Sony Announces Latest Premium Audio Lineup for On The Go Listening


[Event]

 
Headed over to the Best Western Premier Dua Sentral on 9 October 2014 for Sony Malaysia’s showcase of its new High-Resolution premium headphones and Walkman® model that is able deliver superior sound and music as it was meant to be heard – just as you’d experience on stage or in the recording studio. The latest models offer an expanded range of options for enjoying pristine Hi-Res sound at home, on holiday or the daily commute.
“Sony continues its commitment to audio enthusiasts who truly care about music by offering the finest quality products that meet practically every lifestyle need. With the digital music landscape becoming more available and affordable, consumer is able to listen to the true potential of high-resolution audio rather than sacrificing its quality for accessibility and portability” said Hatano Satoshi, Managing Director of Sony Malaysia.
Packing audiophile performance into a pocket-sized player, the Walkman® NWZ-A15 sets an exciting new benchmark in sound and style. It’s joined by a choice of High-Resolution premium headphones, a range of Hybrid in-ear headphones, a new headphone amplifier, and a series of MUC headphone cables for a better listening experience.
 
                        
Pretty DJ Pennie on the decks. We go to listen to her set via the new headphones!

Pretty Jun Yong trying out the headphones
 
                        
I got to listen to an instrumental duo perform in a sound proof room

 

                        

 
Walkman® NWZ-A15 Digital Music Player 
The world’s smallest and lightest High-Resolution Audio digital music player[1], the exquisitely styled Walkman® NWZ-A15 immerses you in a world of vivid, richly detailed sound.
Bringing true audiophile credentials to portable Hi-Res players, the Walkman® NWZ-A15 showcases Sony’s unique S-Master HX™ digital amplifier. This advanced technology accurately processes massive amounts of wide-bandwidth audio data while minimising noise and distortion. It’s also highly efficient, allowing up to 30 hours battery life while enjoying Hi-Res sources or an even longer 50 hours of listening time with MP3 files.
The Walkman® NWZ-A15 borrows details you’d expect from top-end hi-fi components, like high-purity lead-free solder that’s used for thousands of component connections within the player for finely-detailed sound with balanced lows, mids and highs. In addition, the power supply line that is strengthened by thickened wires offers reduced impedance, decreasing distortion and ensuring deep, sonorous bass. The extremely rigid aluminium die-cast chassis further reduces electrical noise and stabilises sound reproduction. And instead of conventional ceramic capacitors, a high-grade POSCAP[2] capacitor is used as the charge pump for the S-Master HX™ digital amplifier to minimise noise and distortion even further.
Even if you’re listening to lower-bitrate CD recordings or heavily-compressed MP3 files, DSEE (Digital Sound Enhancement Engine) HX™ technology upscales the quality of compressed sound sources to surpass CD quality by intelligently recreating lost high-frequency information. You’ll be rewarded by near-High Resolution clarity for your whole music collection.
The NWZ-A15 also has plenty of memory space to satisfy voracious music lovers. Its 16GB internal memory can be increased via the microSD memory card slot to accommodate extensive Hi-Res audio libraries.
 
MDR-Z7, MDR-1A and MDR-1ADAC High-Resolution Audio headphones
Now there are premium quality headphones that are a true match for today’s finest High-Resolution Audio sources. The headband-type MDR-Z7 elevates your listening experience to new levels of detail and emotional involvement, with an uncompromising design philosophy that makes extensive use of advanced materials.
A freshly-developed 70mm HD driver unit completely envelops the listener’s ear, revealing every music nuance with startling integrity – from powerful sub-bass lows to crystalline highs. Critical high frequencies are faithfully reproduced right up to 100 kHz providing a new dimension to music expression and a sensation of “Feel the air” in High-Resolution Audio. The audio characteristics of the MDR-Z7 give an immense feeling of space to the listener. This spaciousness allows a much greater 3D listening experience. Highly accurate sound from super-low frequencies to super-high frequencies and much richer detail in all audio playbacks enhances the listening experience, whilst the powerful driver unit delivers music with impact. You can “Feel the air”.
Whether you’re enjoying a string quartet or crunching rock, aluminium-coated Liquid Crystal Polymer diaphragms minimise colouration right across the audio spectrum. Even the most demanding bass-lines are reproduced with effortless pace and rhythm, thanks to Sony’s Beat Response Control that vents airflow to optimise free diaphragm movement. Peerless audio is complemented by a cossetting listener experience. Large, pressure-relieving ear cushions employ urethane for a combination of excellent isolation and maximum wear comfort.
As a further refinement, the 4-wire structure of the headphones cable uses separated ground cables to minimise crosstalk between left/right channels and supports balanced audio output. Supplementing the normal detachable cable, an additional cable supports direct connection to devices with a balanced audio output such as the new PHA-3 headphone amplifier. In addition, silver-coated OFC (Oxygen Free Copper) cable strands reduce signal transmission loss. 
Perfect for Hi-Res listening on the go, the MDR-1A headphones share many innovative features with the MDR-Z7, including 40mm HD driver units with aluminium-coated LCP diaphragms and silver-coated OFC cabling with separated ground conductors.
 
Also available, and designed for both home and mobile usage, the MDR-1ADAC headphones incorporate an integrated D/A convertor that’s capable of accepting Hi-Res signals up to 192 kHz/24 bit or DSD 2.8MHz/5.6MHz. Auto input selection allows easy connection with a wide range of portable devices, including compatible Walkman® and Xperia™ models, PCs, iPod, iPad and iPhone (via Lightning Digital AV Adapter). Sony’s S-Master HX™ digital amplifier helps maintain absolute signal purity, and convenient USB battery charging allows up to 7.5 hours of High-Resolution listening.
 
XBA Hybrid headphones 
The XBA-Z5 is Sony’s premium closed in-ear headphone that provides a new dimension to music expression and a sensation of “Feel the air” in High-Resolution Audio. Experience an immense feeling of spaciousness with the XBA-Z5, similar to that of listening to live music in a theatre. It comes with a unique HD Hybrid three-way driver system (16mm dynamic driver unit and two Balanced Armature driver units – full range and magnesium HD super tweeter), faithfully reproducing minute sound as well as bass to high frequency sound that are characteristics of High-Resolution Audio.
 
The XBA-A3 and XBA-A2 also feature the HD Hybrid three-way driver unit (16mm/12mm dynamic driver unit and two Balanced Armature driver units), enabling them to reproduce a range of radiant highs and a deep bass, including the most subtle musical nuances. Separately, the XBA-A1 provides listeners with clear and smooth vocals and a dynamic bass with its Hybrid 2-way driver system (9 mm dynamic driver unit and Balanced Armature driver unit).
All the in-ear headphones are equipped with newly-developed Linear Drive Balanced Armature to improve the linearity of mechanical vibration. They deliver clear mid-range and high-frequency sound through the direct coupling between the armature and diaphragm. Escape on a musical journey with the XBA headphones as they are also comfortable to wear with silicone foamed earbuds to ensure a secure fit while isolating ambient noise.
 
  
PHA-3 High–Resolution Audio headphone amplifier 
 
The PHA-3 headphone amplifier converts Hi-Res signals (PCM 384 kHz/32 bit and DSD) from your device’s digital output to enjoy through headphones such as the new MDR-Z7. High-end D/A conversion technology ensures a remarkably spacious, three-dimensional soundstage with superb channel separation. Perfect for usage at home or even on the go, the amplifier’s balanced output can directly drive the MDR-Z7 for an absolutely uncompromised signal chain – right to your ears.
 
MUC headphone cables
The cable has always been one of the most important components of headphones. After all, its specification may determine the types of equipment which headphones can be connected to, the playback sound quality, feel of use, and even wearing comfort. To suit the different needs of consumers, Sony has launched a range of MUC headphone cables along with its other mobile audio products.
In pursuit of further high-quality sound playback suitable for High-Resolution music, Sony has collaborated with Kimber Kable®[3], a manufacturer of high performance cables since 1979, to create the beautifully unique MUC-B cables. The combination of Sony’s excellent headphone technology and Kimber Kable’s expertise has resulted in the creation of beautiful and unique headphone cables. The braided cables are able to connect true to original sound while achieving the durability required for headphones, something that has never been achieved in the industry previously.
In addition to MUC-B, the MUC-M and MUC-S cables provide an extended range of choices for consumers who are looking to enhance their listening experiences. The new cables deliver rich and stable low frequency and High-Resolution mid-high sound, ensuring minimal signal loss for unprecedented High-Resolution Audio playback quality from the connected devices.
 
The Walkman® NWZ-A15 High-Res Audio player, MDR-Z7 headphones, MDR-1A headphones, MDR-1ADAC headphones, XBA Hybrid headphones, PHA-3 portable headphone amplifier and MUC headphone cables from Sony will be available at all Sony outlets with the below details:
 

Model
Color
Type
Availability
Price

NWZ-A15
Black, Silver & Pink
Walkman
End October
RM699

 

MDR-Z7
Black
Around-ear Headphone
End October
RM2,349

MDR-1ADC
Black
Around-ear Headphone
End October
RM1,299

MDR-1A
Black & Silver
Around-ear Headphone
End October
RM999

XBA-Z5
Black
In-ear Headphone
End October
RM2,349

XBA-A3
Black
In-ear Headphone
End October
RM799

XBA-A2
Black
In-ear Headphone
End October
RM499

 

Model
Color
Type
Availability
Price

PHA-3
Black
Amplifier
End October
RM2,999

 

Model
Color
Type
Availability
Price

MUC-B30UM1
–
Headphone Cables
End October
799

MUC-B20BL1
–
Headphone Cables
End October
799

MUC-B12SM1
–
Headphone Cables
End October
749

MUC-S30UM1
–
Headphone Cables
End October
399

MUC-S20BL1
–
Headphone Cables
End October
399

MUC-S12SM1
–
Headphone Cables
End October
349

MUC-M20BL1
–
Headphone Cables
End October
399

MUC-M12SM1
–
Headphone Cables
End October
399

 
[1] As of August 2014, according to research by Sony.
[2] POSCAP is the registered trademark of SANYO Electric Co., Ltd.
[3] KIMBER KABLE® is a trademark or a registered trademark of RKB Industrial, Inc. in the U.S.A. and other countries.