If you've ever looked at your soundbar and thought "I'd like to wrap this around my neck," the good news is that Sony will now let you do it, sort of.
Sony's portable speaker combines the convenient form factor of headphones with the surround sound of a home theater system, allowing you to listen to your movies and TV shows late at night without disturbing your neighbors. blowing up your sound bar.
First released in Japan in 2017, Sony's Sony Immersive Speaker is finally available in the US, at a relatively hefty $300, though if you pre-order before December 1, you can get a €250 introductory price.
Sony didn't reveal when or if the portable speaker would be coming to other regions, but the price in the US is around $230/$440 based on current conversions.
(Image credit: Sony)
An alternative to the sound bar.
In the absence of Bluetooth support, hybrid headphones/speakers rely on manually plugging 3,5mm jack or optical cables into your wireless receiver. You can also connect it to your smartphone with the help of a USB-C cable, although this is not as convenient as using a wireless headset.
According to Engadget, the Immersive Portable Speaker offers about three hours of battery life. If you want to watch a long movie, you may run out of resources.
Although it may seem like a unique novelty device, this isn't the first time we've seen such a device: the JBL Soundgear neckloop speaker and Bose Soundwear use a similar design to offer an alternative to your soundbar.
If you tend to watch TV alone, the speaker design might be interesting, but a family of four looking for an immersive movie experience would need to spend $1,200 (about $930) on a Sony immersive speaker for everyone.
For that money, you could buy a really fantastic soundbar and turn it down a notch for your late-night Netflix cravings.
ViaEngadget