Pioneer launched in-ear noise canceling headphones recently which can connect to iPhones through a Lightning Cable. The headphones, dubbed Rayz and Rayz Plus, did not sport a design which was unique in any way and such Lightning powered devices have been developed previously as well. However, Pioneer’s new Lightning powered speaker, Rayz Rally, is perhaps the first of its kind.

The Rayz Rally will amplify audio calls to and from the iPhone that it is connected to, through a small pocket sized speaker. It is expected to act as a conference speaker during phone calls and will be powered directly from the iPhone itself and will not have a separate battery.

The new Rayz Rally speaker

Before the iPhone 7 landed in markets, people were able to connect AUX speakers over the 3.5mm headphone jack in the handsets. However, since Apple dropped the 3.5mm jack with last year’s flagship, a speaker which can connect to the phone using a Lightning cable is the only remaining option. The only other option would have been to connect a speaker using the Bluetooth connection, but this is not always possible and viable.

The Rayz Rally speaker connects to the iPhone using the Lightning port. This connection also allows it to draw the charge required from the phone’s battery. Aside from the speaker grill on the top surface of the Pioneer speaker, only a small button is present on the body of the device.

This button is used to pause and play audio as well as putting the speaker on mute during a call.

Pioneer also claims that the speaker would work with both PCs and Macs. The speaker will also feature a pass through Lightning port to allow users to charge their phones even when the speaker is connected to it. A free Rayz companion app would also be released for iOS, which would allow users to download future updates for the speaker.

This seems to indicate that Pioneer will be adding new functionality into the product soon. For the time being though, the speaker can be used for an audio outlet for music and videos or during phone calls.

Pioneer Rayz Rally price

The Rayz Rally is priced at $99.95 and will be shipped to customers within this month. For its current features it may be a little pricey but as future updates follow, the speaker may be a nifty addition for iPhone users. The Pioneer noise cancelling Lightning powered earphones bear a $149.95 price tag. It remains to be seen if the new products from Pioneer are able to entice iFans.
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