Sony's New Portable Audio Products Provide Freedom to Deliver New Music Sound Experience

01/05/2015

LAS VEGAS, Jan. 5, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- (CES, Booth #14200) – Today, Sony Electronics introduced new portable audio products designed to reproduce the ultimate audio sound quality without restrictions or set-up hassles. Consumers can utilize the new High Resolution NW-ZX2 Walkman® player and MDR-1ABT Headphones or the PHA-1A headphone DAC/amplifier to enhance their mobile or computer listening experience. Further advancing the reach of high quality sound, Sony also announced a Hi-Res car audio head unit.

Sony.

Sony has made it possible to enjoy music at a higher sound quality by applying unique audio technologies that bring listeners closer to the spirit and intent of the artist's original performance. These new products further the desire to equip consumers with the best portable products possible to enjoy a fully immersive, Hi-Res audio experience from practically any location. Thanks to Sony's new LDAC™ technology, users can enjoy high quality wireless audio via Bluetooth®. With 3x the data transmitted, LDAC provides an enhanced wireless listening experience for all your music. These technologies, combined with one-touch listening to facilitate easy connectivity (pairing) via wireless Bluetooth technology, results in unprecedented flexibility to access high quality sound on-the-go.

"We have been focused on developing products that will reproduce the ultimate sound quality from any location," said Mike Woulfe, Senior Vice President of Sales & Marketing for Sony Electronics' Sound Division. "Sony's new portable audio line-up represents a new music experience for consumers where environmental restrictions no longer exist and they can freely enjoy the best music, regardless of where they are."  

Walkman® NW-ZX2

Experience High-Resolution audio like never before with the Walkman NW-ZX2 which can reproduce master quality recordings just as the artists originally intended. The S-Master™ HX digital amplifier, uniquely developed for Hi-Res audio playback, reduces distortion and noise while reproducing wide frequency response for a clearer acoustic experience. It is also equipped with DSEE HX™ technology, allowing streaming sources which are not Hi-Res quality to be upscaled to provide higher quality sound.

The NW- ZX2 supports digital music files up to 192 kHz/24 bit and compatible file formats are MP3, WMA, AAC, FLAC, AIFF, WAV and ALAC including DSD[1]. It also comes with 128GB of built-in memory, as well as micro SD card slot, Wi-Fi and a large capacity Lithium-ion battery that provides up to 60-hours[2] of music playback per charge.

Sporting a frame with rounded sides carved out of aluminum alloy, the Walkman NW-ZX2 features a striking design and highly rigid case. Adoption of the gold-plated copperplate in the structure has resulted in an extremely stable ground due to its low electric resistivity. The powerful bass and the improved sense of stereo have  been realized due to a number of audio components, such as the enhancement of power supply by using of electric double layer capacitors, OS-CON and large capacity Li-ion battery. The other refinements that also contribute to the high-quality sound are thick-film copper-layer PCBs, OFC cables and high-purity lead-free solder. These enable the NW-ZX2 to achieve a higher sound resolution by reducing the impedance.

The Walkman NW-ZX2 will be available in spring 2015.

MDR-1ABT Wireless Stereo Headset

Following on the success of the MDR-1A headphones, the new MDR-1ABT headphones are the ideal way to showcase high quality sound on-the-go with Bluetooth connectivity. In addition to delivering outstanding sound quality, they offer remarkable comfort with ergonomic ear pads and a wraparound design for improved fit that also prevents sound leakage.

The MDR-1ABT headphones feature a lightweight and responsive aluminum coated Liquid Crystal Polymer Film diaphragms to provide the rigidity necessary for balanced sound reproduction, while minimizing coloration across the audio spectrum. The headphones offer hands-free talk with echo cancellation and noise suppression that enables clear sound quality for hands-free calls on compatible smartphones. Additionally, they feature touch sensor controls with NFC to allow users to control music from the side of the headphones easily without having to connect with wires or use set-up codes.

The MDR-1ABT Bluetooth Headphones will be available in spring 2015.

PHA-1A Portable DAC/Headphone Amplifier

Enhance the quality of everything you listen to with the compact PHA-1A Portable DAC/Headphone Amp. Easily connect to your compatible digital music device, PC, or smartphones via USB input to enjoy Hi-Res audio playback on the go.

The ultimate companion for Walkman NWZ-A17, the easy to use, lightweight PHA-1A elevates the listening experience allowing you to bring the highest quality sound with you wherever you go.

The PHA-1A Portable Headphone Amp / DAC will be available in spring 2015.

Car Audio Head Unit

Also announced, the new mobile product line-up features the first car audio head unit that is compatible with high-resolution audio formats including DSD native playback. The single DIN head unit will include a DSEE HX (Digital Sound Enhancement Engine) to reproduce high-resolution audio even with traditional lower resolution sources, such as MP3's.

The High-resolution car audio head unit will be available in summer 2015.

For more information please visit www.sony.com/news .

Technical Specifications

 


NW-ZX2

Memory capacity

128 GB

External memory

microSD (card not included)

Key features

High-Resolution Audio playback, S-Master HX Digital Amplifier, DSEE HX (Digital Sound Enhancement Engine), ClearAudio+, Clear Bass, Equaliser, VPT, one-touch listening via NFC and Bluetooth® connectivity

Compatible audio formats

MP3, WMA1, FLAC (192KHz/24bit), Linear PCM (192KHz/24bit), WAV (192KHz/24bit), AAC-LC2, HE-AAC, Apple Lossless (192KHz/24bit), AIFF (192KHz/24bit), DSD (2.8MHz, 5.6MHz)

*1: Copyright protected WMA files cannot be played back.

*2: Copyright protected AAC-LC files cannot be played back

Battery life

MP3 up to 60 hours*

*(MP3 128kbps)

Hi-Res Audio 33 hrs*

*(FLAC 192kHz/24bit)

Charging time

Approximately 4.5 hours

Operating platform

Android™ 4.2

Display

4.0 inch FWVGA (854x480) TRILUMINOS™ Display for mobile

Communication mode

Wi-Fi® (IEEE 802.11b/g/n/a)

Bluetooth®

Bluetooth® (A2DP/AVRCP/OPP/HID/SPP)

Supported Codec: SBC/LDAC

NFC

Yes

Included applications

Media Go (for Windows), Content Transfer for Mac (for Mac OS)

Dimensions

65.1x131.2x18.5 mm (WxHxD, excluding max. protruding section)

Mass

Weight: Approx. 235 g

Accessories

USB cable, leather carrying case, spacer (headphones not included)

  


MDR-1ABT

Type

Closed Dynamic

Driver Unit

Φ40 mm, Dome type (CCAW Voice coil)

Sensitivity

98 dB/mW (1kHz) (when using the supplied headphone cable)

Frequency Response

4 Hz - 100,000Hz (when using the supplied headphone cable)

20Hz - 20,000Hz (44.1kHz Sampling) / 20Hz - 40,000Hz (LDAC 96kHz Sampling, 990kbps)

Impedance

24Ω (1kHz) (when using the supplied headphone cable)

Power Handling Capacity

100mW

Plug

Gold-plated stereo miniplug

Mass(exclude cable)

Approx. 300g

Battery Life (continuous music playback) time)

Up to 30 Hours

Supplied Accessories

Headphone cable(1.2m)

Micro USB cable(0.5m)

Carrying pouch

  


PHA-1A

Sampling Frequency/Bit

PCM: Max. 192kHz/24bit

Frequency range

10 Hz – 100,000 Hz

Impedance

8Ω – 600Ω

Maximum Output

Approx. 148mW + 148mW (8Ω, 10% distortion)

Approx. 80mW + 80mW (32Ω, 1% distortion)

Approx. 16.4mW + 16.4mW (300Ω, 10% distortion)

Output(s)

Stereo mini jack (Only a 3-pole stereo mini plug is supported)

Input(s)

Computer/WALKMAN®/Xperia connecting port, iPhone/iPad/iPod® connecting port

Battery Type

Built-in lithium-ion rechargeable battery

Battery Life

Approx. 6h

Battery Charging Time

Approx. 2h

Dimensions (W x H x D)

Approx. 62 x 18.5 x 109 mm

Weight (Without Cord)

Approx. 145g

Supplied Accessories

Digital cable for WALKMAN®, Digital cable for Xperia®, Micro-USB cable, Silicone belts and Protection sheet

 

[1] Linear PCM conversion playback

[2] MP3 at 128kbps

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SOURCE Sony Electronics

For further information: Kelly Gaffney, Kelly.Gaffney@am.sony.com, 619.988.0399