1 SONY HT-AX7
• £499, sony.co.uk
It is not unlike Sony to monkey with audio form factors in the name of innovation – we’re still reeling that its LSPX-S3, which looks like a glass lantern and includes a candlelight flickering LED, actually sounds brilliant. So the look of the HT-AX7 shouldn’t surprise. And yet, here we are. What a weird little thing.
But just like the glass on the LSPX-S3 provided resonance, there’s a reason for the little cloth-covered hamburgers on (or, alternatively, off) the HT-AX7: it turns out this is a very fancy little personal listening device that supports 360-degree spatial audio. It’s like a hybrid of headphones and a soundbar, which we didn’t know we needed until we heard it.
Place the two satellite speakers behind your head and the effect is something very special, pulling stereo apart and spreading it around to create a truly spectacular amount of separation. That main event listening mode won’t work quite so well if there’s more than one of you, mind – but if that’s the case, you
