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Smart speakers like the new Obsidian from Pantheone are almost more art than technology. A piece of home decor that is designed to breathe some life into whatever room you place it in. Or perhaps serve as a conversational piece between friends and family the first time people see it.
But it’s not just a piece of art. Nor is it just your standard smart speaker. It’s both of those things. But in an elevated form that also delivers high-end acoustics. It’s spendy at a retail price of $1,399, sure. But that generally is the case with high-end home audio equipment. Especially when that equipment is designed to have a more artistic look and feel to it. Just look at many of Bang and Olufsen’s home audio products.
That being said, is the Pantheone Obsidian smart speaker worth $1,399? It’s tough to say. But for those that would spend this kind of money on this kind of product, the speaker appears to have a lot to offer.
The Pantheone Obsidian is a high-end speaker with smart features
There’s nothing wrong with having dedicated pieces of equipment for different purposes. But sometimes if you can bypass that and get one product to do two or three things, it ends up with a good result. That seems to be what Pantheone is going for here.
The Obsidian can serve as a high-end speaker that delivers premium sound for audio entertainment. But it also incorporates smart features so you can use it like you would a Nest Home or Amazon Echo. In fact it’s a lot like an Echo in that it comes with Alexa support built-in. Should you need to, you can ask Alexa, using the Obsidian, to control various smart home products you have around the house. Basically, whatever an Echo can do, this should do as well.
It also supports AirPlay 2 multi-room control. Additionally, the speaker allows connection through WiFi, Bluetooth, and AUX. So you can wirelessly stream music to it from Spotify or similar services, or just plug something into the speaker directly.
From the artistic perspective, the Obsidian speaker design is inspired by the volcanic lava rock sharing its namesake. And because it has a more artsy look, it can blend well with most home decor. The Obsidian speaker is available starting today directly from Pantheone for $1,399, and it comes in either black or white.