If you’re looking to beef up your new TV’s sound but don’t want to go for a full surround sound setup, you’ll definitely want to keep an eye on our coverage of CES, as Samsung has announced that it will show off an impressive-looking new wall-mountable soundbar at the show.
The company calls its new NW700 Sound+ a “lifestyle soundbar,” which seems to mean that unlike a lot of other audio gear, it’s meant to fit into your living room, not dominate it. This model is just 53.5 mm thick, which Samsung mentions is 41 percent narrower than the model preceding it. That makes it a perfect option to mount on the wall beneath your ultra-thin wall-mounted TV.
“Samsung continues to invest in product development that fuses lifestyle and technology in a seamless, innovative manner,” Samsung Electronics Senior Vice President of Visual Display Business Jurack Chae said in a statement. “With our NW700 Sound+ soundbar, we are not only committed to superior product design, but also to delivering unmatched sound quality to our consumers.”
Just because the NW700 Sound+ is thinner, that doesn’t mean that Samsung has decided to skimp in the sound-quality department. This model builds upon the MS650 Sound+ soundbar, which we happened to like quite a bit. Like that model, the NW700 Sound+ includes a built-in subwoofer, so you won’t have to worry about making space for a subwoofer somewhere in your living room.
The soundbar features three channels and uses what Samsung calls “slim sound technology” to provide an immersive listening experience. The soundbar also incorporates distortion-canceling, wide-range tweeters and multi-speaker control — all technologies developed at the Samsung Audio Lab in Valencia, California. The tech works in an interesting way, analyzing incoming audio signals and altering them in real time so that the speakers that reproduce the sound never go into distortion territory. As we’ve noted in our reviews this year, the processing works remarkably well.
The NW700 Sound+ has three modes of operation: Standard, Surround, and Smart. Surround Mode offers a wider sound field for enhanced surround sound, while Smart Mode automatically adjusts both speaker volume and surround sound effects.
The new soundbar will be on display at CES, which kicks off on January 9. In the meantime, if you aren’t sure this looks like the model for you, or if you want to do some comparison shopping, be sure to take a look at our guide on how to buy a soundbar.
Instagram is making its way to yet another screen, and this time, Apple TV is getting a taste of the Reels rabbit hole. The company has launched a dedicated Instagram app for Apple TV, bringing Reels, longer videos, and live shows to the big screen. So, if watching one quick clip on a phone somehow turns into an hour of scrolling, there's now a much larger screen for that.
Instagram brings Reels and more to Apple TV
Audio-Technica, a brand well known for making some of the best studio and professional headphones on the market, has just come out with the ATH-AWX7000, which the company itself claims to be its "finest headphones ever." The new flagship closed-back headphone has debuted at an eye-watering price of $3,799. It combines hand-finished Japanese woodwork with a newly developed 58mm driver.
The earcups are made from Kiso cypress, a prized wood historically used for Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples. Each housing is finished by hand with traditional Echizen lacquer, which brings out the grain and is expected to darken over time. The frame and sliders are finished in a deep navy kachi-iro shade traditionally associated with samurai.
This post is brought to you in paid partnership with Best Buy.
Technology evolves every day, transforming how we live and work. Our devices are becoming more than tools we use. They are increasingly capable companions that help streamline day-to-day routines and spark creative ideas. If you have been waiting for the right moment to upgrade your tech setup, the Discover Samsung Shopping Event offers an opportunity to explore what connected, AI-powered living can look like.