After unveiling the GTK-PG10 party speakers which
had a powerful output, big battery with up to 13 hours playback, cup holders
and lots more features, Sony again took the centre stage at CES 2019 to
announce a sleek, cool wireless speaker with a unique design. The new speaker
is dubbed LSPX-S2 Glass Sound Speaker and obviously is more classy even though
it looks more like a little lamp than a speaker. This model is a successor to
the LSPX-S1 Glass Sound Speaker which was first unveiled in 2016.
In actual fact, the smart speaker doubles as a lamp
and speaker. At the centre of a glass tube is a tiny LED light with 32levels of
brightness and that can also be set to candlelight mode, which introduces
candle-like flickering. Just below the LED light, hidden from view, are three
actuators, spaced equally around the inside of the glass. These actuators
vibrate the glass to create sound, in much the same way that the actuators on
the back of the company’s OLED TVs produce sound by vibrating the panel. At the
base is encased a woofer to add bass and lower mid-range, balancing up the
higher frequencies produced by the actuators.
According to Sony, the idea behind the Glass Sound
Speaker is that the audio travels up the glass tube and out of the bottom of
the speaker and spreads evenly into the room in 360 degrees. In other words,
there’s no sweet spot – the speaker should sound the same no matter where
you’re standing in relation to it. Apart from its beauty, the Sony smart speaker
is portable and has an impressive battery that can withstand 8 hours of
playback. The device can also receive audio files sent to it using Bluetooth or
wi-fi. In addition, it supports Spotify Connect and hi-res audio.
Sony LSPX-S2 Glass Sound Speaker won’t come cheap as
it is said to carry a price tag of £ 550. The gadget will be available to buy in
May which is about four months times from now.
