Syng’s Cell Alpha Speaker Aims to Revolutionize Home Audio Experiences
A high-tech, 3D-printed orb fills space with sound and moves with you
Launching today, Syng‘s Cell Alpha is more than a speaker; it’s part hardware, part software and a high-tech audio product that provides an immersive experience for users whether they are listening to music, podcasts, watching TV or films or playing video games. Thanks to its Triphonic tech (aka three channels), the Cell Alpha floods space with what the brand calls “smart sound.” Within the anatomy of the Cell Alpha sits the Triphone, which is made up of three horns and two drivers that include mid-range and tweeters. Sandwiched between a top and bottom woofer, the 3D-printed ceramic-based compound is formed into a transformational sound delivery system and its neighboring open spaces are engineered to produce optimal sound. This innovation, coupled with space-age style design and durable parts makes the Cell Alpha future-forward and durable—and perhaps the beginning of a sound delivery revolution.
Christopher Stringer (Syng’s co-founder, CEO and chief design officer and former Apple industrial designer) and Beth McMullin (acoustic researcher) demoed the product for us this week, and we heard firsthand how the Cell Alpha creates a listening experience unlike anything we have encountered before. The sound is organic, rich and full, and listeners can take charge and customize it to their taste or according to their listening activity: “place it wherever you want, move it, shrink it, magnify it and layer it,” they say.
Stringer says the development of the Cell Alpha was like “a natural science project” and the result is revolutionary. The experience is immersive because the sound changes as one moves around a room; the Cell always focuses on users. McMullin explains, “Considering the size and shape of the room, it’s going to affect the bass notes, the bass notes are peaks and dips,” she says. “As I walk around the room that will change.”
Functional controls and a USB-C connection are integrated into the connector at its base, allowing for simple and accessible hands-on control when the app isn’t convenient to use. Despite its sophisticated tech, the user-experience couldn’t be easier and can be done in five steps. “Obviously we want it to be simple for the user,” McMullin says. This includes the Cell’s calibration, which is done automatically; taking note of its placement within your space, whether that’s on the floor, on a table or next to a wall.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Cell Alpha isn’t inexpensive: the Table Stand Cell Alpha costs $1,799 and the Floor Stand iteration is $1,969, additionally a specific HDMI cable ($49) is necessary for connection to your television. What is perhaps most exciting is that the system is designed with third-party innovation in mind, with an expectation that others will create many types of bases for the Cell. Despite the Cell Alpha’s performance and future-defining looks, it’s the technology for manipulating and customizing your listening experience that is the true innovation here, with the intention of other platforms (known and unknown) adopting and licensing its technology in their own products.
Images courtesy of Syng
