Spatial audio is defined by Abbey Road Studios – whom we trust implicitly on such matters – as “any audio which gives you a sense of space beyond conventional stereo”. Syng, founded by former Apple designer Christopher Stringer, is in the business of taking traditional listening habits into new spatial dimensions; its primary aim with its debut product, Cell Alpha, is that you should be able to hear crystal-clear audio wherever you happen to be in a room (or indeed in a building.)
The popular idea of a “sweet spot” between two carefully positioned stereo speakers has been around since the late ’50s. Anyone who happens to be off-axis will be unable to experience the full frequency spectrum – from high treble to low bass – and will suffer the musical consequences. Syng, however, has adopted the concept of “triphonic sound”, which means that you can plonk a single Cell Alpha into a room and, thanks to the array of speakers positioned around the near-spherical unit, you’ll be roughly in the right place wherever you happen to be. Place more than one of them in a space and an accompanying app will guide you through the business of optimising their respective outputs to fill that space perfectly. This system plays fast and loose with the notion of stereo, but does an excellent job of spreading sound evenly.
