Three New Headphones, a Portable Headphone DAC/Amplifier and Headphone Cables from Sony

At the RMAF 2014 show in Denver, Sony introduced an expanded range of portable audio options to enjoy Hi-Res sound anywhere. This includes three new headphones – the MDR-Z7 headband type Hi-Res Headphones, MDR-1ADAC Hi-Res Headphones with Integrated DAC/Amplifier, and XBA-Z5 Hi-Res In-Ear Headphones – as well as the PHA-3 Portable Headphone DAC/ Amplifier, and several headphone cables including models engineered with Kimber Kable.

The High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) specification currently supports one of the most successful consumer electronics standards. Fourteen years passed since the original HDMI 1.0 specification the HDMI Forum announced the new HDMI 2.0 specification with some interesting features for the audio industry, including better support for high-resolution audio options.

Why is it so easy to find an audio enthusiast claiming that his new headphones, DAC, preamplifier, or pair of speakers “completely changed his perception of the music” and “made it possible to hear things in a totally new way,” and yet so many consumers cannot actually hear the difference when listening to high-resolution audio?

TEAC introduced the AI-301DA Hi-Res Audio Player, a pre-main amplifier outfitted with Bluetooth, USB, support for Direct Stream Digital (DSD), and integrated Digital-to-Analog conversion. The new AI-301DA Hi-Res Audio Player delivers a dramatic sonic improvement over physical media such as vinyl, tapes, and CDs, as well as compressed audio formats.

High Resolution Audio will be a major focus at the 137th Audio Engineering Society Convention in Los Angeles (October 9-12, 2014). The Digital Entertainment Group (DEG) will present a comprehensive program on the topic, which is simultaneously causing excitement and passionate debate among audio professionals.