Samsung's Creative Lab is heading to Las Vegas next week to show off a wireless speaker solution designed to offer the private listening benefits of earphones without the long-haul discomfort of having tiny speakers plugged in your ears. The S-Ray speakers work by beaming sound directly to music lovers in a way that won't disturb others around them.
The S-Ray speaker is described as a portable directional speaker that will be demonstrated by Samsung C-Lab at CES in three wireless formats – a horseshoe-shaped neckband that pushes audio towards the ears of the wearer, a portable unit called the Handy and a smartphone cover.
As well as avoiding discomfort suffered as a result of extended earphone use, the design means that users need not be a bother to others around them, as the audio is kept within a sort of personal sound zone. This should also allow more than one directional speaker to be pumping out tunes in the same room, at the same time, without bleeding over each other.
The technology is likely similar to Soundlazer's parametric speakers, which can be a tad disappointing in the low end department, though Samsung isn't giving away any technical details ahead of the CES project reveal, yet is promising portable convenience "while maintaining the advantages of conventional directional speakers and/or earphones."
The S-Ray examples are concepts only at the moment, with Samsung no doubt paying close attention to the reactions from public and press in Las Vegas next week to inform future production plans. You can see various use scenarios given in the video below.
Source: Samsung