Review of "Yandex.Station" - the first Russian multimedia system with a voice assistant

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

The life hacker tested the multimedia system from Yandex the day before the release and is ready to tell you whether it is worth buying.

Equipment

We did not find any surprises inside the matte box, the package bundle is the most laconic: a speaker, a power supply, an HDMI cable and instructions.

Appearance

First thought after unpacking: "Station" doesn't look like HomePod. It's not that we didn't like Apple's speaker, but it's still nice that the domestic manufacturer did not steal the design from the guys from Cupertino. The edges of the "Station" are rougher - it is an almost rectangular device with the front side immediately visible.

The body is not seamless, the "Station" has a rear wall 5 cm wide. The rest of the side area of the column is covered with a rag casing. It can be removed.

The "Station" control center is located at the top and includes only two buttons, a volume potentiometer and an indicator light. The power connector and HDMI input are located at the back.

Dimensions (edit)

The system itself is larger and heavier than the usual Bluetooth speakers, but more compact than stationary home speakers. It is easy to put it closer to the bed or move it to another room, but otherwise, without a doubt, Yandex. Station is a home option. This is also evidenced by the lack of a battery and the need to power the speaker from the mains. Dimensions of the device: 141 × 141 × 231 mm. Weight - 2.5 kg without casing and 2.9 kg in a complete set.

Customization

To activate the column, you need to download the Yandex application to your smartphone, select the Yandex. Station item and follow the instructions on the screen. The whole procedure takes no more than three minutes: this is how long it takes to synchronize the speaker with a smartphone using an identification sound signal and connect it to a local Wi-Fi network. True, our device required the latest firmware to be installed, which is doubtful for a device that has not even gone on sale yet. But the update was quick and easy.

Yandex calls its speaker a multimedia system for a reason - after connecting to Wi-Fi, it works autonomously, it does not need a smartphone, and all functions are controlled by voice.

Column Control Center

On the upper platform of the "Station" there are no usual buttons for switching tracks or pause - the voice assistant "Alice" took over all this, leaving us only two switches. The first, with a characteristic symbol resembling a guitar pick, is responsible for calling Alice, turning off an alarm clock, or pairing with a device via Bluetooth. The second button de-energizes the microphones - this mode is useful if you are communicating with a certain Alice, and her electronic namesake strives to interfere with the conversation. Well, or if you do not want to help Yandex with targeting and are worried about the leak of personal information.

I would like to pay special attention to the volume potentiometer. We're not sure Yandex did it first, but a nice matte palm-sized slider is a great idea.

Alice

"Alice" is still far from being able to do everything, but here's what we got:

• Set a timer for two minutes;
• Include a selection of chanson hits;
• Set a reminder to buy milk at 17:32;
• Find out the travel time from Mendeleevskaya to Chertanovskaya by public transport and by car, taking into account traffic jams;
• Find out how much 112 euros will be in rubles;
• Translate into English the phrase “Hello! How are you?";
• Include cat videos on YouTube;
• Lose "Alice" in cities;
• Find out that 14 × 27 will be 378;
• Listen to the correspondent's report on the request "Alice, the latest news in Moscow."

We are sure that we did not hear even half of the possibilities of "Alice", but, let's be honest, she was just as wrong. She did not always understand even the most primitive commands, and sometimes she fell into a stupor and answered with the same phrase to similar requests. However, it makes little sense to scold "Alice", we simply do not have Russian-speaking analogues, and the developers claim that she will learn and acquire new functions.

Out of habit it was difficult to control the music. "Alice" did not always understand what we wanted to hear, and there is simply no playlist that could be edited. At some point, I had to trust her taste.

"Alice" is not tied to a specific user: anyone within a radius of several meters can order a song or ask about something. Seven microphones are configured to hear your voice even when music is playing. It's cool and almost always works.

Interfaces

The “Station” can be used not only as a multimedia system tied to Yandex services, but also as a regular Bluetooth speaker. Then "Alice" will turn off, and the control of everything except the volume will be transferred to the connected device.

There is an HDMI input on the back of the speaker. This means that it can be connected to a TV or monitor. “Alice” will find a video on YouTube or “Yandex. Video”, will offer to choose a movie from the “KinoPoisk”, “Amediateka” or ivi database. It may seem that it is difficult to do all this with the help of voice, but in reality it is even easier than with music control without a screen - the service itself suggests how best to formulate a request for "Alice". The Station also sounds better than the speakers of almost any TV.

It's all. Google Chromecast, of course, is not supported, there is no AUX interface.

Sound

A bit of specs: there are two tweeters on board the device, one active woofer and two passive radiators, producing a total of 50 watts of sound. Declared frequency response: 50 Hz - 20 kHz.

20mm tweeters, 10W each

95mm passive radiator (side mounted)

If you remove the cover, you can see how the radiators are located: two passive ones on the sides, small tweeters on the front side and a subwoofer pointing down.

Feels like the sound did not cause a "wah-effect", but it is difficult to call it a compromise either. Thanks to its impressive dimensions and well-thought-out internal architecture, "Station" sounds clearly no worse than what we had to test before, at least among mobile home devices. The bass is intelligible and impressive, there is nothing to complain about in terms of frequencies higher either.

Bonuses

Together with Station, you will receive a year of subscription to Yandex. Plus. It includes a 10% discount on Yandex. Taxi rides, a 5% discount on Yandex. Drive car sharing, a Yandex. Music subscription, free shipping for purchases from 500 rubles in the Take! Marketplace, the ability to watch films without ads on KinoPoisk and an additional 10 GB on Yandex. Disk.

Also included are promotional codes for three months of subscription to Amediateka and two months of subscription to ivi.ru.

Verdict

Yandex. Station is a unique product that has nothing to compare with yet, therefore it is difficult to evaluate it. "Alice" is not perfect, there are bugs in the work of the column, but all these irregularities are likely to go away with subsequent software updates. The speaker itself is solid and reliable, it sounds good and looks good.

Yandex. Station will suit, first of all, fans of Yandex services, fans of their Radio and their Music selections. If you are a principled musical gourmet who is used to carefully selecting tracks for a playlist, the Station philosophy will not suit you. Yandex. Station is not just a column, but rather an almost live entertainment box that can help you with advice or choose something to suit your mood here and now: a song, a movie or a TV series.

Yandex. Station will go on sale tomorrow, July 10th. It will be possible to buy the multimedia system in the Yandex store in Moscow at ul. Timur Frunze, house 11, building 13. The start of online sales on Yandex sites will begin this week, the Station will reach its addressees within 90 days. Price - 9,990 rubles.

Go to the page "Yandex. Stations" →