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A music turntable that enables people to record vinyl into high-definition audio and light bulbs that double as speakers stole the show at Sony’s pre-CES press conference.
The event, on the eve of the opening of the world’s biggest technology show, hosted in Las Vegas, was light on major announcements, but it was the audio items that grabbed the crowd’s attention.
The new turntable – PS-HX500 which goes on sale in April and will cost £400 – not only plays vinyl, but can also record and then upscale the audio into high-definition sound for users to listen to elsewhere.
While televisions and home appliances dominated what is known as “press conference day”, Sony did also show off their own range of new 4K Bravia TVs, as well as a new 4K Handycam, but it was the audio products that stood out.
The firm’s president and chief executive Kazuo Hirai said: “From the choices we’re making to be differentiated and unique, to the curiosity that drives our passion to face challenges, to our commitment as enablers of creativity, it is clear that the philosophical and strategic pillars are in place to continue to build a stronger, better, more profitable Sony.”
Among the more creative products was the LED Bulb Speaker, one of several light products that doubles as a speaker, with sound broadcast through vibrations that pass through the glass that forms the bulb.
The product is already available in Japan, but Sony confirmed a wider roll-out will begin in the US in the summer.
A new range of on and in-ear headphones from Sony’s h.ear range was also announced, as was what Sony called the “world’s smallest high-res audio portable speaker”, the h.ear go.
A new 4K streaming app for movies and TV called Ultra was showcased inside the Las Vegas Convention Centre.
