ANALYSIS: CONNECTED AUDIO Home Entertainment
Left: The new Echo Show 8 and Google Nest Hub Max
Elsewhere, it seems the pace of new smart speaker launches has come to a crawl. With Google, it’s been over four years since the launch of the Nest Audio and five years since the Nest Mini; there are rumours of a new Nest Audio and Nest Hub Max, but to date nothing has yet hit the shelves.
While Google and Amazon have a famous A new era of 22 innovation in audio
More than half of UK homes will be smart homes by 2027, with 15.1 million households expected to integrate smart technology. It’s the future of how we’ll live, so
retailers need to embrace the changes when it comes to their home audio offering. Jack Cheeseman reports.
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mart home devices are becoming integral to modern homes, from voice-controlled assistants to energy-saving thermostats. Currently, approximately 39 per cent of UK households have smart home products, but with significant investments in intelligent technology and continuous advancements in smart home devices, experts predict further continued expansion in the UK market.
Google Nest Mini
Within the smart speaker category alone, over half of UK households (54 per cent) have at least one smart speaker. Big name brands dominate the market; they need no introduction. There’s the Google Nest Hub with integrated Google Assistant, and a plethora of Amazon Echo devices. In fact, the tech giant claims that the Echo Dot with Clock (5th Gen) is chosen by 69 per cent of smart speaker owners. “Customers trust Alexa to help simplify their daily lives; they’re interacting with the personal AI tens of millions of times every hour,” says Eric Saarnio, Vice President, Amazon Devices International. “These new devices offer customers even more ways to seamlessly manage everything from day-to-day tasks, to the thousands of smart home devices with Alexa.” The new Echo Show 8, for example, has been upgraded inside and out. An enhanced audio experience provides improved clarity and bass, with room adaptation and spatial audio for optimal, room-filling sound, while an improved processor delivers even faster display responses than the previous gen.
fierce rivalry and a history of incompatibility, there’s now light at the end of the tunnel with the introduction of the Matter platform for smart home devices – which aims to simplify the process of purchasing, setting up, and using connected gadgets. Whether it’s a smart bulb, a smartphone or a smart speaker, if it works with Matter, it should work with any Matter- enabled platform or device. When it comes to audio, JBL’s new Authentics 200, Authentics 500 and the portable Authentics 300 (all pictured below) feature both Google and Amazon voice assistants, which can be used simultaneously at any one time. For example, users can ask Alexa to play a song and then ask Google to turn it up! The JBL speakers also feature Wi-Fi and Bluetooth with sound delivered by Dolby Atmos, creating an immersive sound. The Authentics range also has access to JBL’s One App, so consumers can create a personalised experience by adjusting its EQ settings.
Seamless integration
The audio sector is poised for continued innovation as voice control becomes increasingly integrated into multi-room audio systems. But while mass-market solutions provide convenience, professionally integrated systems take this experience to the next level. URC’s Total Control platform exemplifies this shift, offering a fully scalable and customisable smart home solution. The newly launched
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