Anyone heard te Sony SS-AR1


I heard Sony's 27k new speaker today. Sony is obviously not a name you think of when it comes to high-end audio, but this speaker is sony's effort to get back into high-end audio. I'll be honest, going in, I thought anyone who spends 27k on a pair of speakers by Sony needs their head examined.
That being said, I was really, really impressed by this speaker. I compared it head to head with some dynaudio tempations (44k) and thought that the sony's at least held their own. The dealer told me that Sony is only planning on releasing 60 pairs in the US this year, and there are only 6 dealers in the country right now. Also, the wood that they use for the cabinets comes from a special Japanese tree that is specially aged, etc.
Apparently there is a review coming out in stereophile next week.
My question is, with all the great speakers out there at this range, Wilson, magico, Von schweikert, hansen, etc, has anyone heard these, and how do you think they stack up against some of the big boys?
dserota17

Showing 3 responses by shadorne

I'll bet they are extremely good compared to most other speakers, however, remember that Sony Studios use ATC and Sony also selected ATC to demonstrate SACD format when they rolled that out.
Ok what is ATC?

ATC Review

They are used by many of the people that make our favorite "audiophile" recordings Steve Hoffman and Doug Sax (Sheffield Labs) as well as mainstream (pop/rock, classical, Hollywood multi-channel soundtrack) stuff.

Not to be confused with Air Traffic Control.
I was just pointing out that Sony does use other brands too.

Studios have several types - especially as they will often have multiple nearfields.

Those Duntechs are awesome. My response was to Mhedges. ATC is not exactly a household name like Sony or B&W.