http://www.macnn.com/articles/08/02/26/sony.debuts.new.speakers/
Sony unveils personal field speakers, more
updated 04:00 pm EST, Tue February 26, 2008
Sony debuts new speakers
Sony today unveiled a pair of 'personal field speakers' (site not updated) that act similar to headphones as well as new multimedia speakers designed to produce high quality audio. The company's new PFR-V1 personal field speakers are designed to create a listening field around the ears, projecting music through two 1-inch die-cast aluminum speakers connected with a headband made of lightweight duralumin metal. Sony's PFR-V1 personal field speakers are slated for shipment in April for around $500.
"When you place the band on your head, the speakers appear to float in front of your ears," Sony said. "The silicone rubber fittings on the band position the speakers about a half inch from your outer ear and direct the front of the speakers toward your ear canal."
The speakers deliver mid- and high-range audio frequencies in a field of sound aimed toward the outer ear, while bass frequency sound is delivered directly to the ear canal via extended bass reflex ducts.
"By placing the speaker unit outside the ear and delivering the audio from multiple directions, you get the sense that music is being played directly in front of you -- similar to the experience of being in a concert hall."
SRS-ZX1 multimedia speakers
Sony’s newest multi-media speakers -- measuring roughly six inches tall and five inches deep -- are designed to make users feel and hear music as it would have sounded in the recording studio or at a live concert. The unique mobius-band shape of the duct in the solid aluminum speakers reduces wind noise, according to Sony, delivering large crisp sound.
"The unique duct design combines with a digital signal processor in these speakers to enable something Sony calls 'turbo-shift' technology," the company explained. "This shifts bass sounds in the inaudible frequency range to the audible range, resulting in an enriched bass sound."
Materials used in the speakers play a major role in the quality of the sound they produce, according to Sony, with the front baffle designed from newly developed high-density polymer material to withstand the driving force from the speaker unit while contributing to the reproduction of deep mid-range sounds. The speaker cone, made from a traditional Japanese mino washi paper, aims to produce firm yet delicate vocal sounds.
The SRS-ZX1 multi-media speakers will hit store shelves in April, and will be priced around $400.
