Sonos’ New Speech Enhancement Feature uses AI to make dialogue more intelligible—and accessible

Earlier this month, Chris Hall reported for Digital Trends about a software update from Sonos which brought with it a new feature for its soundbars that uses artificial intelligence to make dialogue more intelligible—and accessible. According to Hall, Sonos’ Speech Enhancement feature is meant to “ensure that you can hear every word that’s spoken, so the important dialogue isn’t lost within the rest of the soundtrack.”

The crux of the problem Sonos is attempting to fix is, again, intelligibility.

“Clarity has been a growing problem for TV watchers, with increasing emphasis on that pounding bass or immersive soundtrack, sometimes the spoken elements get lost,” Hall wrote about Speech Enhancement’s raison d'être. “That’s a particular frustration for those with any sort of hearing loss, because you might not be able to follow the action at all, instead resorting to subtitles—which are often of varying quality.”

For its part, Sonos is describing its Speech Enhancement functionality as a “breakthrough” thanks to the capabilities of AI. The technology, Hall said, “[allows] the speech to be separated from other audio in the centre channel, so that it can be emphasized.” He adds the overarching goal isn’t so much about “pushing the speech harder” as it is “making it clear while still preserving the rest of the sound experience.” Sonos collaborated with the UK-based Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID) to develop Speech Enhancement. Hall notes the feature has four levels—Low, Medium, High, and Max—the topmost one being specifically designed for those with hearing loss. Max, according to Hall, prioritizes dialogue clarity above all else by “[furthering control of] the dynamic range of non-speech elements, placing dialogue firmly at the forefront of the experience.” These settings are configurable in the Sonos app.

Hall sats Speech Enhancement isn’t about more volume—it’s about more speech.

“One in three adults in the UK experience hearing loss, and it is reported that just under one in four adults in the USA do too,” Lauren Ward, lead researcher at the RNID, said to Hall in a statement. “This tool has the potential to impact a large number of people.”

Speech Enhancement is available now.