Doshisha has announced the GS-SP1 Grand Speaker soundbar designed to help those who are hard-of-hearing to hear their TV shows and movies better. The 20-watt soundbar uses a combination of dual 5-watt horn speakers and audio equalization in addition to dual 5-watt speakers to make dialogue easier to hear.
Unlike Sound Fun's Mirai Speaker Mini, which utilizes a flat driver bent along one dimension, the Grand Speaker utilizes horn speakers to transmit enhanced sound over a long distance with minimal falloff in volume. The sound from the horns remains 1.5 to 1.7 times louder than that from a TV set at 3 meters (9.8 ft.). The enhanced sound can be directed to two listeners by swiveling the horn speakers up to 15° to the side and tilted up to 3° upwards. Others only hear the normal sound, preventing the sound from feeling too loud.
The soundbar comes with five audio equalization modes: Clear, Normal, News, Movie, and Music. Each mode is tuned to make the various sources more enjoyable and easier to hear for the hard-of-hearing. The Normal mode specifically raises the sound in the 200 Hz to 600 Hz frequency range to make voices easier to understand. This mode also compensates for the natural loss in high-frequency sensitivity in older adults by raising the sound in that range.
The Doshisha Grand Speaker will be released April 28 at an MSRP of 39,600 yen (~$279) at the company's online store. The Grand Speaker measures 410 x 142.5 x 70 mm (16.1 x 5.6 x 2.8 in.) and weighs 1.1 kg (2.4 lbs.). Readers who don't want to import the Grand Speaker from Japan can try the Sound Fun Mirai Speaker Mini sold here on Amazon US.