Sony has a rich history of some solid sound setups, but a recent announcement isn’t for people keen to spend lots, but rather less, as the company unveils some speakers for both portable devices and small-scale home theatre setups.
First off the rank for Sony will be new speakers designed to let people bring a dose of sound with them where ever they go, with X2 and X3 speakers.
Both are different in size, with the X3 slightly bigger than its X2 brother, supporting 7 hours for the X3 and 5 for the X2 over battery life. There’s also a difference in power, with the smaller of the speakers, the X2, including two 10W speakers, while the bigger model brings with it two 20W speakers and two passive radiators.
Like other wireless speakers out there, both of these will connect over Bluetooth and Near-Field Communication (NFC), ideal for use with smartphones and tablets, with USB charging the speakers up and a microphone also included to turn the products into hands-free conferencing devices.
Pricing for the X2 and X3 comes in at $129 and $199 respectively, with the models arriving in stores some time in August.
If your setup is a little less portable and relies on a TV you’re not likely to take with you, Sony has a few new options as it invests a little more in the soundbar space, as well as providing an option for the relatively new soundplate category, that is a soundbar you can sit your TV on.
For soundbars, Sony has two newbies, with the HT-CT370 ($499) bringing 300W of power across a soundbar and wireless subwoofer, while the HT-CT770 ($599, below) amps it up even more with 330W across both. The technology here delivers 2.1 audio with Sony’s “ClearAudio+” technology clearing up the audio, with support for Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD also thrown in for better movie sound.
Just like the mobile speakers, though, Sony has thrown in NFC support, making it easy to pair a smartphone or tablet — particularly those of the Android persuasion — with the soundbars.
That easy pairing also works with another Sony product, the HT-XT1 TV Base Speaker, Sony’s first soundplate. This model will let a TV of up to 50 inches sit on it, and supports 2.1 channel surround handled virtually, with a subwoofer built in supporting 170W across the entire unit, and carrying a recommended retail price of $449.
While Sony’s wireless speakers aren’t likely to hit Australia until August, Sony’s soundbars and soundplate can be found in stores now.
