Oh dear: The throat speakers are back
19.11.2019
Translation: machine translated
After Bose and JBL, Sony is also entering the neck speaker business. But only in the USA for the time being. The SRS-WS1 has no Bluetooth, but a clear purpose.
Sony recently announced the "immersive wearable speaker" called the SRS-WS1. It is worn around the neck and is expected to cost 300 dollars in the USA. Sony has not given a date for when the devices will be available here. In Japan, the dividers have been around for a while.
The Bose Soundwear Companion and the Soundgear from JBL already had the same around-the-neck concept as the SRS-WS1. Neither were particularly successful.
Sony's neck speaker is slightly larger than its two predecessors and comes without Bluetooth. What sounds completely nonsensical at first makes sense when you look at the intended use. After all, the SRS-WS1 is completely wireless; it comes with an included transmitter that is connected to the TV's audio output.
Why?
With the Bose SoundWear Companion, I had to look for the intended use first. This is clearer here: according to Sony, the neck gadget is ideal for watching TV, gaming and listening to live concerts. Because the speakers don't work with Bluetooth, they should have better sound quality and less latency. Sony does not specify the exact transmission method of the transmitter to the neck speaker, but the range should be 30 metres.
When it comes to sound quality, Sony repeatedly talks about "all-round" sound, but the dividers are unlikely to have surround sound, as there is no indication of this. However, the neck pieces are said to vibrate with bass when gaming and listening to music. The vibration can even be customised with three different strengths.
Furthermore, the advantage of free ears is that you can still hear the children calling or the pizza delivery man ringing. And the speaker should be designed in such a way that it is comfortable even when worn for long periods of time - but open-back headphones also fulfil these criteria.
If you want to use the neck speaker with a mobile phone, you have to connect it with a cable - provided you have a phone with a headphone jack. This is certainly not very practical, but there is probably less latency, as was the case with the Bose SoundWear Companion.
Neck Loudspeaker Ummgfrage
What do you think of the neck speaker?
- Totally unnecessary89%
- I have waited for this13%
The competition has ended.
Testing devices and gadgets is my thing. Some experiments lead to interesting insights, others to demolished phones. I’m hooked on series and can’t imagine life without Netflix. In summer, you’ll find me soaking up the sun by the lake or at a music festival.