HEOS show their credentials for the title Multi-room Speaker of Choice.
If you’re a fan of wireless multi-room audio, 2014 is certainly shaping up to be a great year. Can anyone come close to snatching Sonos’ crown? There are a fair few contenders this year, including some big players like Samsung and Panasonic. In my opinion, no brand so far has come as close as the new HEOS range.
If we begin by taking things at face value, the HEOS units are very well designed. I particularly like the HEOS 7, with its brushed metallic accents. The units are all very stylish, and yet discreet enough to fit into any style of home. One thing that surprised me is the subtlety of the branding on the HEOS units. However this could evidence of a move to a different audience for this product. Most of the units can also be used horizontally or vertically, making choice of speaker placement very versatile.
HEOS 5
The heavy-middleweight champion.
The range bares some fairly obvious similarities to that of the Sonos core range, so it’s pretty clear what HEOS are going for with this offering. There are, however, a few areas in which HEOS have the upper hand. The HEOS units have a much more versatile range of connections on every speaker, so if you want to listen to something that’s not one of the supported apps, you can simply use the auxiliary input or USB that is present on every one of the HEOS units, a luxury not provided by Sonos units smaller than the PLAY:5. With that said, it’s not like HEOS has a lack of support for their new system – Spotify, Rhapsody and TuneIn are already supported, as well as your personal music collection. HEOS inform us many more sources will soon be supported!
The HEOS app is very intuitive and user friendly. I love how simple it is to group the speakers. The sources are all quick and easy to access. Overall, it’s a very well designed app but there was a few times that it felt a little ‘clunky’. Not the greatest of criticisms, and with it being a software issue, hopefully future updates will smooth out the experience.
After some extensive listening, I can conclude that I am very impressed with sound from the HEOS system. While Sonos provides a little more bass response, I feel that the HEOS sounds a little more detailed in the higher frequencies. The sound from the HEOS 7 is particularly impressive. For those who appreciate a detailed soundstage, HEOS is a clear winner.
Currently the HEOS range is comprised of 3 speakers, the HEOS 3, HEOS 5 and HEOS 7. I am told HEOS have plans to release a smaller, more budget friendly speaker soon, The HEOS 1. Personally, I can’t wait to hear it and I am very excited to see how the HEOS system evolves.
The HEOS system is available to demo now at your local Richer Sounds! Why not call down today to give it a try?
Author – Luke, Leicester store
