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Sony unveils suite of High Resolution Audio products at CES 2015

By Marcus Wong - on 6 Jan 2015, 12:24pm

Sony unveils suite of High Resolution Audio products at CES 2015

It seems Sony’s focus on HRA (High Resolution Audio) will only increase this year, as they have just unveiled a line-up of ten new devices, all using Sony’s latest technologies. Chief of which, is Sony’s new LDAC codec, which enables the transmission of audio data at approximately three times the rate that’s currently possible with existing technologies. This should give rise to even higher quality wireless Bluetooth audio, and will go some way towards supporting the bandwidth needed by the larger HRA files.

Also being demonstrated, is Sony’s SongPal Link technology, which uses enhanced dual band Wi-Fi (2.4GHz/5GHz) to provide a more stable signal path between devices with less interference, ensuring your music stream is never interrupted. Smart Zone Management automatically prioritizes traffic on your wireless network to allow optimal sound in as many rooms as you wish, and Sony’s DSEE-HX upscaling technology ensures that you get your feed upscaled to near HRA quality.

Walkman NW-ZX2

The Walkman NW-ZX2 is a pocketable HRA companion you can bring with your everywhere.

Moving out of the home, Sony’s new Walkman NW-ZX2 stays true to Sony’s ethos of letting you hear recordings “like the artists intended”, with a S-Master HX digital amplifier that reduces distortion and noise. Being specially developed for HRA, the amplifier also produces a wide frequency response to offer a better acoustic experience, and uses the same DSEE-HX technology to upscale your audio for optimal quality.

The NW-ZX2 supports up to 192 kHz/24 bit digital files, and will play audio in MP3, WMA, AAC, FLAC, AIFF, WAV, ALAC and DSD formats. It comes with 128GB of built-in memory, Wi-Fi support, a large capacity Lithium-ion battery that provides up to 60-hours of music playback per charge, and microSD card slot for easy memory expansion.

MDR-1 ABT Wireless Headphones

The MDR-1ABT offers great audio and fantastic wireless convenience.

Building on last year’s MDR-1A headphones, the MDR-1 ABT headphones offer an outstanding mix of comfort with quality. Ergonomic earpads and a wraparound design offer great passive noise isolation, while the lightweight, responsive aluminum coated Liquid Crystal Polymer Film diaphragms allow the MDR-1 ABT to offer balanced sound reproduction.

What’s new is the option of hands-free talk with echo cancellation and noise suppression, which allows you to take calls from your smartphone directly on the MDR-1 ABT with the same excellent audio quality. Also, touch sensor controls now run on the outside of the cups, allowing you to easily control your music without having to pull your phone out.

PHA-1A portable DAC/Headphone Amplifier

Get optimal audio out of your mobile device with the PHA-1A.

The PHA-1A is a portable DAC and headphone amplifier that has a frequency range of 10Hz-100,000Hz, and will support headphones with impedance of up to 600Ω. It weighs just 145g, and has a battery life of about six hours while needing only two hours for a full recharge. Connect your laptop, tablet or smart phone to the PHA-1A via its USB input to enjoy HRA playback on the go!

The Walkman NW-ZX2, MDR-1ABT Wireless Headphones and PHA-1A Portable Headphone Amplifier will be available in selected countries in Asia Pacific from first half of 2015 onwards.

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