Los Angeles — Sony Electronics unveiled a gamut of home audio products today, including light-pulsing boomboxes and a pair of audio/video receivers (AVRs) with built-in Wi-Fi and AirPlay.
The 7.2-channel STR-DN1040 AVR features 1,155 total watts (165 watts per channel) and eight HDMI inputs. Sound Optimizer technology aims “maintain the nuances of the complete soundfield,” while the company’s High Definition Digital Cinema Sound technology reportedly adds “auditory depth for dramatic cinematic sound.”
The AVR also features Dolby TrueHD, Pro Logic IIz and DTS HD enhanced audio codecs; video up-converting to 4K; and built-in Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and AirPlay.
Media Remote, an Android- and iPhone-capable app, lets consumers control the device using their smartphones.
Suggested retail will be $599.
A second AVR, the STR-DN840, is also a 7.2-channel device, but it has 1,050 total watts and six HDMI inputs. It also has built-in Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and AirPlay — Sony said these are the only AVRs to have all three — and it has 4K pass-through.
Suggested retail is $449. Both models will be available in June.
A new soundbar, the 330-watt HT-CT660, ($399) features a wireless subwoofer that uses the company’s propriety wireless transmitter and receiver technology. It measures approximately 46 inches long by 4.2 inches wide, according to a spokesman, and has three HDMI inputs, Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD Master Audio, and Sony’s S-Force Pro Front Surround 3D technology, designed to synchronize and enhance surround sound.
It also has nearfield communication (NFC) technology and Bluetooth.
Sony unveiled the NFC-enabled RDH-GTK37iP portable sound system, a 420-watt boombox with Bluetooth, a front USB port, and a 30-pin iPod/iPhone docking system that also comes with a Lightning adapter.
The two-way bass reflex speaker system has dual subwoofers, EQ and DJ effect controls, and multicolored LED/strobe lights.
Suggested retail is $349; it will be available May 27.
The LBT-GPX55 ($499) and LBT-GPX77 mini systems join Sony’s LBT-SH2000 mini system. The three-way speaker systems feature 1,600 and 1,800 watts, respectively, as well as NFC, Bluetooth, a CD player, dual front USB ports, and EQ and DJ effects controls.
The LBT-GPX77 also has multicolored LED lights that pulse with the music. They will also both be available May 27.
Finally, Sony introduced a pair of HTiBs with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and NFC. The 5.1-channel BDV-N8100W ($699) and BDV-N7100W ($599) HTiBs boast 1,000 watts, 3D Blu-ray Disc FullHD 1080p playback, and wireless rear surround speakers that use Sony’s proprietary wireless technology.
The BDV-N8100W adds three-way, 47-inch floorstanding speakers that feature a separating upper segment for wall placement.
