Oppo Sonica WiFi Speaker System Preview

You know that Oppo makes great headphones, and their Blu-ray players are so good that most of our reviewers use them in their reference systems. Oppo obviously isn't resting on their laurels as evident that they partnered up with Dirac, a leading Room Correction company, to announce their new Sonica Wi-Fi Speakers with Dirac room correction.

The Acoustic design and tuning of the Sonica Wi-Fi Speaker is performed by Igor Levitsky, the same designer behind the award-winning OPPO PM-series planar magnetic headphones. The wireless speaker system will feature five drivers- one 3.5″ bass, two 2.5″ wideband and two 3″ passive bass radiators. The speaker drivers, amplifiers, and chassis have all been tuned by Oppo experts for a deep, pure sound that can be further optimized with built-in presets for different room sizes, speaker locations, and listening preferences using the Sonica app.

With the addition of Dirac room correction technology, the Sonica system should be able to optimize the most challenging aspect of creating great audio- the listening environment!  Dirac Room Calibration for OPPO is an advanced patented technology that analyzes the speakers and room together, automatically making corrections to remove unwanted colorations and deliver optimized sound. OPPO Digital plans to release this feature via firmware and app updates in the Sonica Wi-Fi Speakers.

Your listening room is actually one of the most important components of your sound system, which is why digital room correction helps so much in improving the sound quality. We are pleased that OPPO has selected our new Dirac Room Calibration for their next-generation Sonica Wi-Fi Speakers. We saw a great match with OPPO’s heritage of providing innovative, high-performance products along with strong value to consumers

 Dr. Mathias Johansson, CEO of Dirac

Although we reserve judgement of sound quality until we test one out, the true test of a Wi-Fi system is how easily you can setup and play your music to the system. We liked the options such as AirPlay and Bluetooth, and the companion smartphone and tablet app looks like it will make it easy to manage multiple speakers on the same network. The Sonica app will give you the added advantage of allowing you to have multiple Sonica systems play the same song in unison or enjoy a difference listening experience around every corner.

Sonica is capable of decoding audio files up to 24-bit / 192 kHz from your mobile devices, USB drives, DLNA servers, and NAS drives. It supports established lossless audio formats such as FLAC, WAV, and Apple Lossless, so you don’t have to compromise on quality. Additionally, multiple built-in adaptive antennae with MIMO technology ensure stellar signal strength for 2.4 and 5 GHz 802.11ac Wi-Fi (compatible with 802.11a/b/g/n), meaning users stay in control of the experience wherever in the house they may be.

Sonica was first revealed at the March 2016 CanJam SoCal event, and OPPO is adding the final touches before releasing Sonica to production. With the Oppo name, it's a sure you can expect a stylish product with the Sonica Wi-Fi Speaker system that lives up to the performance standards we've come to expect from OPPO.

The estimated retail price for the first Sonica speaker model is $299, and the estimated release date is around late May/June of 2016. Product price, features and availability subject to change as this product is currently still in development.  OPPO plans to follow up the release with a larger version that has seven drivers, and a smaller version that is more portable in the near future.

With those playback features and the ability to play multiple types of audio files we’re quite excited about this product and think you should be too!

About Dirac Research
Dirac is a world-renowned audio technology company on a mission to invent the future of sound. Dirac’s team of engineers and scientists deliver optimized sound solutions for mobile, automotive, residential and commercial environments through inspired innovation and a keen sense of evolving market trends and demands. Dirac’s digital sound optimization technologies have been adopted by some of the most respected and recognizable electronics manufacturers spanning the globe, achieving dramatically improved sound quality and a shortened time-to-market. Dirac Research maintains its headquarters in Sweden and has representatives in Japan, USA, Korea, Germany and China. www.dirac.com.  

About OPPO Digital
Based in the heart of Silicon Valley, OPPO Digital designs and markets high quality digital electronics that deliver style, performance, innovation, and value to A/V enthusiasts and savvy consumers alike. The company's attention to core product performance and strong customer focus distinguishes it from traditional consumer-electronics brands. www.oppodigital.com

Unless otherwise indicated, this is a preview article for the featured product. A formal review may or may not follow in the future.