Sony SRS-Z1 Personal Active Speaker System with "Floating" Speaker Design

I work in Pro audio and got turned on to these by a friend who already used them and let me borrow his set first. The sound imaging and clarity is exceptional for their size and price, but people who don't specifically listen for detail might want to be able to add more low-end. For me this is the perfect set of lightweight speakers to take on the road with my laptop.

I had been looking for a better quality speaker to replace the high quality (but huge) speakers that were packaged with my new Sony R series computer. I considered the Bose media mates and others recommended on this site but most still took a significant chunk of real estate and did little to free up visual space either. So I noticed the SRS-Z1 on the Sony website and immediately thought, there is no way that those tiny little things with only three watts per channel are going to sound half as good as my current speakers but...

So here they sit on my desk, barely even noticable among the stacks of... never mind. Bottom line, if you want an all in one portable system or a simple two speaker, easy-on-the-eyes replacement for your computer speakers LOOK SOMEWHERE ELSE! If however you are willing to add a subwoofer and create your own mini audiophile system BUY A SET NOW!

Without a good sub these speakers are huantingly transparent and accurate to a fualt but they have no bass what-so-ever. Imagine a set of $1.99 headphones and you'll be in the right frame of mind. Yes, the fidelity is much higher than a transister radio but the frequency loss on the low end is similiar. Once a sub with mini plug output is added however this system just opens up. Freed of the need to produce the low frequencies these speakers make mids and highs seem to hang in the air as smoothly and delicately as anything else on the market. After about ten minutes of E.Q. adjustment on my computer these speakers are comparable in sound to my (Much larger floor speakers) Bose 701s in the living room, with a little help from the sub.

If the price tag scares you, remember that prices vary wildly from shop to shop and todays latest and greatest is tomorrows bargain bin filler.

If you really want portable speakers that sound great and cost a lot less go for the Bose Mediamates. They have exceptional sound quality for their size and price. Search for them and read my review on the Bose Mediamate! If you just want great speakers that go even louder than the Bose and have room shaking bass and can afford expesnive ones go for the Bose Companion 3! It is an AMAZING speaker system and it is like $20 more dollars than htis Sony speakers... go to www.bose.com and take a look at it under the Game and PC Section!

O.K. So you're an audio enthusiast with a multi thousand dollar esoteric hi fi system at home. Only you like to travel, and there's no way 100 odd kilo's of gear are going to find a place in your samsonite.
Now here's a solution for all you music lovers out there who have been looking desperately for a portable system that adheres to higher fidelity standards: the Sony srs-Z1.

They are very pleasing to the eye, but it's sound that we're concerned about, so I'll get right down to it.

Sweetness and clarity are the first things that spring to mind when describing these beauties.Absolutely no coloration in the mids, no boominess, and lacking that jarring harshness most associated with portables.Listening to the soundtrack from 'the mission', the voices were projected with a room filling strength that far belies it's meagre 3 watts per channel rating.The stereo focus was sharp, and voices were placed dead centre.

And this from a listening position about 10ft. away from the speakers!

It definitely lacks a bottom end, but more than makes up for it through its sheer musicality and yes, transparency.These are words normally reserved to describe expensive speakers within the main system, but I have no hesitation in using them here.

I was able to do a comparative listening test with the more expensive and heavier box like sony 1000Z, and the srs-Z1 win hands down.Sony claims to use a special bio-cellulose blended into the central part of the diaphragm for strength and lightness as well as using OFC copper lead polyester film capacitors in the amplifier for better clarity.

It seems whoever designed these at sony has an ear for sound.

There is definitely room for improvement- a compact subwoofer would take care of that thin bottom end, and dare I let my imagination fly...A couple of tubes and a remote?? That would definitely make it a dream hi end portable!!!

But back to earth for the moment, if you are looking for a portable hi end sound, this is it!

One other drawback- It only runs on a 9 volt adaptor, so if you are travelling to places (as i do) where electricity is still a vague notion, it might do well to improvise a battery pack.

(sony- are you listening ? )

One of the smallest speakers on the market with fully qualified hifi sound. It's incredible that so small speakers could manage to create such a large soundstage. They present treble and midrange with an accuracy similar to electrostatic speakers. The bass is good enough, but lacks in quantity and power. My only recommendation: Buy and enjoy them ! I'm doing so !