Gayle Kesten, CMO of Adobe, has posted an interesting report on his blog . According to a survey, 36% of US smart speaker owners are using more devices to enjoy coronavirus, music and entertainment. This tendency seems to be especially strong in the younger generation.
As I spend more time at home, I feel that I have more opportunities to listen to music on my smart speaker than before. In that case, the desire for a better sound will increase. Belkin has released a smart speaker jointly developed with the emerging French audio maker Devialet, so I tried it.
▲ The design makes you want to put your smartphone on it. It seems to be a fixed position of the smartphone at home
“SOUND FORM ELITE Hi-Fi smart speaker” is a smart speaker compatible with Google Assistant. Although it has been established for more than ten years, it uses the patented technology of Devialet, which has been highly acclaimed by audiophiles, and is equipped with two 35mm full-range drivers and two 70mm woofer drivers. The maximum output sound pressure level is 90 dB SPL.
I actually listened to various music, but the woofer was not too strong and not too weak, and it worked with a good idea, and even if the volume was turned down to about 20% as well as at a loud volume, the bass sound was firmly heard. You can feel it. When I compared it with the original “Google Home” that I usually use, there was a clear difference not only in the bass but also in the clearness and spread of the sound. In particular, the fact that the sound can be heard clearly even if it is not directly in front of the speaker is suitable for the author’s usage, where he often listens to music while doing some work such as housework.
The size is 168.5 height x 162.0 width x 162.0 mm depth, and weighs 1250 g. The biggest feature of this speaker is that it has a design that makes the sphere look like a slanted sphere, and it has a wireless charging stand that can supply power to the smartphone just by placing it, like Belkin’s product, at this slanted place. I am. There is also a touch sensor type button in front of the space where you put your smartphone, and since this button part is also slanted, it is easy to operate even if you install it on a slightly high shelf.
belkin smart speaker review
▲ The size is about twice as large as the original “Google Home” (right photo). A little big to put on the bedside
By the way, “Google Home” has a mute button on the back, so I had to groping when I pressed it, but it is also a good impression that there is no such troublesomeness. On the other hand, it requires about twice as much installation space as Google Home. Considering charging your smartphone, you want to install it in a place that you can reach, such as the bedside, but it may be a little big to do so.
belkin smart speaker review
▲ Volume up / down, song skipping, mute, Bluetooth pairing, etc. are possible.
belkin smart speaker review
▲ There are four LEDs on the front that glow when voice is recognized. It is a mechanism that you can check the volume etc. by the number of lights
belkin smart speaker review
▲ A slightly larger AC adapter is included. It is designed so that the connector does not protrude from the main body
The setup for use is basically the same as a genuine Google speaker, using the Google Home app. When you connect the AC adapter and launch the app, the menu “Set up Belkin Smart Speaker” is already displayed, so tap it and follow the steps to select the installation location, Wi-Fi, music and video service to use only. If you’re already using the app, adding speakers is a breeze. If you are using the app for the first time, you can set it up without hesitation because you just follow the same steps except to link your Google account first.
