Sony to release 4 new XBA headphones (Update)

When Sony announced the new A-Series, some of the images on the Sony website featured new XBA headphones, but of course neither Sony Europe or Sony Poland would tell me which model they were.  But it appears Sony Singapore has jumped the boat and posted the new headphones on their site.

The headphones in question were probably the XBA-A2, but I cannot certify which model is in the photos, since the pictures are too small to see the numbering clearly.  The full lineup is, XBA-Z5, XBA-A3, XBA-A2 and XBA-A1.

The XBA-Z5 headphones will be Sony's flagship XBAs for 2014, just like the MDR-Z7s are the flagship for the larger headphones.  Pricing on Amazon.com is a staggering $700 USD, but that should hopefully drop once they are released.   There is no pricing for the other 3 models but it should be in line with the previous versions they replace, XBA-H3, XBA-H2 and XBA-H1.  Availability is a mystery for now but should be sometime this year, possibly October/November time frame when the XBA-100s (October 24) are to be released in Japan.  I feel this would be the same time the new A-Series would hit Japan as well, October/November.  Hopefully Sony will announce these soon with pricing and availability.

UPDATE - AV Watch

MDR-Z5 - 65,000 yen (470 Euros O_O) - available October 18th

All 3 will be available October 24th.

• XBA-A3 - 36,000 yen (260 Euros)
• XBA-A2 - 26,000 yen (187 Euros)
• XBA-A1 - 15,000 yen (110 Euros)

Hands on with the new Headphones from AV Watch

I really hope Sony announces these for Europe soon.

Full specifications, more photos and a video from Sony after the break.

New Sony S-Series coming to Japam

In addition to the newly announced A-Series, Sony Japan will also be introducing a new S-Series, the S10.  As seen in the photo, there will be a multitude of colours, black, white, blue, vivid pink, green, and light pink.  Capacities will be only 8 (S14) and 16 (S15) and priced at 15,000 and 18,000 yen (110, and 130 Euros) respectively.

As with previous S-Series Walkmans, there will be a speaker model as well, in 8/16GB, and in the same colour options as above and will cost around 18,000 and 21,000 yen)

Thank you for the comment, looks like aptX is supported after all.

Rest of information after the break.

Sony Japan Introduces new the A-Series

Sony Japan has introduced the new A-Series to Japan, 2 versions will be available, A16 and A17, 32 and 64GB respectively.  This was expected, but was surprised me and has me a bit irritated is that the Japanese A-Series features built in noise cancellation.  The 64GB model will come only in black and silver, where as the 32GB model comes in all 4 colours, red, blue, black and silver.  Prices are 35,000 (A17) and 25,000 (A16) yen, so around 250 and 180 euros, again cheaper than in Europe, which appears to be getting screwed over.  Release will be November 8.

Rest of the information, photos and sources after the break.

New Sony A-Series appears on Sony Hong Kong

The new A-Series has shown up on the Sony Hong Kong site, priced at 1,580 HKD, which is roughly 160 Euros, so substantially cheaper than in Europe.  Both models will be available the A17 and A15.  Price for the A17 is 2,380 HKD, or 240 Euros, and it ships in 4 different colours, red, blue, black and silver.

Expected availability seems to be late September to mid October.

Some interesting information from the site, it seems bluetooth is v2.1, would have assumed Sony would move to v3 or v4 or even v4 LE.  In addition it seems the M-Series is now available (Since September 11) in Hong Kong, 8GB for 980 HKD or around 100 Euros.

Tempted to import both, since they would have no volume cap.

What Hi-Fi? Preview of Sony NWZ-A15

What Hi-Fi? have a quick preview/review of the new A-Series from the IFA show floor.  Here is what they thought.

Obviously it's a little tricky to put the player through its paces on a noisy show floor, so we'll be looking to give the A15 a serious listen when we get our own review sample.

Some may see the lack of a touchscreen as a slightly retrograde step, but again this will be easier to judge the more time we spend with the player.

Nevertheless, it's good to see the high-res Walkman family grow and become more affordable. You'll still need a high-capacity micro SD card if you own oodles of high-res music, and it does mean double-parking a dedicated music player and smartphone, but as a means of becoming involved in your own high-res revolution, this could be a decent place to start.

Rest of review here What HiFi

Sony NWZ-A17 Operation Manual

I have uploaded the manual onto my Google Drive, here is the link

NWZ-A17 Operation Manual

Sony M-Series Walkman coming to Sony Asia Pacifc

With Sony Europe soon launching the new M-Series (early October), it appears Sony Asia Pacific has also put up the player on its website with a coming soon tag.

Like the EU variant, it will only come in 8GB but will be available in more colours, black, silver, purple and pink.  There is no price or date of availability but I feel it should be similar to EU pricing.  I do not understand why Sony has decided to just introduce the M-Series without any press release or even some mention at IFA.  

Perhaps the new M-Series was present at IFA but no one mentioned it or it was overlooked.  Hopefully more details fill surface about price and availability for Asia Pacific.

Design: Interview with ZX1 Designers

With uncompromising attention to detail, the NWZ-ZX1 achieves truly realistic sound that resonates in the heart of the listener. We went behind the scenes of history’s best-ever Walkman model to learn more about its development, and discovered a team of professionals who were passionately dedicated to achieving the best possible audio quality.

Full story after the break.

Will Sony release a WH-Series Successor?

Exactly one year ago Sony introduced the new WH-Series 3-in-1 Walkman.  I have personally yet to see anyone using one here and wonder if sales have been good enough to warrant a replacement of new model, regardless of sales, I hope a second generation will be introduced.  Now for my rant.

My biggest issue with the WH-Series was the lack of Bluetooth.  I would have purchased the WH505 if it came with Bluetooth but it did not.  You can use the headphones with a cord but then this defeats the purpose of having no wires.  Some would argue why have Bluetooth on the WH to connect to a phone/wireless speaker, you already have a Walkman built in to listen to music.  I agree, but I feel Bluetooth would have helped sales and would have permitted pairing the headphones with phones, mp3 players and wireless speakers.  Having the ability to stream to the headphones as a wireless speaker would have been a fantastic feature but again missing; this I feel would be a nice upgrade to allow sharing of music with just the headphones.

Now why post a photo of the MDR-XB950s?  Well, when I first saw the headphones in the press photos, I initially thought it was a WH-Series replacement.  I feel the design would work nicely as the higher end version but that is just my opinion.

Finally, Hi-Res support, Sony has been pushing this heavily this year, and adding Hi-Res support to a WH successor would be a no-brainer, probably the higher end model only, keeping the lower end model as more affordable alternative.  Of course, micro-SD support should also be included.

Checking e-POSTEL, FCC or the Korean RRA, shows nothing for a new WH successor.  This could mean 3 things, first, there is no successor and the series will be discontinued; second a successor will be released but without Bluetooth; and third, a successor with Bluetooth is coming but not anytime soon.

If anyone knows anything about a successor, please email me or leave a comment on this post.

New Sony A-Series and WS-Series coming to Sony Singapore

Sony Singapore will be offereing both the new A-Series and WS-Series.  The A-Series will be offered in silver/black and in 16 and 64GB capacities, where as the WS-series will come in 16GB capacity and in yellow, black and blue.  There is no pricing information provided unfortunately.

As for other regions, I am not sure if Sony is waiting for an official presentation in Japan, or will slowly and quietly roll out the new Walkmans in the Asia Pacific region over the next few months.

The new A-Series and WS-Series already received certification in Korea, so it should technically be available there soon.

If anyone finds any pricing information or availability for the new Walkmans for the Asia Pacific region, please post a comment or email me and I will update the post.

So what is aptX and should you care?

When I posted the teaser for the new A-Series earlier this week, I mentioned support for aptX Bluetooth.  Before this, I never heard of aptX, so naturally I was curious what it was.  Doing some research revealed a pleasant surprise, both my MDR-10BTs and Xperia Z1 support aptX.  So naturally I had to test this out to see if there was any actual sound quality difference versus standard SBC, in short there was quite a difference, but more on this later.  So what is aptX and should you care?  All the information after the break.

Pocket-lint Hands on with new A-Series

Hands on from Pocket-lint

Just a quick hands on from Pocket-lint.  It appears there are other colours at the show as well, the red, and blue.  There is no mention of these colours in the press release so I either they will appear later on the Sony websites or as I posted earlier, they might be region exclusive, mostly Asia or Japan.

Also no sign of the A17 for Europe at this moment in time, hopefully it will make it across from the US and with the 2 new colours.

Sony Canada Promotion for ZX1 and XBA-H3

Sony Canada has a great deal when you purchase the ZX1 Walkman.  Currently the HBA-X2 is on sale for $249.99, but when purchased together with the ZX1, the price of the XBA-H3's drops another $50 to $199.99 which is insanely low for this pair of headphones.

The full price with the ZX1 would be $949 before taxes which is hella expensive but quality comes at a price.  Unfortunately there is no ship date for the headphones and they are on backorder, hopefully they will shop eventually.  As for the  the ZX1, ship date is expected for late September.

Sony to ship new Walkman A-Series in other colours?

Here are some photos of the new A-Series in different colours, nothing of this was mentioned in the press release as always, so they are probably either for individual regions or Asia only or Japan only probably.

Also I have no idea what headphones the lady is using in the photos since it appears the new A does not ship with any headphones.

Sony Walkman WS-610 Video from Sony

Sony Walkman A15 Video From Sony

Sony Officially introduces the new A-Series Walkman

Sony gives you more ways to enjoy High-Resolution Audio on the move

High-Resolution Audio brings you closer to the spirit and soul of the artist’s original performance – just as you’d hear it on stage or in the recording studio. Now Sony offers an expanded range of options for enjoying pristine Hi-Res sound at home, on holiday or the daily commute.

Packing audiophile performance into a pocket-sized player, the Walkman^® A15 sets an exciting new benchmark in sound and style. It’s joined by a choice of Hi-Res headphones and a new headphone amplifier to wrap you in a sumptuous listening experience.

More after the break.

Sony officially introduces the new WS-Series Walkman

Music while you work out: wearable, waterproof Walkman® WS610 series now with Bluetooth® wireless technology

Energise yourself with the perfect soundtrack as you run, bench-press or swim with the brand new Bluetooth® Walkman NWZ-WS610 – complete with its own handy ring-type remote commander.

Listening to music while exercising can create an increased level of motivation and distract the mind. Sony’s latest-generation wearable MP3 player does just that. It is designed for a comfortable, secure fit while you’re pounding the track or streets – with no wires to slow you down. It’s waterproof, too, with cleverly-designed earbuds offering snug wear and crisp sound during that morning pool session or post-workout shower.

More after the break.

Sony Walkman A-Series price

Quick price update, US price 299.99 dollars for 64GB which is quite hefty and expensive.  Looks like EU price is 199 Euros but for 16GB model only.

EU price at 199 Euros to USD is 257 dollars which is a lot more expensive than one should pay.

(Updated) E vs A: Size comparison E580 and A10 (corrected)

An update using the official dimensions from Sony, I was told the screen was 2 inches and not 2.2 inches.

Leaked Sony Walkman NWZ-A Series (NWZ-A10)

Here it is in all its glory, click on the images for larger size.

More photos after the break

Leaked Sony Walkman WS-Series (NWZ-WS610)

Here is the WS-Series

More photos after the break.

NWZ-WS-Series details

Some new details about the WS-Series.

• 3 colours - all black, blue with black, and yellow with grey
• comes with small remote for your index finger
• controls on remote include - play/pause, Next/previous, volume +/-, power
• Remote is also waterproof
• Walkman can be used as Bluetooth headset with your smartphone and remote includes a button to answer incoming  calls
• Remote connects via Bluetooth
  

At this moment I have no information on pricing or availability, capacity is 4 and 16GB as stated before.

As a final note, I will say that Sony also has super compact and sleak bluetooth headset coming at IFA2014 as well, the MDR-AS800BT.  It charges via micro-USB, has NFC and bluetooth and come in multiple colours, black, blue and white.  It will come with 4 different bud sizes and 3 different ear loop sizes.

Teaser of new Sony Walkman A-Series (NWZ-A10) (Updated)

UPDATE

• 2 colours - Silver and Black
• no noise cancellation
• Audio Out via the WM-port to Hi-Res compatible Sony Equipment (ex ), this uses a WM-Port to USB which then can be attached to a USB cable to the Coaxil digital in on the UDA-A1, on the SRS-X9, the connections seems to be into the regular audio in 3.5mm.
• Internal and external memory seem to be separate with access to the micro-sd via an icon in the menu
• no controls on the left side, right side has vol +/-, Hold switch, and micro-sd slot which is covered
• NFC on the back near the top
• Seems to be able to drive MDR-1R headphones