Posted Thu Jan 7, 2016 at 12:00 PM PST by Steven Cohen
The new audio lineup is now at CES.
Sony has revealed the latest additions to its h.ear series of audio products. The new lineup includes the h.ear go wireless speakers, the h.ear wireless headphones, and the NW-A26HN Walkman.
"At Sony, it is our belief that consumers should not have to sacrifice quality for portability. We are focused on delivering live, immersive sound to music lovers around the world," said Yamato "Tank" Tanikawa, Director, Home Entertainment & Sound, Sony Electronics. "Sony's new h.ear series products give consumers the ability hear high quality music, regardless of their location."
The h.ear go is now the world's smallest portable wireless speaker with high-res audio support. The device features a round, compact design and uses a φ35mm gauge full-range speaker unit and Sony's DSP signal processing. Google Cast, Spotify Connect, and multi-room capabilities through the Sony SongPal link are integrated as well. In addition, users can pair multiple speakers together for wireless stereo and surround sound. Battery life is rated for up to 12 hours
The h.ear wireless headphones will be available in on-ear and earbud models. The h.ear on Wireless NC features dual noise sensor technology with Digital Noise Canceling software. Likewise, the headphones use 40 mm HD drivers to reproduce sounds up to 40 kHz and DSEE technology. Bluetooth and high-res audio support are also included, and battery life is rated for about 20 hours. Meanwhile, the h.ear in Wireless Earbuds feature a 9 mm driver unit and use a slim smooth body design with natural curved shape to fit around the neck.
Finally, the NW-A26HN Walkman is designed to complement the h.ear series audio products with high-res audio support and matching colors. The device uses an S-Master HX full digital amplifier for high-res playback and DSEE HX to upscale compressed sound sources to beyond CD quality. In addition, the Walkman supports LDAC for high quality wireless audio at a maximum transfer rate of 990 kbps. 32GB of built-in memory and a microSD slot are integrated as well. Battery life is rated for 30 hours of high-res playback and 50 hours of MP3 playback.
Pricing has not been detailed yet, but Sony's new h.ear lineup is expected to launch this spring.
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