Samsung has this week announced the launch of several new products in its home electronics lineup, and one of them was the Music Frame – a stylish art frame concealing speakers, that can be used to enhance TV audio and provide music streaming in the home. It promises to put an end to clunky sound systems cluttering up your living space as well as brightening up your home by displaying your favorite art, album covers or photographs, all of which sounds great on paper, but will the resulting sound be good enough to warrant trading in your trusty, (albeit cumbersome), audio system?
What’s underneath the canvas of the Music Frame?
At its launch, Samsung described the Music Frame as ‘a customizable speaker that provides rich sound and seamless connectivity. Operating as a standalone wireless speaker or paired with a Samsung TV and soundbar, it augments bass and offers high-quality surround sound’.
Much like the much lauded Frame TV, Samsung is thinking outside the box with the Music Frame, repurposing our home electronic needs into a personalized, clutter-free piece of art. The outer skin is a traditional frame with interchangeable bezels to match your home’s aesthetic, where you can showcase art or, whatever you want really, but lurking behind the ‘canvas’ are two woofers, two tweeters, and two mid-drivers. You can connect other devices using WiFi or Bluetooth, and with Samsung SpaceFit technology, the Music Frame can also analyze your space and calibrate optimized audio for its environment.
Is there a market for the Music Frame?
The popularity of Samsung’s The Frame TV proves that there is a huge market for innovative ways to redefine how our home entertainment systems interact with our living spaces, and Samsung is clearly hoping the same can be said for our home audio with the Music Frame. It’s not a completely original idea, IKEA teamed up with Sonos to launch something similar back in 2021 with the Symfonisk Picture Frame with Wi-Fi Speaker, but although reviews of the sound were positive, (as expected from Sonos), this product differs from the Music Frame in that you can’t display your own images on it, instead having to choose from set pieces of art designed by IKEA.
The Music Frame certainly looks smart and promises to boast better all-round connectivity too, with Samsung saying they “can be used as a TV speaker, rear speaker, or a subwoofer – and even pair two for more surround sound options” utilizing Samsung’s Q-Symphony software you can sync up all compatible Samsung TVs or speakers including The Frame to create a full surround sound system.
At first glance, users might be slightly disappointed that the Music Frame is not a digital screen, catering only to more traditional prints, and audiophiles will be the first to admit there are certainly question marks surrounding the quality of sound you can achieve from such a thin set of speakers attached directly to a wall. However, Samsung has surprised us before, and if this new product performs anywhere near as well as the Frame TV then I for one am sold.
Samsung’s the Music Frame is now on sale from many outlets, retailing direct from Samsung for $399.99 or currently on Amazon for $397.99.
