The Samsung WAM5500 R5 speaker isn’t just a speaker – it’s a smart speaker. But what makes it so smart? Show
The R5 offers high quality audio and projects its sound differently to conventional speakers. Using its Ring Radiator technology, it creates omnidirectional 360° sound, meaning you’ll hear it perfectly – no matter where you are in the room. Thanks to its Bluetooth and Wi-Fi features, you can pair with more smart speakers and connect to multiple devices with ease. It’s completely universal and wireless – all it needs is a mains supply. It has “quick gestures” that are accessible at the top of the product. Simply tapping in the centre allows you to switch from Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or TV connect.  As I mentioned before, it’s super easy to set up. To see just how easy it is, I’ve run through a step by step guide to setting it up from the second you get it home: Opening the box – When you first open it, you’re welcomed with the paperwork in a tray – obviously, I studied the instruction booklet in depth to make sure everything was set up correctly. Truth be told, it’s all rather intuitive – which is always a reassuring start. Underneath the paperwork tray you’ll find what you really want – the R5 speaker itself and then underneath that you’ll find the power supply – it’s a simple cable so nothing to worry about here. Powering up – After digging everything out, you’re probably going straight in with connecting it up. The mains supply is a simple figure-of-8 cable that connects underneath the unit. The cabling then is threaded through the back to make the smart speaker sit robustly on a surface. Connecting – The final and part is connecting it to your Wi-Fi network. That can sound like a daunting process but it’s really not a challenge at all, even if you don’t consider yourself a tech expert. You’ll need to download the Samsung Multiroom app but it’s free and available for Android and Apple iOS users so anyone can get it. Once downloaded, open up the app and you’ll see a selection of products to choose from. As soon as you’ve picked the smart speaker you want to set up, it’ll try and find a Wi-Fi location. Simply choose your Broadband connection and then enter the password for your router – usually found on the back of the hub / router itself. Congratulations – you’ve just set up your R5. Now you’ve got the tough job – choosing what to listen to! Navigating your way around your music is simple thanks to the R5’s intuitive top panel interface. Just tap to control the playback, and then swipe to play the next or previous track, and simply touch Mode to toggle effortlessly between Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and TV Sound Connect. A clear OLED display lets you know the status of the device. If you get stuck, we’re happy to help. Contact your local store and ask about a demonstration; we’re always happy to show you how things work. The R5 smart speaker is the biggest of the three we offer at Hughes – R1 and R3 being its smaller siblings – and we can show you how to set up speakers for a cinematic experience in your home. Buy the Samsung WAM5500 R5 speaker online before 31st July 2017 and get 12 months FREE Deezer subscription. To arrange a demo, just call your local store and experience the Omnidirectional sound yourself. Its ecology and 360° omnidirectional sound is impressive, but is this a multi-room all-rounder? Read our R5 Wireless 360 Review. DETAILS – R5 Wireless 360 ReviewPRODUCT: Samsung R5 Wireless 360 ORIGIN: South Korea/China TYPE Wireless multi-room speaker system WEIGHT 2.7kg DIMENSIONS (WxHxD) 166 x 313 x 166mm 7Review earns Amazon affiliate commissions from qualifying purchases. You can support the site directly via Paypal donations ☕. Thank you! FEATURES
• Streaming service support: Spotify; Tidal; Qobuz; Deezer; TuneIn DISTRIBUTOR Samsung UK TELEPHONE 0330 7267864 WEBSITE samsung.com/uk For any Samsung TV, smartphone or tablet owners, the R5 is a good option. However, it might not be quite so attractive to people outside of its eco world. This is one of the most imposing speakers in this group, with a cylindrical black tower design that stands at 313mm high. It’s probably a little too large for a bookshelf – and that would be a waste anyway since, as the name implies, the R5 claims to provide 360° sound and needs plenty of room to breathe. The other part of the name is also important, since the R5 is indeed completely wireless. It includes both wifi and Bluetooth, along with Samsung’s SoundConnect that allows it to work with its smart TVs. That’s great for Samsung aficionados, but the R5’s wire-free approach means that there’s no 3.5mm connector or any wired inputs of any sort for any other types of devices. Samsung’s Multiroom app for iOS and Android devices works well, guiding you through the set-up process and providing access to services such as Spotify, Tidal and Qobuz. However, the Mac and Windows versions of the app have been stuck in their ‘beta’ phase for years, and neither of them will allow me to play music files stored on a home computer. The iOS app is also a little erratic, and occasionally appears to lose the network connection to the speaker. Sound qualityThe sound quality of the R5 is also something of a mixed bag, with some aspects of its 360° design proving more effective than others. The upward-firing 25mm tweeter and downward 125mm mid/bass drivers do a good job of creating a spacious, open sound that isn’t fixed on a specific sweet spot in one part of the room. The floating, reverberating guitar on Bijou fills the air, and there’s a satisfying swell to the synthesiser chords that form the backdrop to Brian May’s solo. The ambient atmospherics of Shadow Journal are equally effective, and the downward-firing bass driver does a good job of digging down to the deeper electronic rumble. The R5 handles the track’s subterranean bass better than most when played at mid volume, although it falters as I increase the level to 60 percent, and the entire unit starts to vibrate. Even so, the R5 can still fill a medium-size room on only about 50 percent of its maximum volume, so it’s more than adequate for casual listening and there’s the option of pairing two speakers together if you fancy listening in stereo. The higher end of the frequency spectrum proves to be a slight weakness. The R5 handles the dense drums of The Big Sky (Meteorological Mix) effectively, but those heavy rhythms do slightly overpower the lighter vocals. There’s a similar effect with the overdriven rock of This Is How I Disappear. The heavy power chords leading into the final chorus land with real weight, but the faster tiffing guitars on top don’t stand out as clearly as they should, and lean a little too heavily towards the low end, overshadowing the balance just a little too much for my liking R5 Wireless 360 Review: OUR VERDICT8 Total Score The 360° design works well with easy listening tracks, but lacks discernment on denser material PROS
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Best R5 Wireless 360 prices in the UK ?SOUND ALL AROUNDThe R5 is just one of several speakers in Samsung’s Wireless 360 range, all based on a similar cylindrical design, with an upward-firing tweeter on the top of the unit and a downward-firing mid/bass driver in the base. Both channel the audio through what Samsung describes as an ‘acoustic lens’ that disperses the sound through 360° around the speaker. Sound from the mid/bass also passes through a hollow ‘ring radiator’ – a circular cavity running around the base of the speaker that further disperses the audio, as well as acting as a passive bass radiator. The R5 needs to be placed in the centre of the room to show off its omnidirectional sound capabilities, but Samsung’s multi-room range also includes less attention-seeking models like the M7, which can be tucked onto a shelf or fixed to a wall. Bluesound Pulse Flex 2i Wireless Speaker - White RecommendedIt might be short on stature, but this mini multi-room offering certainly doesn't lack ambition or features Despite being one of the most compact speakers in our group, the Pulse Flex is a sophisticated piece of kit packed with the latest ... Harman Kardon Omni 10 Wireless HD Speaker, White RecommendedA compact bookshelf speaker combining hi-tech features with surprising power and performance As a starting point for Harman Kardon’s Omni multi-room speaker range, the Omni 10+ is compact and eye-catchingly spherical. It’s competitively priced and ... Denon HEOS 5 HS2 ReviewA versatile multi-room speaker that proves adept at handling more delicate, atmospheric sounds We first saw the original HEOS 5 as part of a full multi-room setup in HFC 395 and it’s still on sale on a number of online stores. This is the ... ZIPP Copenhagen ReviewThis cylindrical speaker sports an impressive set of features, but how does sound quality measure up? DETAILS PRODUCT Libratone ZIPP Copenhagen ORIGIN Denmark/China TYPE Wireless multi-room speaker system WEIGHT 1.5kg ... |
