One of the things I like about Sony is that every once in a while the company is willing to swing for the fences and release a product that is — different — from everything else out there. Extreme. That’s the case with the Sony SRS-RA5000, a big, pricey wireless speaker that’s bristling with drivers, sculpted to look like a piece of modern art and optimized to make the most of the 360 Reality Audio format.
Sony's SRS-RA 5000 is a beautifully-sculpted speaker.
Brad MoonFirst Impression
Sony knows how to design eye-catching products, and the SRS-RA5000 certainly draws attention. It’s a large (13-inches tall) speaker. All curves, the unit is wrapped in black cloth and dominated by a trio of copper-coloured speaker grills across the top. Maybe they’re rose gold. It depends on the light. Either way, they pop against the black.
SRS-RA5000 on the left, HYBERBOOM on the right.
Brad MoonThere are discrete touch controls for music playback on one “side” and for power and connectivity on another. The speaker basically looks like a piece of modern art. Although it is inarguably big, there are other wireless speakers that are even heftier — like the Ultimate Ears HYPERBOOM I reviewed last year.
Top view showing the triple upward-facing drivers. iPhone XS Max gives an idea of the size.
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Around “back” is a small bass reflex port, and a 3.5mm AUX input. That’s it. Sony clearly wants you to be streaming to this speaker. The power connection is beneath to keep things as neat as possible, but that power cable leads to a very large power brick (6 x 3 x 1.5-inches). You’ll need to find someplace to hide that.
Botton view showing power connection and (vented for subwoofer) feet.
Brad MoonThere is no battery — this is strictly meant to be plugged in and left in place. The smooth black plastic top can collect dust (especially in the narrow spaces between speaker grills), and I found the cloth wrap was a magnet for dog fur.
Back view shows AUX input and bass port.
Brad MoonHowever, this is probably the most uniquely-styled wireless speaker I’ve had set up in the office since I owned a B&W Zeppelin a decade ago.
Setup
Things get interesting when it comes to setup. I really don’t like “interesting” at this stage, I want it to be easy.
Plugging in an auxiliary source or connecting by Bluetooth is straightforward. No problem at all. However, these methods don’t let you take full advantage of the SRS-RA5000’s impressive audio capabilities.
Sony's Music Center app is used for setup, configuration and changing settings.
Screen capture by Brad MoonThere’s no Apple AirPlay support, which is unfortunate — I’m an iPhone guy, so that means streaming Apple Music directly to the speaker over Wi-Fi is out. However, there are other ways to connect. It has Chromecast built in, for example. I went with an Amazon Echo Dot plugged into the AUX input to stream Amazon Music HD over Wi-Fi. This had to be set up using the Sony Music Center mobile app, in a process that was a little on the frustrating side. Once I finally had accounts linked and everything connected and working, it was fine going forward, but that initial setup experience could really stand to be simplified.
I connected to an Amazon Echo Dot to Stream Amazon Music HD.
Brad MoonThe SRS-RA5000 has an integrated microphone that’s used solely for sound calibration. When the speaker is set up where you want it, hit the Calibration button on the speaker or mobile app. The system will emit a series of loud beeps and pings while it optimizes the audio output to its space. I have a similar system with my sound bar, although it requires plugging in an external microphone. The feature seems to work very well. After running it there were noticeable improvements as I moved the speaker from my office where it was set up on a bench several feet off the floor and near a wall, to the dining room where it was placed higher and with no walls.
SRS-RA5000 Specs
- 3 x 1.8-inch upward firing drivers, 3 x 1.8-inch mid-firing drivers, downward firing 2.9-inch subwoofer
- Rear bass port
- Integrated microphone for auto sound calibration
- Touch controls for music playback, source input, power
- 3.5mm AUX input
- Supports 360 Reality Audio
- Supports Hi-Res Audio
- Optional immersive sound enhancement (via app)
- EQ with presets (via app)
- 9.4 x 13 x 8.9-inches, weighs 10.8 pounds
- Bluetooth with SBC, AAC
- Wi-Fi 802.11n
- Built-in Chromecast, works with Google Assistant, Alexa, Spotify Connect
Audio Performance
The big question, of course, is how the SRS-RA5000 sounds. After all, this a $700 wireless speaker, equipped with an array of seven drivers. For that price and with that kind of configuration, it had better sound special.
Frankly, whether it lives up to expectations or not is highly dependent on how it’s used and how you calibrate and customize the sound (the Music Center app includes an EQ, control over top driver speaker sound levels, and the ability to switch Immersive Audio on and off).
The speaker is all about 360 Reality Audio.
Screen capture by Brad MoonLet’s start with 360 Reality Audio. This is the format the speaker is designed to make the most of.
360 Reality Audio has been around for a while now, but it’s usually headphones that are designed to take advantage of the format. The specially mastered tracks are available on several streaming services including Tidal and Amazon Music HD. When playing a 360 Reality Audio track over this speaker with Immersive Audio Enhancement active, you get music with a much wider soundstage. Vocals and individual instruments can be arranged to appear throughout a spherical space surrounding the speaker. The idea is provide a more life-like, concert-like listening experience.
Sony's driver layout for the SRS-RA5000 (L) and view beneath the speaker cloth when taken with a ... [+]
Sony and Brad MoonI used Amazon Music HD. In my experience, the results were hit or miss and I’m assuming that’s based on how the tracks were mastered. Some really made the most of the technology. For example, a 2019, 360 Reality Audio mix of David Bowie’s “Space Oddity” was a showcase for the immersive, three-dimensional music experience. Others didn’t fare so well. Besides the inconsistent results, finding 360 Reality Audio tracks on Amazon Music HD was a lot more difficult than it should be. There are several dedicated playlists, but searching for 3D tracks would often bring up an album that has a single track mastered in the format. Presumably that will change with time (and other services may do it better), but for now consider the content limited.
360 Reality tracks on Amazon Music HD.
Screen Capture by Brad MoonYou can also use the Immersive Audio Enhancement feature with regular tracks. In this case, the system attempts to create a similar effect using hardware. It definitely changes up the listening experience, but to me it seemed to primarily be adding a lot of artificial reverb and some extra bass. Detail really disappeared. That got old really fast, even with music that you’d think might see a benefit from the processing — like Kraftwerk.
Generally speaking, the Sony SRS-RA 5000 is a nice sounding speaker, tuned toward the energetic. It has plenty of volume on tap and with a bit of tweaking on the EQ, its bass output is very impressive. High energy tracks like the Cicada Mix of Depeche Mode’s “World In My Eyes” sounded absolutely fantastic, especially with volume cranked up a bit. The driver placement means this speaker is able to project sound into a pretty big space, but it’s not going to fool you into thinking it’s stereo.
That being said, purely as a Bluetooth speaker or even a Wi-Fi streaming speaker, there are others in my collection that would give it a run for its money at a lower price tag. They definitely wouldn’t look as eye-catching while doing so, though...
Recommendation
Sony's SRS-RA5000 is a 360 Reality Audio showcase, and a visual stunner of a wireless speaker.
Brad MoonAt the end of the day, the SRS-RA 5000 is a $700 wireless speaker and one that doesn’t necessarily blow away smaller and less expensive alternatives. It lacks a battery, requires a power brick that’s larger than some portable speakers, and has no support for AirPlay 2.
However, if you’re really into 360 Reality Audio and want to enjoy the immersive music-listening experience without headphones, then the Sony SRS-RA 5000 is a fine way to do so.
Whatever you end up using it for, the Sony SRS-RA 5000 is a beautifully sculpted speaker that is going to be a conversation piece in any room.
Disclosure: Sony provided a speaker for evaluation but had no input into this review.
The Link LonkApril 18, 2021 at 11:59PM
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Sony SRS-RA5000 Review: A Sculpted, 7-Driver Speaker That’s Optimized For 360 Reality Audio - Forbes
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