Sony Neckband Speakers Said to Emulate Dolby Atmos Experience

Sony joined the ranks of headphone companies branching out to wireless neckband speakers, and its SRS-NS7 is the first to deliver Dolby Atmos sound, when paired with select Sony Bravia XR TVs, said the company Monday. The SRS-NS7 ($299), a supplied WLA-NS7 wireless transmitter and a Sony Bravia XR TV are said to deliver a customized “cinematic experience” that users can create with Sony’s 360 Spatial Sound Personalizer app. A firmware update will be available by January for the Bravia XR TVs and is required to use 360 Spatial Sound, it said. The 360 app takes a photo of the user’s ear and analyzes its hearing characteristics by estimating the ear’s shape, creating what Sony calls the “ideal arrangement of virtual Dolby Atmos speakers around the user.” SRS-NS7 users can also experience Sony’s 360 Reality Audio when listening to compatible music services such as Deezer, Tidal and nugs.net, Sony said. The experience can also be created with select Sony headphones when used with the WLA-NS7 wireless transmitter ($59) and select Bravia XR TVs, said the company. The neckband speakers and transmitter are available for preorder; Amazon showed a Nov. 1 release date Monday.