own new voice control system for its smart speaker.
The Ray soundbar is a filtered down version of Sonos’ popular models, the Arc and the Beam. According to Sonos, the Ray has a more compact frame, designed to fit neatly under TV stands without affecting sound quality. It uses an optical cable to connect to the TV, enables you to stream music freely over wifi and can be controlled through the Sonos app or a TV remote. It also contains four Class-D digital amplifiers that have been fine-tuned to the soundbar's unique acoustic architecture and has the technology to adapt sound quality to the room’s requirements, through the Trueplay feature.
Sonos’s recent lawsuit win has led to the launch of their own voice assistant. They filed a suit against Google in relation to audio technology patents, after the speaker-maker had accused Google and Amazon of using its intellectual property while undercutting it with competing devices.
Their new voice control feature will be available as a free update, allowing users to ask for tracks, skip tracks, adjust the volume and move music between speakers or rooms. According to Sonos, this new voice control ensures requests be processed locally on the speakers, making it faster and more private than Google or Amazon’s services as no audio or transcripts will be sent or stored in the cloud. The Ray will cost just ₹37,999 and will be available from September in India. Treat yourself to this affordable speaker to enjoy high quality sound and privacy.