Sony SA-Z1 nearfield active speaker system

Mr Spock · 1 Μαρτίου 2021

The SA-Z1 system consists, of course, of two speakers. Each one contains a ¾" tweeter with a titanium-sputtered soft dome flanked vertically by two smaller, similar tweeters, all mounted on a narrow, tapered plate in front of the front baffle. Mounted on that front baffle is a 4" forward-firing woofer with an anodized aluminum cone; behind that is a similar 4" woofer that faces to the rear. Various buttons and controls sit atop each speaker

The SA-Z1 offers several options for digital playback: automatic upsampling of "Red Book" PCM files to high-rate PCM (32/384 for files input by USB; note, however, that all data eventually ends up as PWM, aka DSD); resampling of PCM to high-rate DSD (DSD256 when input via USB; this is called DSD-RE, for DSD Remastering); straight playback of DSD files; or what Sony calls "optional enhancement of compressed music" via the company's "Digital Sounds Enhancement Engine." "DSEE-HX" attempts to restore what's been lost from compression with a combination of upsampling and what Sony calls "harmonic restoration."

There was some low-level woofer fluttering caused by the small woofers' inability to reach as low as a mighty organ can go, but bass was otherwise tight and convincing, the midrange was warm, and highs were as rousing as one might wish for. Images weren't gigantic, but the way the soundstage expanded beyond and through the speakers was awe-inspiring. I wouldn't have minded more transparency and deeply saturated color (although color increases as one sits closer), but the sense of immersion in an all-encompassing soundfield was the closest a small pair of speakers, desktop or otherwise, has ever brought me to the wonders of fine headphone listening

Sony SA-Z1, analog input, anechoic response on central tweeter axis at 50", averaged across 30° horizontal window and corrected for microphone response (green), with the nearfield responses of the front woofer (blue) and slot-loaded rear woofer (red) plotted below 500Hz

Sony SA-Z1, analog input, cumulative spectral-decay plot on central tweeter axis at 50" (0.15ms risetime).

With the SA-Z1 nearfield active loudspeaker system, you can sit at the comfort of your own desk, close the office door (or not), and without needing to fasten your seat belt, launch into an air-filled galaxy of sound that you may not have thought possible with a desktop system. With a host of controls that enable you to tailor each excursion to your liking and compensate for the vagaries of poor recordings, compressed music, and an imperfect listening environment, the SA-Z1 is capable of opening up entire new realms of personal listening.

Description: Nearfield active speaker system for desktop listening. Drive-units: ¾" (19mm) titanium-sputtered soft-dome tweeter, two 9/16" (14mm) titanium-sputtered soft-dome tweeters; two 4" (100mm) anodized-aluminum–cone woofers. Crossover frequencies: 5kHz, below 200Hz (adjustable, for assist woofer integration). Inputs, digital: USB-B, Walkman/Xperia, TosLink. Inputs, analog: XLR, RCA, Stereo Mini. Total amplifier power: 106W. THD: 0.03% (1kHz, 10W). Frequency range: 10Hz–200kHz. S/N ratio (A-weighted): 100dB. Power consumption, active: Speaker A, 60W, speaker B, 50W. Power consumption, standby: 0.5W each. Through USB-B input, accepts DSD native up to 22.4MHz, DoP up to 11.2MHz, PCM up to 32/768; through Walkman/Xperia input, accepts DSD native up to 11.2MHz, DoP up to 5.6MHz, PCM up to 32/384; through TosLink input, handles PCM up to 24/96.
Dimensions: Speaker A: 7 7/8" (199mm) W × 8¼" (207mm) H × 12 7/8" (326mm) D; Speaker B: 7 7/8" (199mm) W × 8 1/8" (205mm) H × 12 7/8" (326mm) D including projecting parts and controls. Weight: 23lb (10.5kg) each.
Finish: Black.
Serial numbers of units reviewed: EPP0002. Manufactured in Malaysia