Michal Ždanský SoundRing is one of the speakers of the Fidelio series from Philips, which offers wireless audio transmission via the AirPlay protocol, and also stands out with a very interesting design.
The SoundRing looks like a donut. It's surprising how Philips engineers were able to fit four speakers and a small bass reflex into a speaker of such a shape. Most of the surface is made of textile, which the SoundRing is covered with, the other elements are made of plastic, which, however, looks like metal. Philips chose a rather strange purple-brown textile color for the speaker, which in my opinion is not the happiest choice. It doesn't go well with the surrounding silver, and it should have been better to stay with the classic, albeit monotonous black, which would suit the SoundRing much better.
Outside the circle at the top, there are four microswitches used for power on, volume and stop/start playback. In the lower part of the back, there are three connectors and a button for Wi-Fi settings. In addition to the power connector and 3,5 mm jack audio input, we surprisingly also find a USB here. This is used to connect an iOS device via a synchronization cable, Reprobedna then fulfills the role of a dock, charging the device and allowing it to be controlled using microswitches. The last element is a blue diode, hidden in the front, at the top of the dock, indicating that the SoundRing is on. However, the diode in connection with the other colored elements evokes the feeling of some kind of cheap copy.
According to the drawings on the packaging, the SoundRing should be equipped with a total of four speakers, two facing the front and two on the sides. Thanks to this, the sound should be transmitted more to the sides and not just in one direction. In the upper part of the inner circle, there is a hidden hole that transmits bass frequencies, a small bass reflex. This is probably the first time I've encountered a top-down subwoofer, and I don't know if it's the ideal acoustic solution.
The main feature of the Fidelio SoundRing is the AirPlay protocol, thanks to which it can transmit sound wirelessly. The transmission is significantly better than bluetooth (A2DP), because the sound is transmitted at a much higher data rate and is definitely closer to a wired transmission, without delay. For AirPlay transmission, the speaker has a built-in Wi-Fi transmitter, through which it must connect to your router. If the router supports WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup), the connection is quite simple and you can do it practically by pressing two buttons on the SoundRing and the router. Otherwise, the installation is relatively more complicated. You need to connect to the loudspeaker's Wi-Fi network via an iOS device and then set everything up in mobile Safari at a special address that you can access to the SoundRing's network settings. In it, you need to find your home Wi-Fi network and enter its password. After confirmation, the option to use the speaker as an audio output should appear after a few minutes. A fold-out manual guides you through the entire setup process.
Fidelio SoundRing does not have a built-in battery, so it is completely dependent on the mains connection. The included adapter is universal with a replaceable plug for European and American plugs. In addition to the adapter, you will also find the aforementioned instructions, a CD with a manual and, surprisingly, a connecting cable with a jack-jack end. With it, you can connect almost any player or laptop to the SoundRing, just anything that has a standard 3,5 mm output.
Sound
Unfortunately, the original look affected the quality of the reproduction. Despite all the efforts of the Philips engineers, the enclosure cannot have sufficient volume for ideal sound. I tested the reproduction with an iPhone with the equalizer turned off with songs of various genres. The basic characteristic of the SoundRing is very pronounced treble, which overpowers all other frequencies. The bass, despite the presence of bass reflex, is indistinct, thin and, especially with harder music, sounds really strange.
The volume is adequate and adequate for the size of the speaker, you'll have no problem filling a larger room with it, although I'd recommend something louder for an outdoor party if you don't just want background music. At medium volumes, however, the fidelity of the reproduction begins to be completely lost. Music routing doesn't seem to be much better than the classic monolithic stereo speakers that are made for the iPhone. The side-facing pair of speakers thus seems to be more of a marketing issue than a sound benefit.
Philips ranks the Fideolio SoundRing in the Obsessed with sound collection, which in this case seems more like cheap marketing and certainly does not lead to sonic ecstasy when listening. The sound here completely fell victim to the original design, which is also unsightly in terms of color, at least in my humble opinion. I would definitely expect more from a speaker that costs over 7 CZK, especially when a half-cheap speaker is two classes away in terms of sound. If you're looking for a quality reproduction, I'd definitely look elsewhere, but if yours is drawn to the unique design, against my taste…
[one_half last="no"]
benefits
[Checklist]
- Original design
- AirPlay
- Audio cable included[/checklist][/one_half]
[one_half last="yes"]
Disadvantages
[bad list]
- Sound
- Color design
- Price[/badlist][/one_half]
My opinion is that it is absolutely not worth buying any speakers intended for Apple. The designs are interesting, but they are outrageously overpriced and try to benefit from Apple's pricing policy. At the same time, it is manufacturers like Philips etc. that simply do not produce high-quality speakers. Either way, you can take JBL, but even that is outrageously overpriced for the quality. The only exception is zeppelin from Bowers&Willkins (B&W). That British manufactory that really specializes in hand-made hi-fi speakers and also supplies studio speakers. Some hifi players are against it, but otherwise it's really a brand that can afford to set a price on its own. Not Philips, which makes vacuum cleaners and just depends on the fact that there are people who pay extra for Apple things. HOWGH
*specializes :) I'm watching hockey :P sorry for the rudeness
I agree with smoula, I personally have a Bowers Wilkins Zeppelin Air and the sound cannot be compared to any other dock speaker for ios devices