My first ever purchase was that I meant to stand out among the sea of iPods and I was gifted a Sony Walkman during Christmas ten years ago so seeing the Walkman line up is a bit of a nostalgia rush, particularly since I love listening to Jazz and Ambient genres and the Hi-Res audio products that are out on retail target a very specific niche albeit at a premium.
Keeping in line with the vision, Sony launched a wide range of hi-res devices including Walkman, headphones, portable amplifiers and digital stereo recorders which intend to bring music enthusiasts and audiophiles alike closer to the spirit and soul of the artist’s actual performance as the artist intended, almost matching what you’d expect to hear in a recording session or live performance.
When artists record in the studio, they do it in the Hi-Res (24 bit/96kHz) after mixing, we get the CD format which is compressed up to seven times for retail and digital release (16 bit/44.1kHz) Sony’s High-Res audio aims to make sure that listeners will get the complete experience.
“For those passionate about music, Sony’s High-Resolution Audio products truly raise the bar. With the introduction of High-Resolution Audio, music lovers no longer have to choose between audio quality and portability – they can finally listen to their music library on-the-go, in the quality that the artist intended.” Satoru Arai, Head, Sony Middle East Marketing Company
The High-Resolution Audio product range
Sony’s latest range of Hi-Res Audio products includes the Walkman making a comeback with the NW-ZX2 that features a host of refinements ensuring top of the line audio quality. While the Walkman® NW-A15 is currently the world’s smallest and lightest High-Res Audio digital music player that aims to brings true audiophile credentials to portable high-resolution audio players. In the headphones roster comes the MDR-Z7 which features a newly-developed 70mm HD driver unit.
The MDR-1A headphones utilize 40mm HD driver units, which render wide bandwidth audio performance, from low to ultra-high up to 100 kHz frequency which will let you hear complete ranges in songs, something you’d expect Hi-Res to do. If that’s not enough, an audiophile can take it a step further for enhanced audio quality with the compact PHA-1A and PHA-3 Portable Headphone Amplifiers, by connecting a compatible digital music device or smartphones via USB input to enjoy hi-res audio playback on-the-go. The 2.1 channel, WiFi-enabled SRS-X9 wireless speaker features 154W of music output power, a bi-amped subwoofer, and dual passive radiators to deliver full-range audio with tonal balance and precise bass response. In the recording department Sony’s PCM-D100 portable stereo recorder is designed to deliver the highest sound quality in professional audio applications including live music events or theatrical performances which are catered to journalists, film makers on the field.
The technology behind Sony’s Hi-Res Audio
The higher sound quality is achieved by applying audio technologies such as the DSEE HX technology, which is used to upscale the quality of compressed digital files (MP3, AAC, and WMA) to surpass CD resolution, nearing High Resolution quality. The S-Master HX digital amplifier reduces distortion and noise while reproducing wide frequency response for a clearer acoustic experience. Sony’s new technology LDAC (low latency codec) enables users to enjoy high quality wireless audio via Bluetooth. With three times the data transmitted, LDAC provides an enhanced wireless listening experience. I personally have tried this during the demo, while Bluetooth is great, it really shines when you have a direct connection.
But does it work ?
To give credence to the claim, Sony Middle East, demonstrated the devices by letting us listen to a Jazz band play their rendition of Hot Stuff which as expected kept me highly entertained and I’m a big fan of the bass and Aaron Kim’s musings never ceased to impress. Sony claimed that the devices would deliver the same performance in terms of audio quality and had pre recorded the band’s performance earlier and was stored in the walkman for us to hear. A bold claim none the less but did it work ?
The bass sounded deeper, the vocals were crisp and I could hear a lot more than I would with regular audio, more importantly I enjoyed listening to it and the MDR-Z7 was sublime and a great comfort to wear. I have to note that the sound was tailored to Jazz and it may certainly not fit well with other genres but there are tools for the Walkman if you want to choose from them, all in all, Sony held it’s ground on delivering Hi-Res Audio but there lies the concern.
Unless you have exceptional hearing that lets you discern every note and you really love your music enough to spend money to hear it the best then this device probably isn’t for you. It’s marketed as a premium audio device and rightly so. There are other lower priced Walkman’s in the series that come close which are more towards the general consumer. Let’s face it, Hi-Res audio is quite limited right now, and streaming it will certainly put a price jump on your data package and you’re certainly not going to spend a lot of time downloading heavy files. The ZX2 runs Android 4.4.2 for stability and the 128 GB internal memory will certainly fill up quickly.
Sony’s not doubt taking risks and it may certainly well change the way they run the company. Quite recently, Sony decided to restructure its core business and their audio and video business, which includes Blu-ray disc players and the Walkman line will become a wholly owned subsidiary. Sony wants to increase on profitability over recent years of losing to the likes of Apple and Samsung in their mobile and music businesses. While I spoke to one of the executives to the event, I was told that there won’t be any changes as Sony shifts their business direction later this year and consumers will still get Sony Audio on retail.
Hi-Res Audio availability in the region.
If you’re a serious audiophile who would want nothing but the best, this would certainly interest you. It also means that you’re going to have fork out quite a lot to have one. How much ? Sony’s 2015 high-fidelity walkman costs $1,200
With high-resolution audio hardware now available, Sony’s next step is to make Hi-Res Audio music readily available. There is growing catalogue of Hi-Res music already with over 300,000 songs available. For the UAE, Sony has partnered with Sony Music Entertainment allowing audiophiles to download Hi-Res Audio tracks when they purchase select Sony Hi-Res Audio products.
The entire line-up of Sony Hi-Res Audio devices is currently available at the Sony Boutique at Dubai Mall, select Jumbo showrooms and other select electronics’ retailers across the UAE. while The portable headphone amplifier PHA-1A will be available in the UAE by end-April 2015.
