Sonos has turned to AI to make speech clearer in your content, with a new Speech Enhancement feature, a technology that it’s now pushing out via a software update. The aim is to ensure that you can hear every word that’s spoken, so the important dialogue isn’t lost within the rest of the soundtrack.
Clarity has been a growing problem for TV watchers, with increasing emphasis on that pounding bass or immersive soundtrack, sometimes the spoken elements get lost. That’s a particular frustration for those with any sort of hearing loss, because you might not be able to follow the action at all, instead resorting to subtitles – which are often of varying quality.
Sonos’ new Speech Enhancement feature aims to address this, with Sonos saying that AI provided a real “breakthrough”, allowing the speech to be separated from other audio in the centre channel, so that it can be emphasized. It’s not just about pushing the speech harder, it’s about making it clear while still preserving the rest of the sound experience.
Working with the Royal National Institute for Deaf People (a UK-based organization supporting those who are deaf, have hearing loss or tinnitus) the new Sonos Speech Enhancement feature offers four levels to choose from, with the top level specifically design for those with hearing loss.
To access the feature you’ll have to use the (beleaguered) Sonos app. Here’s how Sonos describes the four different levels:
- Low – A subtle, artistic nudge that emphasizes dialogue while maintaining the original experience and creator intent.
- Medium – A medium enhancement that provides better dialogue clarity and a tasteful balance of the surrounding mix elements.
- High – A higher setting that makes dialogue obviously prominent while reducing other mix elements.
- Max – The most pronounced setting where dialogue clarity takes full priority, designed for those with hearing loss. Unlike the more balanced approach of Low, Medium and High levels, Max level further controls the dynamic range of non-speech elements, placing dialogue firmly at the forefront of the experience.
Soundbars have offered speech enhancement options for a number of years, but Sonos says that these modes “lacked the effectiveness and sound quality needed to truly solve the problem”. The solution is Sonos’ AI-powered offering, which is rolling out to the Sonos Arc Ultra from today.
Just to be clear, this isn’t about volume, it’s about changing the emphasis in the soundtrack so that the listener has more control over how speech comes through. If you find that you struggle to make out what people are saying in movies or TV shows, then this could be the solution.
“One in three adults in the UK experience hearing loss, and it is reported that just under one in four adults in the USA do too,” said Lauren Ward, Lead RNID Researcher. “This tool has the potential to impact a large number of people.”
The Sonos Arc Ultra features on our selection of best soundbars, offering one of the best Dolby Atmos experiences, with the flexibility to expand the system to make it more potent. We previously praised the dialogue delivery when we reviewed the Sonos Arc Ultra, but now things should be even better.
