Wednesday 3 May 2017

SONY Knows How To Impress


When SONY does something, they really do it. Taking the KL Intercontinental Hotel as the venue, SONY Malaysia held an EXPO on Saturday 29th April. SONY basically leased the whole ballroom floor on Level 2 with various ballroom sizes to showcase their new products on TVs, soundbar, Hi Res Audio, HTIB, One Box Solution Audio, Camera and Photography and VR Gaming


 

Having to own several SONY Hi Res products, I first visited their Hi Res section and first on my list to demo was the TA-ZH1ES headphone/pre amp/DAC amplifier. This sleek and chic looking unit boasts a DAC capability up to 32/768 PCM and 22.4 MHz DSD decoding/upsampling. Equipped with it is also their proprietary DSEE technology that enhances any sources you feed through it. First impression of this unit left me mesmerized. Could not test it for too long as there was queue behind me to test this.

Second was to to see the PS-HX500 Turntable. It was paired with the TA-A1ES amplifier and SS-NA5ES speakers. The set up looks neat with the SONY rep was also ripping the vinyl to DSD files over his laptop. Good to know that the editing software that comes with this TT will allow user to edit or cut the converted DSD files.



In the other ballroom, the heavily awaited SONY OLED TVs were showcased. Slim, sexy and beautifully designed piece display. Pre-orders were open for interesting buyers where they will get their TV sometime in July. If only I had the dough.






Lifestyle design were also available where SONY proudly showcased their version of DOLBY ATMOS capable soundbars.




The One Box Solution audio section showcased various tall standing units of the MHC series to suit your simplified requirement of audio.


Last but no least were the photography and PlaySation 4 VR sections. There were various products to be tested and I could see that gaming and photography enthusiasts were having loads of fun here.
 



It was indeed a joyous affair for SONY fans. Its a like a mini SONY haven in that venue. Visitors and SONY reps were friendly and cheerful. Yes, I can't but help to test them with some basic technical questions on the hi res section and the reps seem to know a bit or two on hi res. Thats just me being cocky hehehe.

If there was one thing that did not meet my expectation is the unavailability of the SONY 4K UHD BD player. As we have seen Samsung and Oppo releasing their units here locally, I have yet to hear any news on SONY's 4K UHD BD player offering.

Overall, congrats to the SONY Malaysia team for a show well done. Enjoyed it and would seek for a longer demo on the headphone DAC amp and the turntable.


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