LAS VEGAS, Feb. 26, 2008 –Sony today announced two small, personal audio products that liberate music stored on a PC and deliver large, dynamic sound.

According to Andy Bubala, director for personal audio accessories at Sony Electronics, the innovative engineering and design of the of the new PFR-V1 personal field speakers and the SRS-ZX1 multi-media speakers represent the best audio experience available from the company’s line of personal audio accessories.

“People who have digitized their music collections for storage on a PC want a better listening experience than their computer can provide,” Bubala said. “It’s our engineering and design that leads to the large, robust sound found in these new personal field and multi-media speakers.” 

Speakers Made Personal

In a marriage between headphones and speakers, the PFR-V1 personal field speakers are designed to create a listening field around your ears. Music is projected through two 1-inch, die-cast aluminum speakers that are connected with a headband made of light-weight duralumin metal. When you place the band on your head, the speakers appear to float in front of your ears. 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 the bass frequency sound is delivered directly to the ear canal via the 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.

The PFR-V1 personal field speakers, powered by two AA batteries, will be available in April for about $500.

Designed for Big Sound

Sony’s newest multi-media speakers are about six inches tall and five inches deep. They are designed to make you feel and hear the music as it would have sounded in the recording studio or at a live concert.  The unique mobius-band shape of the duct in these solid aluminum speakers reduces the wind noise to deliver deceptively large, crisp sound from speakers so small.

The unique duct design combines with a digital signal processor in these speakers to enable something Sony calls “turbo-shift” technology. This shifts bass sounds in the inaudible frequency range to the audible range, resulting in an enriched bass sound.

Bubala said the materials used in these speakers play a major role in the quality of sound they produce. The front baffle is designed from newly developed high-density polymer material to hold up to the powerful, driving force from the speaker unit and contribute to the reproduction of deep mid-range sounds. The speaker cone, made from a traditional Japanese mino washi paper, produces firm, delicate vocal sounds.

The SRS-ZX1 multi-media speakers will be available in April for about $400. Both of the new models can be purchased online at http://www.sonystyle.com.