Sony SRS-NS7 Neckband Speaker Review: Personal Spatial Audio for Bravia XR TVs

If you have a Bravia XR TV, you might want to consider Sony’s $300 SRS-NS7 Bluetooth Neckband Speaker instead of headphones. The SRS-NS7 takes advantage of Sony’s 360 Reality Audio, a spatial audio technology found in the aforementioned TVs. The neckband speaker is also more comfortable than most headphones for long listening sessions.

While its audio performance is so-so for listening to critical music, it’s terrific for surround sound playback while watching movies, and that goes double for gaming; our test listeners reported a definite increase in long-term enjoyment and comfort.

A Different Approach

Neckband speakers are nothing new (see the Monster’s Boomerang and the now-discontinued Bose Soundwear Companion), but they haven’t taken off. This is largely because it’s hard to get premium audio out of them. Shooting sound waves at a 90 degree angle to your ear canal and relying on what your atria can pick up indirectly is not a great recipe for sonic success.

Despite those limitations, neckband speakers are an attractive solution because they’re so comfortable. Instead of putting pressure on the sensitive crown and ear area, they rest lightly around your neck. During my hands-on testing, the 12-ounce SRS-NS7 proved so comfortable that I found myself wandering around the house, not listening, forgetting they were still on my neck. cross my heart

This review is part of TechHive’s coverage of the best Bluetooth speakers, where you’ll find reviews of competing offerings, plus a buyer’s guide to features to consider when purchasing this type of product.

Design and specifications

Inside the SRS-NS7 are two 32-ohm, 33mm drivers that fire sound toward your ears, and two passive radiators that fire toward your body. There is also a microphone on the right hand side near the end of the unit.

Sony

The controls are located on the inside of the collar: the mute and microphone power/pairing button on the right side, and the plus/minus button on the left. If you grab them like you would your neck, the controls will fall under your left and right index fingers, respectively. That’s a good bit of ergonomic design.

The SRS-NS7 ships with Sony’s WLA-NS7 Bluetooth transmitter. The company’s Bravia XR-series TVs can make special use of the streamer to deliver 360-degree audio, including Dolby Atmos. Any Bravia XR TV will recognize the streamer plugged into its USB port and guide you through the neckband pairing process.

Communication is based on Bluetooth 5.0 and A2DP, AVRCP, HFP, HSP, SPP, SBC, AAC and LAD profiles are supported. The SRS-NS7s are IPX4 rated, which means they probably won’t die if you spill a small amount of liquid on them. You can read all about IP codes at the link above.

phone connectivity

The SRS-NS7 can be controlled with two apps: the Sony Headphone Connect app used by other Sony Bluetooth products to adjust the equalizer and other settings, and the new 360 Spatial Sound Personalizer app. Both require a Sony account, though you can sign in with your Facebook, Google, Apple, Amazon, or Sony identities.

Jon L. Jacobi

Personally, I think you should be able to use any product you buy without having to create an account with the company that made it and, in the case of the Customizer, share images of your ears. I went ahead for your sake, dear reader, and followed the voice commands to have my ears tested. But I wasn’t happy with that, and there didn’t seem to be much of a difference in sound after such analysis.

Performance

As already mentioned, the sound quality of the SRS-NS7 is hampered by the fact that the device’s sound waves emanate at an angle of 90 degrees to the ear canal. Only what your atria pick up reaches your eardrum. This lack of a direct path means lower sound pressure levels and a certain amount of absorption by the skin and other parts of the anatomy.

This accounts for the somewhat challenged top end, but the SRS-NS7 is also in contact with the neck and collarbone area, and I think Sony could have taken advantage of that acoustic coupling to add more impact in the low register. The result In terms of pure audio pre-production, the sound of the SRS-NS7 is just fine for normal stereo content.

Where speakers hit their stride is when you feed them immersive audio. That part of the experience drew most of my complaints, even if it’s fake surround sound. There’s still an added sense of dimension and placement in space that’s missing from the plain stereo. It’s not like true surround sound, but doppler deception never is.

Unlike headphones, which move with your ears, the SRS-NS7 and other neckband speakers stay in place. Consequently, head movement alters the way sound waves interact with the atria, effectively changing the amount of treble entering the ear. It’s a relatively mild phenomenon and could actually be fun if you’re the playful type. But for serious listening, some will find it annoying.

On the plus side, where the earcups are prone to shifting position with more than moderate movement, the SRS-NS7 feels like it’s there to stay. In fact, unless you lean back a lot, they just stay where they are.

Because there is no physical barrier to ambient sound, the SRS-NS7 keeps you connected to your outside environment. Not quite, because there is some cancellation of intersecting waves, but much better than conventional headphones. There’s also an advantage to this: it’s easy and pleasurable to sing your songs without touching your vocal chords or drifting hopelessly off key. In fact, I think budding vocalists, and just about any other type of musician, will find the SRS-NS7 extremely useful for playing. Okay, maybe not violinists, but just about everyone else.

Sony

The SRS-NS7 can certainly be heard by others, but the leakage is not as great as you might think due to the low sound pressure levels. I wouldn’t recommend them for use in bed while your partner sleeps, but using them on the couch while your partner plays shouldn’t bother them. Tolerance levels vary.

Low sound pressure levels also make neckband speakers a healthier listening option in the long run, and I found battery life to be very close to the 12 hours Sony claims.

A note. Although neckband speakers are more comfortable than headphones, I think they could be made even more comfortable with a bit of padding. This could also allow for larger speakers and, if done correctly, increase acoustic coupling with your body for more emphatic bass.

yin and yang

Sony has something in the SRS-NS7. At the moment, they’re best for anyone with a Bravia XR TV who enjoys surround sound while gaming or watching movies, but they’re also well-suited for those who like to sing along or long listening sessions. where merely decent audio is an acceptable trade-off for comfort.

More bass, some padding, and perhaps a more reasonable price would have earned the SRS-NS7 another half star. That said, I enjoyed my time with them, and our resident player/facility guy is eager to get them back.