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For Immediate Release
Contact:
Michele Caldarella
Sony Electronics Inc.
(201) 930-6433 / caldarem@ccmail.nhq.sony.com
Jon Boroshok
Technology Solutions PR
(212) 696-2000 / jboros@tsipr.com
DIVISION RULE THE ELECTRONICS 'JUNGLE'
PARK RIDGE, NJ, March 7, 1995 - It's been said that what
really separates humans from animals is the ability to accessorize.
In the world of headphones, computer and personal stereo speakers,
microphones, universal remote controls, cables and adapters, the
"king" of the electronics jungle is the Sony Electronics
Consumer Products Group Accessory Products Division.
New Sony Headphones Offer Private Listening In The Den or On The Run
Sony offers the industry's widest variety of headphones designed for home use and portability. With more than 70 models, there's virtually a Sony headphone for every consumer lifestyle and budget. The division recently announced the sale of its 50 millionth pair of headphones and is the country's leading headphone manufacturer, with a 55 percent market share, according to director Masa Yamamoto.
Coming in June are the new MDR-A40G sports model headphones. These vertical, in-the-ear headphones are ideal for an active lifestyle. They're water-resistant and have a reflector on the headphone housing for nighttime safety. The compact, folding style headphones feature a newly developed double headband for stability. Built into the MDR-A40G is an acoustic twin turbo circuitry for powerful bass. The MDR-A40G will have a suggested retail price of $24.99.
Also new to the Sony core series lineup for 1995 is the MDR-85. A high-end, open-air headphone, it features 40mm driver units for the deep bass sound required by today's music styles. The MDR-85 headphone was designed to be used primarily at home, yet is so lightweight and comfortable that it's also adaptable for portable use.
A self-adjusting headband creates a comfortable fit, and earpads allow extended use with minimal pressure on listeners' ears. Sony's gold-plated stereo Unimatch plug allows optimum listening quality, and the single-side cord ensures durability and convenience. The MDR-85 has a suggested retail price of $54.99.
The latest member of Sony digital headphones family is the MDR-D11,
which features a 30mm driver for deep bass, and a foldable headband
for portability. Designed for high-end performance on the go,
the MDR-D11 expands Sony's lineup of digital headphones to four
models. The MDR-D11 will be available in June at a suggested
retail price of $49.99.
Survival Of The Fittest: Sony Microphones - Sound Sensitive And 'Camouflaged'
Also new from Sony is the ECM-717, a high performance stereo microphone suitable for portable digital recorders. Its compact size makes it easy to use as a table-top microphone or a clip-on.
"The ECM-717 is a high quality condenser stereo microphone for good frequency response over a wide dynamic range. It also has two-way powering for convenience, and a gold-plated mini-plug for quality connections to most manufacturers' recorders," explained Yamamoto. The ECM-717 will be available in May and has a suggested retail price of $89.99.
Could anyone develop a feature-packed 900MHZ wireless microphone for camcorders, make it compact and lightweight, give it a transmission range of up to 100 feet, and package it in a complete kit including the transmitter, receiver and monitoring earphone, all for less than $150? Sony did!
Sony recently introduced the WCS-990 wireless microphone system. Designed for camcorder and portable audio recorder applications, it picks up sound from all directions. It uses a pocket-sized wireless transmitter that's easy to position, and when necessary, hide. At the same time, the wireless receiver plugs into a camcorder or audio recorder mic input and easily attaches to a camcorder strap.
The Sony WCS-990 clearly captures sound that has historically eluded traditional microphones. Its compact size allows the microphone and its transmitter to get much closer to the desired source of sound than a built-in camcorder microphone can. And because it broadcasts on a 900MHZ FM transmission on two switchable channels, it virtually eliminates interference.
The WCS-990 includes an antenna built into both the transmitter
and receiver. The complete kit includes a monitoring earphone
that, when plugged into the wireless receiver, allows a user to
monitor recordings in process.
New Sony Multimedia/PC Speakers Intensify The Sounds Of The Jungle
A September 1994 Electronic Industries Association study reported that 33 percent of U.S. homes now own at least one PC. The same study showed that 18 percent of those homes use separate stereo speakers with their PCs.
"As more families and businesses buy PCs from consumer electronics stores, multimedia computers are truly becoming a consumer electronics appliance for both productivity and entertainment," said Masa Yamamoto, director of Sony's Accessory Products Division..
A new generation of multimedia speakers, including the new SRS-PC5, has been designed from the ground up in Sony's U.S. Design Center based in Park Ridge, NJ.
The SRS-PC5 is an entry-level passive speaker system for computers with built-in amplifiers, and is magnetically shielded for use next to a computer monitor. The speakers incorporate an L-shaped mini plug for easy connection and require no power supply, eliminating the need for power cords or batteries.
Formed 12 years ago, the Accessories Products Division is among Sony Electronics' fastest growing businesses, posting an above-industry average 24% annual growth over the past five years.
The Accessory Products Division is part of Sony Electronics' Consumer
Products Group which is the largest of four sales and marketing
groups at Sony Electronics. The company posted record sales
of more than $7 billion dollars in the fiscal year that ended
March 31, 1994. Headquartered in Park Ridge, N.J., the company
has more than 17,000 employees working in consumer and professional
product sales, marketing, distribution, customer service, manufacturing
and R&D. Sony Electronics currently has nine U.S. manufacturing
centers and more than a dozen R&D operations. The company
was the developer of the MiniDisc and Trinitron television technology
and the co-developer of the compact disc and CD-ROM. It also
leads the camcorder market with its 8mm Handycam line.