Mark Fleischmann

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Sony Puts Noise Cancellation in Player
Mark Fleischmann  |  Jan 08, 2007  |  1 comments
Most noise-cancelling products are either headphones or earbuds. But wouldn't it be nice to put the noise-cancellation circuit in the player? That's what Sony has done with some new Walkman MP3 players. Now you can enjoy the considerable benefit of noise cancellation while using any headphones or earbuds you fancy. Not your father's old cassette player.
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CEDIA 2009
Sony Receivers Are Network Savvy
Mark Fleischmann  |  Sep 09, 2009  |  0 comments
Also introduced were two new receivers, the STR-DA5500ES ($2000) with 120 watts time seven and STR-DA3500ES ($1000) with 100 watts time seven. The first model got the most attention, with Control4 IP network control -- so your Sony receiver can now handle lighting, security, and other home automation features -- and DLNA compatibility which provides access to PC-stored music, video, and photos via ethernet connection.
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Sony Receivers Have DCDi, PSP Icons
Mark Fleischmann  |  Sep 14, 2006  |  0 comments
The STR-DA5200ES is one of two new models in Sony's higher-end ES receiver line. The 7 x 120 watt receiver has auto setup that that runs in just 30 seconds. With top-notch Faroudja DCDi video processing, it upconverts video sources to 1080p, offers scalable picture-in-picture for source monitoring, and offers on-the-fly color correction. The icon-based menu system hails from PSP. Available in October for $1500.
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Ears On
Sony Ships Blu-ray--Prices to Halve?
Mark Fleischmann  |  Dec 05, 2006  |  0 comments
Sony's long-awaited BDP-S1 Blu-ray player has finally hit the shelves. It does 1080 lines at 24 frame per second for the ultimate in filmlikeness. And it's not just a product--it's a punctuation mark, adding "an exclamation point to Sony’s full HD 1080 line of products, which ranges from BRAVIA™ flat-panel LCD and Grand WEGA SXRD® rear-projection televisions to the new PlayStation® 3 game console, Blu-ray Disc enabled VAIO computers, PC drives and recordable BD media," says the press release. Speaking of Sony HDTVs, did you catch the secret sale from November 24-27? Too bad, so sad. The BDP-S1 sells for $1000, not bad by early-adopter standards, but if you can wait till 2008, the cost of a Blu-ray drive will drop 50 percent, according to DigiTimes. Of course, just because a major component drops in price, that doesn't necessarily mean that a product will do the same--but given the fact that a BD drive is the major component of a BD player, we might entertain hopes.
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Audio Video News
Sony Signs Tru2Way Pact
Mark Fleischmann  |  May 29, 2008  |  0 comments
Sony has signed an agreement with six major cable operators to make its products compatible with the new bidirectional, or Tru2Way, CableCARD standard. Unlike the original unidirectional CableCARD, the updated standard accommodates video on demand.
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Audio Video News
Sony Soundbar Has Sense of Quartz
Mark Fleischmann  |  Aug 09, 2013  |  0 comments
The Sony HT-ST7 is the first product to use Sony's "Sense of Quartz" design imperative, which I first saw in an embargoed product showing in Tokyo a few months ago. I subsequently heard the production version and it sounded even better than it looks.

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Surround Sound System ReviewsBookshelf Speaker ReviewsSubwoofer Reviews
Sony SS-NA5ES Speaker System
Mark Fleischmann  |  Nov 08, 2013  |  7 comments

SS-NA5ES Speaker System
Performance
Build Quality
Value

SA-NA9ES Subwoofer
Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $19,000

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Scandinavian birch
enclosures
Triple tweeter array
Warm and fatigue-free
Minus
Not exactly cheap

THE VERDICT
A pricey speaker system that offers an edge to those who want the very best.

Sony has always had a sense of its own destiny that transcends any one of its multifaceted operations. To gamers, it is the guardian of the PlayStation franchise. Moviegoers know it as the owner of Sony Pictures, while music lovers know it as the home of Dylan, Springsteen, and Adele. Tech historians recall how Sony’s small transistor radios and Walkman cassette player, respectively from the 1950s and ’70s, paved the way for the iPod in the ’00s. Cutting-edge computer audiophiles are excited about the potential of Sony’s DSD file format to transform the nascent world of high-resolution music downloads.

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AV Receiver ReviewsBlu-ray Player Reviews
Sony STR-DA4300ES A/V Receiver and BDP-S500 Blu-ray Player
Mark Fleischmann  |  May 12, 2008  |  0 comments
Now this is the way to set up a system.

This month, we break new ground in Spotlight Systems. Normally, we pair off a surround speaker package with surround electronics. But that ignores the whole subject of signal sources, without which, after all, all of our systems would be dark and silent. So this time out, we’re mating an up-to-the-minute receiver, the Sony STR-DA4300ES, with an oh-so-hip Blu-ray player, the Sony BDP-S500. And no, Sony didn’t slip me a suitcase full of cash for doing this.

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AV Receiver Reviews
Sony STR-DA4600ES A/V Receiver
Mark Fleischmann  |  Dec 06, 2010  |  0 comments
Price: $1,500 At A Glance: Middle AVR in Sony’s higher-end ES line • Numerous custom-install and remote options • DLNA, SHOUTcast, Rhapsody network features

Sony Goes It Alone

Sony recently announced that it would begin selling its ES products only through A/V specialty retailers, from Best Buy’s Magnolia down to smaller independent retailers. No longer will you find these products online, not even through Sony’s own sonystyle.com. This will give Sony more control over pricing. More important to the consumer is the fact that Sony is reorienting its better AVRs to retailers who can give convincing demos and cater to the needs of custom installation and higher-end home theater.

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AV Receiver Reviews
Sony STR-DN1000 A/V Receiver
Mark Fleischmann  |  Jan 25, 2010  |  0 comments
Price: $400 At A Glance: Flagship of Sony’s standard receiver line • Strong aesthetics and user interface, well-designed remote • Compatible with Sony wireless speakers using optional card

Slick but Affordable

The process of getting music into, and out of, an A/V receiver is changing. An increasing number of receivers come with Ethernet jacks to pull music out of a network-connected PC. Against this background, Sony—thinking for itself, as always—has built a totally different form of networking into the STR-DN1000 A/V receiver.

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