The new Sonos AI-speech enhancement works on the new Sonos Arc Ultra soundbar. It offers four levels of enhancement to suit mild to extreme hearing impairment.
Sonos has always had speech enhancement and night viewing settings, but these make it the best choice for hearing-impaired listening.
The new Sonos AI-speech enhancement uses machine learning for speech extraction technology. It separates dialogue from other sounds in the ARC Ultra’s centre channel and clarifies speech in real time. This extracts just the dialogue without overly impacting volume or affecting the holistic cinematic experience.
It focused on clear voice dynamic range, typically 1-4kHz, where sibilance (sss sounds) makes dialogue hard to understand.
Non-speech content is present at a consistent, comfortable volume – a crucial element for people with hearing loss.
Sonos says of Sonos AI-speech enhancement
It was developed in partnership with RNID (Royal National Institute for Deaf People) and tuned by award-winning film sound mixer Chris Jenkins. This new Speech Enhancement tool enhances the dialogue you need without sacrificing the cinematic experience you deserve.
How does it affect immersive Dolby Atmos?
Not in the slightest. It only affects the forward-firing Sonos Arc Ultra centre channel, and everybody benefits from clear dialogue. You can still have Era 100 or Era 300 as rears and the Sonos Sub 4 for room-shaking bass. Read Sonos Arc Ultra soundbar – Add Sub 4 and Era 300s for Dolby Atmos on steroids.
Our Reviews Editor rated the Sonos Arc Ultra 92/100 and said
I want the best Dolby Atmos experience! The real Dolby Atmos 9.1.4 comes from adding a pair of Era 300s rears, which build the most convincing DA envelope we have yet heard.
You cannot compare Sonos to the others, as the technology and experience differ vastly. It uses very different approaches to speaker, amp, and enclosure design and an app that adds far more features and value than the consumer brands.
Sonos AI-speech enhancement comes as a free Sonos ARC Ultra software update from 13 May.
My take: Joy at being able to listen to movies and TV without missing most of the plot at volume levels that don’t deafen everyone!
Comments