SoundHound partners with Onkyo to deliver speakers that can also listen

By Lulu Chang Published January 6, 2017

soundhound onkyo smart speakers ces 2017 ncp 302 4 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Your speakers are about to pick up what you’re putting down. Thanks to a new partnership between SoundHound, the voice-enabled conversational intelligence company, and Onkyo, producer of high-end consumer audio products, your speakers will not only play content for you to listen to, but listen to you as well. The latest product to be “smart” in your home will soon be your Onkyo speakers, which basically means you’ll have an AI assistant that sounds a heck of a lot better than the usual ones.

“The Houndify platform was created to be the world’s first fully agnostic voice and A.I. technology that allows anyone to easily add a voice-enabled, conversational interface to their apps and devices,” said Keyvan Mohajer, cofounder and CEO of SoundHound Inc. “Onkyo is a respected leader in innovative, high-end consumer audio products, both in Japan and around the globe, and we’re thrilled to partner with them to deliver a smart and robust conversational voice interface to their customer base.”

Recommended Videos

Now that the two companies are working together, Onkyo smart speakers will be able to listen to and process commands and requests. Whether you’re interested in asking your speaker about the weather, your upcoming flight, or current movies, SoundHound (by way of its Houndify platform) will have an answer for you. And thanks to natural language processing, you can ask your smart speaker questions just as you would a human — no jargon necessary.

“Voice interfaces are becoming a more important part of consumers’ lives, as we embark upon a new, more connected era of audiovisual technology,” said Munenori Otsuki, president and CEO of Onkyo. “Onkyo has a history of establishing partnerships with the world’s pioneering technology companies; with Houndify, SoundHound Inc. has created a sophisticated natural language processing platform that is uniquely positioned to scale and innovate along with us.”

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Fascinated by the effects of technology on human interaction, Lulu believes that if her parents can use your new app…

Audio / Video

This smart 4K projector is nearly half-price in Walmart’s sale

The Wimius smart 4K projector on a desk.

If you've been thinking about installing a projector in your living room to create a cinematic experience, you won't want to miss this offer from Walmart. The Wimius smart 4K projector, which is originally priced at $360, is down by nearly half to only $190, for huge savings of $170. We're not sure how much time is remaining before this bargain ends though, so if you're interested, we highly recommend completing your purchase as soon as possible.

Why you should buy the Wimius smart 4K projector
Setting up a home theater projector is an excellent way to create a movie theater vibe at home, and you won't have to spend hundreds of dollars if you go for the Wimius smart 4K projector. Its projection size ranges from 50 inches to as large as 300 inches, so if you've got a big enough wall or projection screen, it will really be like you're watching movies at the cinema. The projector is capable of 4K Ultra HD resolution, and it has an extremely long lamp life of 200,000 hours so it will be a long time before you need to replace its bulb. It also offers auto focus and keystone correction technology for even better visuals.

Audio / Video

These Sony OTC hearing aids offer optimized audio and all-day comfort

Man wearing Sony CRE-C10 OTC hearing aids.

There's a lot to be said about OTC or over-the-counter hearing aids. They're more accessible, usually because they're more affordable, and you don't need a prescription to get some. That's precisely why they're called "over-the-counter." Of course, they're really meant for mild to medium hearing loss, however. If you experience severe hearing loss you'll need to go to your local physician, as you might expect. But also one of the great things about this relatively new, untapped category of sound devices is that there are a lot of great options from brands you wouldn't expect. Take Sony, for instance, which has several OTC hearing aid options, and they're available at Best Buy of all places.

You can walk in, off the street, and walk out with them same-day, or buy them online and have them shipped to your house. How's that for excellent service and accessibility? But if you need a quick introduction to some of Sony's best OTC hearing aid options, we've got you covered.

Audio / Video

Now is the time to get the best noise-canceling headphones

The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones in Diamond color resting against a headphones stand.

Noise-canceling headphones' performance has been pushed with each passing product release, and the crown regularly passes between between Bose, Sony, and Apple as they attempt to one-up each other. Currently, Bose stands above the rest with the QuietComfort Ultra Headphones -- and right now they're $100 off until December 2.

What is it the Bose do so well? To start off, they offer the best noise-canceling performance available from a pair of headphones. In his review, Simon Cohen found that "The QC Ultra provide impressive levels of hush in a variety of scenarios." You can still get slightly better isolation with the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds or Sony WF-1000XM5 earbuds, but for most of us, having something in your ear for a long flight gets uncomfortable pretty fast. Plus, there's the worry an earbud will fall out (I find the fit on the Sony earbuds in particular doesn't always feel very secure).