The Samsung Wireless Audio 360 system has been around for a little while, gaining praise from industry experts and being a system to rival the likes of Sonos. Previously only available in black, the R1 and R3 have recently been re-released with a brand new ivory colouring, making this a perfect time to take another look at the two speakers and all they can do.
Samsung R1
The R1 is the smallest of the Samsung multi-room system, but it still utilises a lot of the aspects that make the larger speakers so good. For example, Samsung’s “Ring Radiator” technology, which disperses sound evenly in every direction. As well as this, the speakers have a cylindrical design and a precisely measured gap between the speaker and the acoustic lenses, allowing the sound to equally reverberate hitting all areas surrounding it. This technology allows the R1 to stand up on its own as a small speaker with big sound, but also means that it’s the perfect companion for any of the multi-room compatible Samsung soundbars, enabling you to add them as rears and create an affordable but impressive 5.1 wireless surround sound.
Samsung R3
The R3 is the next step up in the Wireless Audio 360 sound chain and adds to the R1 mainly by virtue of its larger size. Not only does this larger cabinet allow for greater volume, but the speaker can also accommodate a more powerful 4.2′ subwoofer, giving you a much more detailed low end and the ability to drive a much larger room. One of the other improvements over the R1 is the inclusion of the top touch panel, which utilises an OLED display instead of LED, and so providing a much sharper and brighter device control. It goes without saying that the entirety of the tech behind the R1 is also present in the R3.
Samsung Multiroom
Both the R1 and the R3 are, of course, part of Samsung’s multi-room Wireless Audio 360 system, and even with their new colouring will still be controlled by the same app, and are still be able to do the same things. Utilising the intuitive multi-room control app you can easily control all of your Samsung speakers, either by streaming from multiple third party Apps such as Spotify Connect, TuneIn Radio, Qobuz, Deezer and Rdio, or by connecting to an existing computer or NAS drive so you can stream any of your existing music. If you are streaming your current music, you’ll even be able to listen to hi-res files, up to 192kHz/24bit, in formats AIFF, ALAC, WAV and FLAC.
In my opinion, the R1 and R3 were already good speakers, and now they’re available in a newer colour it means that they’re easier to fit into certain aesthetic environments, and that’s fine with me.
Of course, the Samsung multi-room speakers will always draw comparisons with Sonos, but if you want to find out for yourself who the best is, then don’t hesitate to pop into your local store for a demo.
Click to find out more about the Samsung R1 and Samsung R3.
Author: Hal, Plymouth store
