The Jawbone Jambox may have plenty of power per pint, but if you’re hosting a lively party you’ll want something with a bit more boom -- something like Sony’s SA-NS500 Portable HomeShare Speaker, a black vortex filled with four drivers, a subwoofer, and a built-in 5-6 hour battery for 360 degrees of completely portable sound. After I commented on the lackluster audio quality of Sony’s visually stunning Wearable HDTV, company reps grinned and pulled out this AirPlay-compatible system and a Sony Tablet S, and proceeded to throw songs straight from the company’s homebuilt DLNA Android app to the all-in-one speaker system. Impressions below.
Sony SA-NS500 Portable HomeShare Speaker: wireless AirPlay with a five-hour battery
is a senior editor and founding member of The Verge who covers gadgets, games, and toys. He spent 15 years editing the likes of CNET, Gizmodo, and Engadget.
To my surprise, the audio that came out was pleasing, full and loud... and when they lifted up the 9.5-pound prototype by its carrying handle and set it down in an alcove, corner-loading the rig, the bass leapt without significantly distorting the overall soundscape. For $399 this October, the multi-room wireless HomeShare and AirPlay device will be going head-to-head with the popular Sonos Play:5 -- and without spending more time with the Android and iPad controller apps, we can’t say if it’s wholly up to the task -- but if the final devices sound as good or better than this prototype did and those battery life estimates are on the money, they’ve definitely got a chance.
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