Sony Debuts New Audio Gear For The Ultimate Home Theater Setup

Sony unveiled a number of new home audio products back in January at CES 2016, and now, as the gear is hitting store shelves, the Japanese tech giant has revealed pricing and additional spec details. All the gear is related to improving a home's audio setup, whether it be from movies and TV or various music services. The new lineup includes speakers, A/V receivers, TV sound bars, and audio & video players.

"Our new lineup of sound products enables music enthusiasts to achieve immersive, wireless, multi-room audio experiences, customized to meet their home's unique specifications and their own personal listening preferences," Sony's PR announcement says. So let's jump in to the new devices.

First up is the flagship item, designed to serve as the centerpiece for all your A/V needs: Sony's STR-DN1070 Hi-Res Wi-Fi Network A/V Receiver. At $600, this thing will handle anything your home theater throws at it. There's support for AirPlay, Bluetooth, Google Cast, Spotify Connect, WiFi, and six HDMI inputs, plus 4K and HDR content. Sony also says it features a new DAC (Digital to Audio Converter), with support for "DSD native playback up to DSD 5.6 MHz/5.1ch."

Next is the HT-NT5 TV Sound Bar, which includes a wireless subwoofer, for $800. This also offers Google Cast support out of the box, allowing users to enjoy music apps like Spotify Connect or Pandora directly from their phone or laptop. It's compatible with 4K and HDR content via HDMI HDCP 2.2, and is capable of Hi-Res Audio playback with an immersive surround sound experience.

On the speakers side of things, Sony has the SRS-ZR7 Wireless Speaker and SRS-ZR5 Wireless Speaker, at $300 and $200, respectively. Both models are Bluetooth and WiFi compatible, offer Hi-Res Audio playback, and feature HDMI connections. Again, there's support for Google Cast, as well as multi-room setups via Sony's SongPal app.

The UHP-H1 Premium Audio & Video Player ($350) is Sony's first Hi-Res certified Blu-Ray player. In addition to Hi-Res Audio, there's support for SA-CD, DVD-Audio, and MP3s. This unit can also take advantage of multi-room setups with the SongPal app, and will connect to wireless headphones and speakers via Bluetooth. 4K upscaling will adapt to the source's resolution, so video will always look the best in can.

Lastly, for those who still like to enjoy their music on vinyl, is the PS-HX500 Hi-Res Audio Turntable, at a price of $600. The player features a built-in A/D converter that will support Hi-Res digital transfers in DSD at up to 5.6 MHz, or as WAV files up to 192 KHz/24-bit resolution. This will allow users to convert their LPs to digital format, and then play them back on any compatible Hi-Res Audio device.

SOURCE Sony