When we say ‘Premium’ today it is a little different from before. ‘Premium’ products have been flooding the market at prices that are not ridiculous. Some might even say that ‘Premium’ is affordable these days. This is also largely thanks to the higher disposable incomes from this generation, and the increasing number of middle-class income households. The combination of both fuels the increasing demands of these affordable premium products.
Sony has announced that SRS-RA5000 and SRS-RA3000 premium wireless speakers to fill that ‘Premium’ space. Both new wireless speakers come packing with Sony’s unique spatial sound technology alongside other smart features and technologies Sony employs to make their speakers sound like no other.
New Premium Speakers, New Premium Features
The SRS-RA5000 and SRS-RA3000 wireless speakers features a unique ambient room-filling sound experience. They call it spatial sound, and it is a unique feature to Sony speakers. It works pretty much like Sony’s 360 Reality Audio technology. In fact, the SRS-RA5000 and SRS-RA3000 works best with 360 Reality Audio contents. Time to prepare your credit cards for a Tidal subscription people.
While most conventional speakers spread audio waves horizontally, the new wireless speakers fill the room with vertical and horizontal signals to really create a roomy aural experience. Of course, Sony has their own Immersive Audio Enhancement technology within the speakers to transform regular 2-channel stereo tracks into something truly breath-taking. Maybe you do not need to cancel your Spotify subscription after all in that case.
Every room is different though. Sony knows this. That is why the SRS-RA5000 and SRS-RA3000 features automatic sound calibration tools to optimise itself in whatever room you may leave it in the house. Simply hold the Immersive Audio Enhancement button on the SRS-RA5000 for a quick calibration of your room. Kind of like how your Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones adjusts to your ears to give you even better experiences.
The SRS-RA3000 is made to be even more portable though. It auto calibrates itself in any room when you turn it on and play your favourite tracks. Every single time you move it to a new room or a different room in your house, or even hotel rooms, the SRS-RA3000 auto-calibrates itself to suit its containing room. Both speakers are also clever speakers that adjusts its own volume so that you have a consistent listening experience without having to adjust your volume at every track.
SRS-RA5000 vs SRS-RA3000 – Which Should You Get?
The Hi-Res Audio certified SRS-RA5000 is set up with a trio of vertical-firing speakers and 3 middle sited speakers for an even and well spread out vertical and horizontal audio distribution. High-magnetism neodymium magnets and mica reinforced cellular diaphragm keeps it compact to ensure that it tucks in any room seamlessly and unobtrusively. The neodymium and mica constructions also allow the SRS-RA5000 to produce clean, crisp, clear, and powerful audio to the room while remaining subtle in the room.
On the other hand, RA3000 offers a unique omnidirectional sound that you can take with you anywhere in your house. Technically because it is more compact as well, it can travel with you. Thanks to its humidity resistant construction, you can put it anywhere within the confines of your house without worrying that it will break due to water damage. Of course, refrain from dumping it into the water, it is not water resistant. It is built-in with an omni-diffuser that allows the deep audio to travel upward too, allowing the compact premium speakers to fill an entire room, in any room at your house.
Function and Set up
Both speakers can connect to devices with Bluetooth and stream over Wi-Fi, but RA5000 has an additional connectivity option which is one-touch NFC ™. The SRS-RA5000 and SES-RA3000 can also be connected to your Spotify and Chromecast for convenience and flexibility in real life. Moreover, users can control music played on the speaker via voice command. Also, it comes with multi-room features with Google Home/Assistant or Amazon Alexa compatibility. Besides, users may connect the Bluetooth speaker with their television to enhance audio experience. Of course, you can control the Sony SRS-RA5000 and SRS-3000 speakers via the Sony Music app available for free on Google’s Play Store and Apple’s App Store.
Price and Availability
The Sony SRS-RA5000 and SRS-RA3000 will be available in Malaysia February 2021 onward. There are no price announcements just yet, Sony promises for the prices to be revealed closer to launch date. For more information you can visit Sony’s website.