You might be aware that Sony has launched Xperia Z5 series at IFA 2015 but truth to be told, there actually plenty of other Sony product that were launched at the event. They include a new family of headphones called h.ear as well as new Walkmans which are all part of the company’s Hi-Res Audio offerings and they will be released in Malaysia starting this October.
The h.ear series itself is divided into three different types such as the headband-type h.ear on which features 40mm HD driver units that capable of reproducing sounds of up to 60kHz. The headphones are also further supplemented by copper-clad aluminum wire voice coils, titanium-coated diaphragms, and detachable cross-talk reducing cable.
Thanks to its foldable structure, users are able to transport h.ear on around easily using the accompanying pouch. For users that requires in-ear headphones though, there is also the h.ear in headphones that are equipped with 9mm high-sensitivity drivers and acoustic ports that are designed to deliver exceptional bass sound.
For users that want to immerse fully in their audio listening, they can choose to have their hands on the h.ear in NC which is claimed to be the world’s first Hi-Res headphones to be equipped with noise cancelling feature. In general, the headphones are similar to the standard h.ear in model except with the addition of two microphones and a digital noise cancelling engine that helps cut out unwanted ambient noise.
The h.ear in NC is also equipped with built-ion lithium-ion battery that able to provide up to 16 hours of battery life for the headphones and can be charged via the headphones’ micro USB port. In terms of pricing, the h.ear series starts at RM 399 for h.ear in while the h.ear in NC goes for RM 499 and h.ear on at RM 699.
At the same time, Sony Malaysia will also be releasing another Hi-Res Audio in-ear headphones in the form of XBA-300AP. Built with three Balanced Armature drivers, they also come with brass sound path as well as detachable cable for users that prefer to utilize the headphones with the optional (and more premium) MUC-M series specialist cables. Price-wise, they go for RM 899 which definitely place XBA-300AP higher than the h.ear series in terms of price points.
The company will also be releasing three new Hi-Res Audio Walkmans which include the NW-ZX100, NW-A25, and NW-A26HN. Despite the differences in physical designs, all three of them seemed to have the same capabilities which include plenty of Sony’s in-house audio enhancements such as S-Master HX, DSEE HX, and LDAC.
Nevertheless, there are still a number of things that set them apart such as their screen size since the ZX100 comes with 3-inch display while the rest have smaller 2.2-inch display. Other than that, the ZX100 also comes with 128GB internal storage while A25 and A26HN only have 16GB and 32GB of storage space respectively.
The ZX100 also has longer battery life at 70 hours for MP3 files and 45 hours for high-resolution audio file while A25 and A26HN able to last up to 50 hours and 30 hours with respective file types. Interestingly, the A26HN comes standard with MDR-NW750N noise cancelling headphones bundled into the box which gives the headphones a slight advantage in terms of value for money.
When it comes to pricing, there are indeed significant differences between them. The most expensive model goes to ZX100 at RM 1,999 while the A26HN lies in the middle at RM 1,099 with A25 being the most affordable among them at RM 799. If you interested to know further about all these new Hi-Res Audio products from Sony, do head on to your nearest Sony dealers next month as it always better to personally experience audio products yourself.
