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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
peterayer
1,382 posts
 
I heard them in Ray Kimber's room with 4-channels driven by Pass X350.5 amps at RMAF 2010. On a male choral piece, it was the most convincingly real presentation I have ever heard. The room boundaries disappeared and I was in the church listening to those singers. Incredible.

I also heard them in a smaller room, but the system overwhelmed the dimensions of the room and it was less impressive. The cut-away cabinet sample showed real quality. IMO, these should be considered contenders in the $25K-$30K range.
cmalak
681 posts
 
Review in the Jul/Aug 2011 issue of TAS that just came out.
kr4's avatar
kr4
3,712 posts
 
http://forum.stereophile.com/content/now-newsstands-istereophilei-vol34-no7
rgs92
974 posts
 
Well, Sony did make what many say were the best dynamic headphones ever (R10s).
robr45's avatar
robr45
319 posts
 
Sony has superior resources than almost any other high end company. They choose where to allocate these resources. If they have chosen to do it in a $27k speaker I am not surprised at all it holds its own.
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