T3 India

Sony

Review: Sony LinkBuds WF-L900

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Price: ₹ 19,990

The buds with the hole, to let the world through—would be an apt catchline for the LinkBuds if we could borrow it from Nestle’s popular mint brand. The WF-L900 is unlike any true wireless earbuds we have seen, with a ring-shaped driver and a hollow at the centre.

The WF-L900 comes in a small case made of recycled plastic. The case has a mechanical closure and can be opened by pressing a button. The earbuds are also quite small compared to the usual TWS. Even the buds are held in place with plastic pegs inside the case. Wearing the device is quite a task initially. The ring stays in your ear canal, while the rubber supporter has to be fitted inside the upper cavity and twisted a bit till it is secured firmly. Sony provides five pairs of supporting rings in the box, and it is very important to select the appropriate one. After the initial fiddling around, it is quite comfortable to wear and use. The buds weigh approximately four grams. The light construction and non-protruding design ensure that the device does not slip out even during your runs. The buds hold an IPX4 rating for protection against splashes and sweat.

The open-ring design facilitates full-time audio transparency. Though loyal ANC-lovers could have a hard time liking this, the open design makes it extremely comfortable, without any pressure difference felt in the ears. The Headphones Connect app allows you to update firmware and activate, set up, and customise Speak to Chat, Equaliser, 360 Reality and other features. With adaptive volume control, the device ensures that the background sounds do not overpower the audio. Sony has designed the LinkBuds to facilitate all-day wearing without discomfort, and features like Speak to Chat combined with transparency makes this possible. Speech detection sensitivity and pause duration can be adjusted from the app. If this is not done properly, you will find the music pausing even without speaking a word.

With a 12mm ring driver, the L900 delivers competent audio similar to other Sony TWS devices, though with a more natural feel closer to open-back headphones than the restrictive sound you get from usual headphones. In fact, you don’t feel that you are wearing a pair of headphones. Call quality is excellent with clear pick-up and providing a great listening experience with a clear voice. You can control the device by tapping on the buds or the front portion of your ears. The buds are not too loud, and even at the maximum volume, you don’t feel any discomfort. It features DSEE (Digital Sound Enhancement Engine) to enhance audio using Sony’s integrated processor V1 that powers their flagship. The headphones support Google and Alexa voice assistants. Fast and Swift Pair offer quick Bluetooth pairing.

Sony claims a playback time of up to 5.5 hours on a single charge and up to 17.5 hours with the charging case, but a realistic figure would be somewhere around three hours and 10 hours respectively, at least with our experience with initial charging cycles and with 50 per cent volume. It also offers 90 minutes of playback with 10 minutes of quick charging. On the negative side, though the charging indicator lights up while charging, it doesn’t indicate once the device has been fully charged.

Rating

WE’RE IMPRESSED Lightweight and compact design, balanced sound profile, extremely comfortable for continuous listening, speak-to-chat function


WE’D IMPROVE No ‘charge full’ indicator


THE LAST WORD The Sony LinkBuds is a refreshingly new device that is made for all-day listening and provides an audio experience that is close to the natural.

Sony Brings Home Bravia X75K TV Series

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Sony has announced its new Bravia X75K television series with 4K Ultra HD LED display. The series comes in 165 cm (65-inch), 140 cm (55-inch), 126 cm (50-inch) and 108 cm (43-inch).

The X75K comes with the X1 Picture Processor that uses advanced algorithms to cut noise and boost detail. Images filmed in 2K and Full HD are reported to be up-scaled close to 4K resolution by 4K X-Reality PRO, using a 4K database. The Motionflow XR technology creates and inserts extra frames between the original ones. It compares key visual factors on successive frames, then calculates the split second of missing action in the sequences.

The series features open baffle down-firing twin speakers that deliver 20-Watt sound with Dolby Audio. With clear phase technology, the Bravia series boasts the idea of a computer model to analyse and compensate for inaccuracies in speaker response.It enables users to integrate Google TV via apps and subscriptions. Users can browse content and watch personalised recommendation and bookmark shows and movies by adding a watchlist from phone. It is built with the X-Protection PRO technology and is equipped with dust and humidity protection. It also comes in a minimalist design that ‘maximises the screen and minimises the bezel’.

The 43-inch and 50-inch models will be available for purchase from May 2, 2022 onwards at a price of INR 55,990 and INR 66,990, respectively. As of now, no availability or pricing information has been revealed about the 55-inch and 65-inch versions. These models will be available across all Sony Centers, electronic stores and e-commerce portals in India.

Review: Sony WH-XB910N

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Price: ₹14,990

Recently, we reviewed Sony’s latest TWS earbuds, and here we are, with the latest of their over-the-ear headphones. If the WF-1000XM4 features a balanced sound profile, the WH-XB910N is specially made for bass lovers as Sony brands the XB series as Extra Bass.

The headphones are available in black and blue colours, and we received the blue version. The device has a nice matte finish on the exterior with a rougher pattern on the headband. The top of the band has a faux leather wrapping on the exterior along with a soft cushioning pad at the inner surface. The earpieces rotate about 120 degrees, flex about 30 degrees to adjust to the contours of your head and can be folded inward for storage. The headphones come in a sleek oval-shaped hard fabric case, which also includes a USB-C to USB-A cable and an aux cable. The overall finish feels premium, and the top of the pivot area has a glossy finish that enhances this feel. The Sony branding on both ends of the headband completes the styling. The left earpiece houses the physical controls and ports, which include the power button, noise cancellation/ambience button, 3.5mm aux jack and USB-C charging port. The right earpiece looks plain, but the broad flat surface hides a touch panel that can be used to pause or play music, control volume and switch the tracks. You can also make use of the Quick Attention mode by placing your hand over the right earcup, which pauses noise cancelling mode momentarily, allowing you to listen to ambient sound. At 252 g, the headphones are quite light. The soft earpads are comfortable and do not cause any discomfort or pain even with extended use.

The WH-X910N uses a 40 mm driver unit and features dual noise-cancelling with feedforward and feedback mics on each side. The noise cancellation is effective but not quite the best we have experienced in premium headphones. The device supports 360 Reality Audio for an immersive experience with a suitable audio input. The headphones offer 48 ohms impedance in wired connection with the unit turned on, and 16 ohms while it is turned off. This makes it compatible with most smartphones and other low-power devices, irrespective of the type of connection. The headphones are compatible with LDAC codec for high-res audio playback in Bluetooth mode. As mentioned earlier, this device is made for thumping bass, and it remains true to this assigned role. In fact, the device is a bass lover’s haven, bringing out those fine reverberations in percussion. The Headphones companion app offers adaptive sound control, switching the sound profile according to your location and status. It offers a number of equaliser presets such as Bright, Excited, Mellow, Relaxed, Vocal, Treble Boost, Bass Boost, and Speech, along with Manual and two Custom modes so that the sound is always within your control when you are on a call or listening to music. Though you can tweak the sound via custom modes to bring up the mids and highs for some balance, it still remains faithful to bass. If you are using an iPhone, you can tweak the sound even better from the EQ mode.

The XB910N can be paired with two devices over Bluetooth, and the headphone intelligently switches between the two inputs. However, when paired to a laptop and a smartphone, the 910N would pause music played on the laptop when there is an audio notification on the phone and would not resume playback automatically. The headphones are stated to provide up to 30 hours of battery life, and we found this to be quite close. Of course, this depends on the volume of playback and ANC. You can top up the battery quickly for 10 minutes for up to 4.5 hours of extra playback with an optional AC adapter.

The device offers voice control with Google Assistant and Alexa.

RATING

WE’RE IMPRESSED Multi-device connection, high-res audio support, comfortable fit, good battery life, companion app

WE’D IMPROVE Some sound leakage observed, playback doesn’t restart after phone notification

THE LAST WORD These headphones offer good comfort and convenience. True bass enthusiasts will appreciate its sound profile.

Personal Audio: Sony Witnesses Surge in Demand

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Sony has been at the forefront of personal audio space and the Covid-induced lockdown has certainly pushed this segment forward in over a year. T3 caught up with Gyanendra Singh, Head of Audio Business, Sony India, on the sidelines of World Music Day.

The extended lockdown has largely confined everyone to their homes. Apart from OTT platforms and gaming, music is something that keeps people engaged and helps maintain their sanity. What are the major trends experienced by Sony’s audio division during this lockdown period?

During this lockdown as well, we are witnessing a surge in both Personal Audio products like earphones and headphones and the home entertainment products like the Soundbars. We are experiencing that consumers are moving towards products with features that are helpful for their work from home, learn from home activities and products that enhance their consumption of entertainment at home. The demand upsurge is like what we experienced during the last year unlock.

Could you elaborate on some of the products that drove the maximum business during this time? What are the buying trends that emerged during this lockdown phase?

While there continues to be an overall good traction for both personal audio and home entertainment products, for personal audio products, in terms of form factor, the truly wireless segment and the headphones with Active Noise Cancellation are showing very strong demand. We continue to have very good traction for our flagship 1000X series in headphones and truly wireless earbuds form factor, followed by affordable Bluetooth headphones WI-C200, WI-XB400 & WH-CH510. On the home entertainment front, the consumer is displaying the desire to upgrade his home audio-video environment. Consequently, there is demand for soundbars to enjoy cinematic audio experience at home for flagship products with Dolby Atmos like HT-Z9F and HT-G700, followed by affordable range models like HT-RT3 and HT-RT40.

With service centres and other points of service shut, how did you manage to connect with customers?

Since the beginning of lockdown, Sony has been actively supporting consumers via e-mails and live chat to ensure uninterrupted entertainment. 24×7 assistance is being offered to customers through AI-assisted Chat Bot. Our Call Center (1800 103 7799) was operational and our customer service executives were available for resolving customer queries by offering Remote assistance through DIY videos and video calls. We also offered special Warranty extension for customers whose product warranty lapsed during the lockdown period.

What were the major learnings from the extended lockdown period for Sony in the audio space? How has it changed the way you did business? How do you look forward to the post-Covid and post-lockdown scenario?

There are multiple factors that have evolved due to this extended lockdown phenomenon. Firstly, the usage of audio products has increased whether it is for work from home (WFH), learn from home (LFH) or home entertainment. It has given consumer a greater opportunity to experience the product and enjoy its features. Secondly, for many consumers this has led to a situation of higher disposable income and hence consumer spending on premium audio products has increased and we expect this to continue in the post-lockdown scenario as well. Lastly, it has increased the use of online as a medium of communication for both our consumers and for us as well. Consumer traffic has significantly increased to Sony India’s website and to our products on other e-commerce portals. Consequently, our modes of reaching out to the consumer has also seen a greater shift towards the online medium and we expect this to continue.

Review: Sony Bravia X9000H

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Sony’s latest Bravia TV brings flagship-like performance at a reasonable price
From Rs. 1,09,990

Sony’s flagship TVs deliver one of the best TV viewing experiences, but they cost a fortune. Sony’s latest Bravia X9000H, on the other hand, attempts to bring similar picture quality, if not same, at a more affordable price.

How different can one design a TV? Not much but given Sony’s approach, we are happy with what X9000H has to offer. The TV boasts thin aluminium bezel across the display complemented with an equally svelte stand. The stand, despite its minimalistic design and screwless installation, docks the TV firmly and securely on a tabletop. The TV also supports VESA wall mount.

The X9000H is not the slimmest TV but its neat design keeps the flab at the rear, giving an unobstructed look from the front. At the back is the multitude of connectivity ports, ranging from Ethernet to composite and two USB ports. There are four HDMI ports that support HDMI 2.0 but a future software update will upgrade the last two HDMI ports to HDMI 2.1. Sony hasn’t given any timeline with respect to the update but we hope it comes before the next-gen consoles hit the market, allowing users to enjoy features like 4K at 120fps, Variable Refresh Rate, Auto Low Latency Mode and eARC. For now, gamers will have to suffice with the dedicated game mode. It tweaks picture settings but also lowers the input lag to around 16ms.

How’s the video quality on the X9000H? In one word, impressive. Equipped with a full-array LED, local dimming, X-tended Dynamic range and the X1 processor doing the heavy lifting, the TV produces excellent colours and deep contrast. Moreover, the TV supports HDR formats like HDR10, HLG, Dolby Vision that covers majority of the content out there, delivering an impressive dynamic range. The X9000H also comes with features like the Object-based HDR remaster that analyses individual object on the screen to produce the perfect contrast; upscaling support; X-Motion Clarity for smooth, blur-free fast action scenes and; Netflix Calibrated mode.

Android TV OS is what makes X9000H smart and Sony keeps it clean. The overall Android TV performance is snappy and responsive. Switching between apps, adjusting settings is instantaneous. The remote control doesn’t match the TV’s modern looks but goes with the conventional design with lots of buttons, including dedicated ones for Google Play and Netflix.

Assisting the topnotch video are two 10W X-Balanced speakers that produce room-filling crisp sound and supports Dolby Atmos and DTS Digital Surround. The Acoustic Multi-audio that positions two tweeters at the back of the TV is available only in a 65-inch variant.

The X9000H is a great addition by Sony. For just over Rs. 1,00,000, the TV rivals its competitors with excellent video and audio performance. Add to it, the impending software update, the X9000H has the potential to be the perfect TV for next-generation console and PC gaming.

RATING 4.5/5
WE’RE IMPRESSED Performance
WE’D IMPROVE Remote control design
THE LAST WORD The X9000H is brimming with features that elevate TV viewing experience with a combination of excellent video tech, audio and snappy OS performance.

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This review was originally published in the October edition of T3 India. Subscribe here.