In 2016, Samsung Electronics introduced a then-unfamiliar category: the lifestyle TV. The first product in that line was The Serif, a television whose silhouette echoed the serif typeface letter "I," designed by world-renowned furniture designers Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec.
A decade later, Samsung Electronics teamed up with Erwan Bouroullec again, unveiling two Wi-Fi speakers — the Music Studio 5 and Music Studio 7 — earlier this year. After three weeks of use, the impression they leave is of a perfect interior object. Having used The Serif at home, Bouroullec's sensibility felt equally present in the speakers.
At first glance, the more visually striking of the two is the Music Studio 5. Bouroullec reportedly began the design from the concept of a sphere, filling a circle with a dot to express what Samsung calls "Art of Sound." With no protruding buttons on the surface, the clean lines stand out all the more.
The sound lives up to the looks. Samsung Electronics says the speaker uses a 4-inch woofer and dual tweeters — two high-frequency drivers that handle the upper register without strain. It also supports Samsung's proprietary Bluetooth audio codec, SSC (Samsung Seamless Codec), enabling high-quality audio playback.
For sheer audio satisfaction, the Music Studio 7 edges ahead. Its black rectangular form looks slightly bulkier than the Music Studio 5, but the extra size serves a purpose.
The Music Studio 7 supports 3.1.1-channel audio through three front-facing speakers, one subwoofer and one upward-firing speaker, delivering three-dimensional spatial sound. The subwoofer reproduces deep, thumping bass with conviction — playing aespa's "Whiplash," the beat's vibration was physically felt. At higher volumes, it is only a slight exaggeration to say the room starts to feel like a concert hall.
Pairing the speaker with a TV pushes the immersion further. Watching the James Bond film "Spectre" through the Music Studio 7, the background score, engine noise and dialogue remained clearly distinct even during a chaotic car chase. Samsung Electronics says that with a Samsung TV released in 2022 or later, its Q-Symphony feature lets the TV and the Wi-Fi speaker play audio simultaneously. When all devices — including the TV — are 2026 models, up to five soundbars can be connected at once.
The Samsung Sound app opens up further customization. The SpaceFit Sound Pro feature analyzes the room and tailors the audio accordingly, while a Background mode shifts the speaker to a softer, ambient sound profile suited to social gatherings. Within the app's detailed audio settings, users can boost vocal presence or dial up the bass — the bass-enhancement option is available on the Music Studio 7.
Both speakers support music streaming over Wi-Fi through Spotify, AirPlay and Google Cast. Setting up a Spotify tab in the Samsung Sound app means a single tap of the speaker's instant-play button starts a curated playlist. The speakers also support multitasking: music can play through the speaker while the user takes a call or watches video content on a mobile device.
The Music Studio 5 is priced at 449,000 won ($306) and the Music Studio 7 at 799,000 won, both available on Samsung.com. The Music Studio 7 may feel steep at first, but compared with foreign-brand Bluetooth speakers in a similar price range, it offers better value. Having used an imported speaker in the same price bracket, the Music Studio 7 — with its greater number of driver units — produces noticeably clearer and weightier sound from the same music.
jeongwan@heraldcorp.com
