Today Sky has announced the Sky Soundbox, a soundbar produced in collaboration with premium audio brand Devialet tooled for television watching.
Somewhat curiously, Sky announced the Soundbox alongside an announcement that Sky Q UHD subscribers would soon get Dolby Atmos support – despite the Soundbox not being compatible with this new offering.
Regardless, the soundbar – which will retail at £799 for non-subscribers but drop to £299 for its customers and further to £250 for Sky Q multiroom subscribers – boasts six woofers and three full-range speakers.
The bar measures in at 37.5 cm x 21 cm x 9.5cm, but its headline feature is Devialet’s ‘spatial surround sound’. There’s Bluetooth and Apple AirPlay support, and it works with both Sky Q and Sky+.
Although the speaker doesn’t support Atmos – so you won’t get the headline new sound feature of Sky Q – it does support Dolby Digital + and has a 'Sky Q Sound' setting tuned to suit Sky’s output.
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Atmos support on the way
“Sound is a vital part of visual storytelling – whether you’re watching the season finale of your favourite drama, or an epic Premier League clash," said Sky’s UK CEO Stephen van Rooyen.
“That’s why we’ve partnered with audio industry leaders Devialet to launch Sky Soundbox and take the TV experience to the next level for our customers. Great TV deserves great audio – we believe Sky Soundbox is the Ultra HD of home audio.”
Devialet is perhaps best known for its Phantom line of speakers, which feature a space age design and a phenomenally high price tag to match.
For football-loving audiophiles with Sky Q UHD and high-end systems that support Dolby Atmos - the announcement that support for this is on the way will be hugely welcome.
“Following a free software update rolling out later this summer, Sky Q customers will be able to enjoy 124 live Premier League games with Dolby Atmos sound and UHD visuals,” added Sky.
