Can't hear the TV? This Wireless Sony Speaker brings the sound to you

[@lartrak]

Just wanted to add, after three years, my stepfather's 92 year old mother is still using one of these daily. Still mentally good, just hard of hearing. Really has made her daily life better, not to mention other people in the household's life better as they don't have to blast the audio for her to hear it. I'd never have known to recommend this thing without this video. Thanks Matt.

[@amirpourghoureiyan1637]

Nice to see Sony returning to their roots selling products that solve actual problems people have

[@increiblepelotudo]

Here! Here!

[@juliagoober1048]

Amir Pourghoureiyan nice jaller icon :)

[@amirpourghoureiyan1637]

julia cheers ;)

[@johngypsydoe862]

Anaussie More important, can Sony fix their morality and attitude problems so painfully demonstrated by their various lawsuits and hacks against their own customers?

[@tacoengineer6660]

John Gypsy Doe Ahh and that's why we love Sony. Classic Sony. Good quality products and shitty attitude.

[@RMoribayashi]

I was born with a serious hearing loss and as soon as I was old enough to hold a soldering iron I wired a remote speaker into the family TV. Since this was the 1960's that meant opening the back of a valve television and soldering lamp cord to the speaker terminals. The cord ran under the carpet to a speaker box behind my head that was resting on the back of the sofa similar to the surround speakers in the video. That way I kept the volume low enough not to annoy everyone else in the room.

[@carlangelo653]

My grandma loves it. Specially the charging base. Since she has difficulty plugging in small chargers.

[@roppa789]

Brilliant Matt, what a find.... just what I need for the other side of the settee.... instead of hearing “what did he say?” every half an hour I’ll enjoy the programmes in peace!

[@uNpOpuLArOpInION69]

This is literally the best present I could make to my over 90 years old grandparents as they always boost up the volume on their puling little TV so high that the whole family gets earpain when they enter the room. Thanks for letting us know!!

[@CoolDudeClem]

TV shows and movies have too much dynamic range now, back in the old days everything was a lot better balanced, you could always hear dialogue no matter what was going on and it was never too loud or too quiet. In today's films the sound levels are all over the place, one minute you can barely hear a word, next thing you know you having your eardrums ruptured!

[@benisjammin626]

Pocket Fluff Productions who the heck really wants high dynamic range for most songs? I'd say 90% of songs are better off without it. Then you have songs at different volumes and have to constantly adjust. Sure at home it can be minor. But depends on the sound system, and to change it for every song. Or at work. Just isn't possible. Many songs have too much dynamic range as it is now. The volume levels are pretty inconsistent between songs and that is just annoying

[@benisjammin626]

Pocket Fluff Productions mostly a problem with older and newer songs correct, and I listen to a lot of many genres and decades so that is a problem for me (though probably not for that many people my age in their 20's). Even just listening to rap with Drake's own songs on the same album you can notice. It isn't much but it can still be enough to need to adjust the volume up or down a notch or to readjust the equalizer settings to have the consistent volume in the lows, mids and highs. But older songs sound like 1/2 to 2/3 the volume of modern songs and that is just completely unacceptable. I work in cold deli and hot bakery and can't be messing with settings. I want the volume to be consistent so people can still hear it and I can still hear them. Old school jazz is the worst with that but I can tolerate it because that's just how it was. Today it is better, but honestly not as good as it should be in my opinion

[@youngalientype]

If you're noticing big volume differences between songs on the same album by the same artist, then they're not being mastered very well. Albums are generally consistent throughout. Maybe it's because I'm old and grew up before the age of compressed-to-hell music, but I prefer a wide dynamic range in most music because it's less fatiguing to listen to over long periods. I find myself gravitating towards older, better-mastered music, especially if it's lossless or high res formats, because it's just noticeably better. And I don't even own any good hi-fi equipment! If I want compressed to hell audio I'll turn on FM radio, thanks. I can do without the "giant brick wall of noise" method of recording music, which is why I avoid most modern music. Shame, there's some good new stuff out there, it just literally hurts to listen to unless it's background noise. If you guys think modern American or British/EU music isn't loud enough, try Japan. They brick wall everything, even soft ballads, to within an inch of their lives. It's maddening.

[@krigatuso]

Yes! And concerts - the last three concerts (rock) I went to I took earplugs - the sound is not only ridiculously loud, but it's so loud that the sound is distorted. Just what you want when you've paid $100/ticket!

[@boxman139]

Especially on streaming services like Netflix or Hulu. It gets really annoying with TV shows when the dialogue is as if it was dubbed by mice and then the theme song is as loud as a concert.

[@bennyfactor]

Good to see that there are still new, cool "weird sony" devices being made.

[@medes5597]

This would be really useful for my grandfather. He has a hearing aid but his hearing has declined somewhat and while he's often alone these days, there's always someone around around with him and he doesn't like having the TV too loud because he can hear it distort. Thanks so much for highlighting this product, it's actually the exact kind of thing I've been looking for. I was looking into wireless headphones for him, I never thought about a wireless speaker. Edit: decent price too. I think he's sorted for his birthday in a few months.

[@peterjackson6228]

Superb review! I too have parents that won't admit that their hearing is awful, and have tried every soundbar and sound box with little success. This is just the thing I've been looking for! Thank you so much for taking the time to review this device!

[@fragmentedmind549]

Great review! When my wife and I watch TV she hears well and my hearing is pretty bad at time. I'm only 43 but I've had my hearing wrecked by IEDs in Iraq. So I can hear most times and places but add background noise and a audio soundtrack and I'm lost. I'll definitely add this to my shopping list even if I need to look overseas.... Thanks again.

[@SharkoonBln]

Sir, thanks for your service!

[@qweebey]

thank you for your service!

[@oaklandtobangkok]

Loved the device but not the price. Another great review, much appreciated.

[@PsychoticBovine]

Yeah, it seems nice, but $215 US is a bit high. Half that would be more in line....

[@wclark3196]

Check out hearing aid prices. They're a lot more than this.

[@ProDigit80]

Though I found $195 on amazon, it's a lot cheaper to just buy a cheap BT speaker.

[@elliottslab]

The price seems about what I would expect for such a product of Sony quality and low sales numbers it is likely to have

[@maple_fields]

Bluetooth kinda sucks though. Watching videos or TV with a BT speaker always has a second or two of delay, so everything seems like a dubbed foreign film.

[@thereallantesh]

This would also be great for apartment living. Movies can be especially problematic. By the time I turn the volume up enough to be able to hear the dialogue the other sound effects are now too loud, and can annoy the neighbors. Something like this would allow me to be able to keep the main volume much lower. Thanks for a great review.

[@fred-youtube]

This is very late, but have you tried changing the sound profiles (e.g, music/movie/sports) on the a TV

[@RobFisherUK]

I bought this for my dad for his birthday. He's over the moon with it. (And so is my mother!) They are watching movies without subtitles for the first time in ages. He finds it reduces the background noise which makes the speech much clearer. He's going to share a link to this video with the other students in his lip-reading class! Anyway thanks for the video, without which I might never have heard of this gadget.

[@MrJozza65]

Looks good; my Mum has trouble hearing the TV but Dad doesn't, and we have been trying to find something like this for a long time with no joy. We wired up a speaker which works to a degree, but this looks like it would be much better with the wireless connection and voice enhancement. I'll be interested to see what you have to say once your parents have tried it out.

[@MrJozza65]

Thanks for that suggestion; we did try a bluetooth setup, but it was a little laggy, and due to the nature of her hearing loss, headphones are not an option for my Mum. This was a few years back so the bluetooth senders are probably a lot better now. However, the voice enhancement on this unit looks good, and also the simple controls, which when you are looking for a solution for elderly people, is important. Not having to deal with Bluetooth pairing would be a bonus, as this can be confusing for my parents.

[@jonmahashintina]

try a small DAC? the one im thinking of has a button that lets you boost bass, treble, or both.

[@fp4man542]

I've just bought the updated version of this speaker for my father. He loves it.

[@IIoWoII]

I also think an EQ would really help, essentially you can make your own 'dialogue enhancer' with it and customize it to the audio equipment and room.

[@Sammie1053]

That'd be a nice feature but it would have to be available alongside the existing option. I don't know about you, but my grandparents can barely figure out how to use Google, let alone how to configure a custom EQ.

[@GeoffreyGore]

Since it uses 3.5mm input on the transmitter, you could put an equalizer of your choice between it and the TV though. Then you even get the ability to choose exactly which equalizer you use, just a matter of buying the RCA stereo to 3.5mm adapter, and they're a done a dozen damn near.

[@JohnnyX50]

Back in the day, when NICAM Stereo Video recorders came out I hooked mine up to my sound system which was all HI-FI separates. The 30 band graphic EQ was a massive improvement over the 300w Amp and video watching was a shear pleasure !!!! And for those who dont know what NICAM was it stood for Near Instantanious Companded Audio Multiplex :D eat that one for dinner LOL

[@bloxyman22]

I bet there is more to this device than just EQ. My bet is that it also compresses the dynamic range, so that the dialogue is not very low volume compared to rest, which is the case with much modern tv/movies now

[@AgentOffice]

It has voice zoom

[@Mck0948]

I’ve had this device for nearly 2 years and could not do without it. My hearing is not great. I use Apple earbuds plugged into the back and I hear really high quality stereo with crystal-clear dialogue from my tv. Strongly recommend it and so grateful to Mat for introducing me to it,

[@moviebod]

As you know, our hearing deteriorates in the higher frequencies, so when I listen to TV through my hi-fi amplifier and speakers (old school) I have the bass turned right down and the treble right up. That works for me.

[@lynnchilds6349]

Very clear explanation. I like the delivery pace as well, so often KZbin reviews seem to be about the person going on and on with superfluous stuff. This gets to the point straight away without leaving out any important detail. Very interested now in buying this.

[@averagelife5523]

My neighbour should buy this...

[@samiam5557]

It does ENHANCE the vocal/voice very well, amazing!

[@appelslice]

What a fantastic product! Though a but pricy. So well designed for its target customer group. Really strange that Sony doesn't promote at all. I think that tonnes of people would be interested in this, if they knew it existed. And great review btw 😄

[@bobfisheruk]

I have quite a severe hearing loss, i was so impressed with your Video I purchased one and I am so pleased I did, I can now here the Dialog on a Film without needing the Sub-titles I am currently attending a class for Lip Reading, so I will make sure everyone on the Course is aware of this device, as we all have the same problem with TV Speech. Many thanks for bring this Great Device to my attention.

[@ninjamaster3453]

This should actually be the standard -- a close up or moveable speaker unit for dialog. Even with a balanced surround sound, I can struggle to hear some dialog overpowered by the movie sounds and music. Surround sound outside of a proper room for it is an echoing mess. In the end I think a lot of us use our phones and headphones and turn on subtitles to really get into shows. Much rather the big screen.

[@MattTester]

Seems really well thought out and generally a nice, simple way to get audio wirelessly around the room without messing about with Bluetooth.

[@veemacks7255]

It seems to be identical to the speaker I bought, the Pioneer VMS 550. It also has a charging base, uses RF instead of bluetooth for no loss of sync, and has a voice boost. It's a great way of getting the TV louder without having it to be loud for everyone. The closer you are to the speaker(s), the lower the volume needs to be for you to get all the volume you need but not inflict it on others (like neighbours). I use a small speaker in the bedroom too and it's about 6 inches from my head and at the volume I need it set at to enjoy TV, nobody in another room can hear it at all, and even someone a few feet away doesn't hear it loud enough for it to be a problem. It cost me £80 from Amazon UK in 2015.

[@LemmyCaution66]

This is great. I didn’t know this existed. This is what I need for my father in the retirement home where he is staying. This way he doesn’t need to turn the sound up of the TV on the other side of the room, bothering his neighbours. Thank you Techmoan!

[@bjornkeizers]

Neat; never knew such a device even existed.

[@MegaBob12311]

Sony will do that to you

[@xaenon]

I sort of built something conceptually similar a few years ago, although mine wasn't wireless. It was basically a modest pair of computer speakers with a rechargeable battery and a long input cord. I used it when I watched TV late at night while my wife was sleeping in the next room. By having the speakers positioned closer, I could hear clearly without turning the TV up loud. I'm not a big fan of headphones.

[@MigueTK]

That's why I've always been a fan of Sony, they make so many types of products that serve niche but important categories

[@RinoaL]

next you'll be reviewing those calculators and telephones with giant numbers. haha

[@ollieb9875]

Rinoa Super-Genius those huge calculators are kind of cool though 😁

[@RinoaL]

+Ollie B guess you didnt get the joke, because i was calling him old.

[@Madsstuff]

lol. Savage.

[@TheRealColBosch]

I'm only 40, and have significant hearing loss from my time in the Army. I've been looking for something like this so I can keep the TV at a reasonable volume for the others watching, yet still hear what's going on. Deaf =/= old. ...unless, of course, you consider 40 to be old. :D

[@PuchMaxi]

Well he kinda has gray-ish hair too!

[@paolocruz8392]

Amazing how it works for what it's designed for, considering it's limitations. This is similar to the soundwear in terms of purpose.

[@acereport8939]

Funny you should mention that the sound quality on modern TV’s is not good. My 4 year old son recently commented about how much better the sound quality was on my 36” Panasonic CRT we use for vintage gaming. He’s only 4 years old! The audio quality of most modern technology is horrendous!

[@Tom44224]

As they try to make modern TVs as thin as possible i guess. CRTs have a lot of space inside for thick speakers.

[@youngalientype]

It's that, but also I suspect it's to push people towards buying more expensive home theater receivers and speaker sets for surround sound. Bad sound on TV = more profit when the consumer buys more of the company's stuff!

[@wolffpup245]

It's probably a bit odd, but I listen to my television's audio through line out on the back. With headphones. Because it's the internal speakers that are crap, not the device itself.

[@ZX3000GT1]

Combination of smaller space to put better speakers as well as TV prices going down which necessitates corner cutting in quality.

[@antoniobrajkovic1977]

The price aside, it's a great concept and the fact that you can listen to it at night without disturbing the sleeping ones it's a thumb up. The remote functionality could be better but at least it has one. Simple and brilliant.

[@PhonyBread]

Perfectly valid question: Why don't TV's not just include Bluetooth? That way you can use existing bluetooth speakers/headphones, something many people already have and are readily available?

[@SionynJones]

Lewis Scott because its doing more. Its basically enhancing spectrotemporal cues for speech. Basically it's making it easier for someone with hearing loss to hear speech by separating the background noise and speech.

[@extradeluxe141]

1 word: Royalties.

[@jusb1066]

they do, but bluetooth turns off the inbuilt tv speakers, so then you can only have 1 external speaker

[@pieterriet2051]

Sionyn Jones

[@MikhelBL]

you would need to add a pair of speakers to the TV: a 3.5 mm stereo splitter connected to the TV, one output goes to the pair of speakers or to a soundbar, the other output goes to the bluetooth transmitter. Then all you need is to pair it with a bluetooth hearing aid, a bluetooth hands free headphone, bluetooth speakers, etc.

[@H4NDCRAFTED]

I’ve been through a lot of soundbars, by a long margin , the Bose Solo 5 is the one that balanced speech clarity with a ‘cinematic’ sound. I returned much more expensive bars for it. The stereo field is almost not existent, but for small to medium rooms the speech is very clear, even with the night mode off. With night mode on, which just seems to roll off the lows a bit , it sounds very clear indeed without sounding tinny like the midrange Sony and Panasonic’s. This device seems excellent, but is more specific to speech. Oh yes, I think the Bose must compress/limit the sound, because you don’t get that big jump in sound between action shots as much, which is ideal for apartments or semi detached houses. It still seems to retain that boxy cinema sound with detail, rain drops etc.

[@cedarstuff]

My grandparents had the same situation, until my Grandad got a hearing aid.

[@321bytor]

...same here but my grandad got a new grandma

[@RossMitchellsProfile]

If they are anything like my dad he refuses to go and get his ears tested for a hearing aid. At this rate we're all going to need hearing aids from hearing damage with how loud he puts the TV.

[@noachav]

My grandfather's hearing loss wasn't conductive, or he would've gotten hearing aids

[@CDRaff]

One of these is about $200 US, a hearing aids start at around $1500 US and that is for a barebones crappy set. My grandfather's cost about $5000 each ear. At this point you are talking about WILDLY different price ranges.

[@CDRaff]

Google searching 'Hearing Aid' and seeing that you can buy some for $200 is not the same as actually going to a specialist and getting hearing aids. Then you have to factor in that there are different types of hearing loss, different levels, and more importantly different personal preferences. You know all that though because you are experienced in this though right?

[@radioactivebedbug]

Thank you for this video. I've been trying to find exactly this tech for my old man who's deaf as a post. He likes to have the TV at 75 out of 100, but I persuaded him to buy one and he loves it. Now the TV is down to 40 which doesn't shut my hearing aids down due to overloading!

[@AtanvarnoALDA]

But how loud is it if you're not right in front of it? In the scenario with the grandma listening with the portable speaker while the rest of the family listens to the TV - wouldn't the speaker be too loud for them?

[@SionynJones]

No. Mostly, age related hearing degradation makes it hard to distinguish between background noise and a person your trying to listen too. This is due to a loss of sensitivity due to damage or age. What this device dose is separate the background noise and actors voices.

[@SionynJones]

It basically enhances and filters out background noise.

[@CommodoreFan64]

I'm thinking that using an audio receiver that multiple outputs on the back like a 3.5mm and/or stereo composite along with outputs to the surround sound speakers so both could be used at the same time, and then connecting a wireless rechargeable set of headphones made for TV listening might work better.

[@jusb1066]

@commodore, back when tvs had line outs, my deaf dad used wireless headphones connected to that, and the tv speakers still had their own separate volume, he could have it super loud and not blast the rest of us, but my modern tv's dont have that

[@dashcamandy2242]

I think the question was if having this remote speaker turned up loudly would disturb the other people in the room... So yes, it could potentially be loud enough to bother others.

[@aquasmashau]

Kudos to Sony for finding a problem that wasn't obvious and solving it in a reasonable manner. Other manufacturers might not of thought of this. Hats off to them.

[@AussieTVMusic]

$559. Amazon Australia. What a joke of a website.

[@ghjklbnm8087]

Wow, here in Japan you can get for about US$170...

[@Οδοιπόρος]

I don't think they're going to sell many at that price. But the Australian market is so small they probably don't care anyway.

[@Thermalions]

I thought this might be the first Techmoan reviewed product I purchased but not at the current GBP266-327 (USD 352-434) prices on offer. I'm suspecting the cheapest one of those is a Japanese import model too.

[@HerecomestheCalavera]

$241.72USD that is just insane. $50 is about the max most people would pay for something like this.

[@Liofa73]

AussieTV --- Can you still buy from the US Amazon? When I lived in Australia a few years ago, it was tax free on imports up to $1000 (inc cost of shipping). But Amazon Australia is really just a kindle store isn't it? Not a proper site like the UK one. Australia is generally ridiculous for prices anyway, it's so expensive to live there.

[@martinpersson4996]

I really appreciate these reviews as I have parents in the same age group. I don't know anyone else who looks at this product group who combines your experience and reviewing skills with such a sober and attractive presentation. You sell very well, even if is unintentional. Thank you!

[@mgscheue]

Hamilton quickest in FP1!

[@MrNeillawrence]

How refreshing to have a tech review presented by someone that isn't 21 and starts every set with "Yo, what's up guys" etc. Good review and looks like a good product - may consider for my elderly Dad with hearing issues to spare his poor neighbours hearing the TV at near-full volume. An awful lot of credits at the end though.....

[@lexnderson6154]

Why don't they do Bluetooth connection for TV's available?

[@roneystapes]

Λlex Λnderson It could be because of lag problems with the signal, the further the speaker is from the tv the more noticeable it will become, sound and picture out of sync.

[@lexnderson6154]

4.1 has no lag already.

[@roneystapes]

Λlex Λnderson This is from the Sony website: "The transmitter and speaker units are connected by 2.4 GHz wireless transmission one-to-one, for a low latency connection with high resistance to interference". So to avoid any lag issues they chose this metod, low latency is the key word.

[@typxxilps]

@@lexnderson6154 I have issues with bt 4.1 in our environment cause there is an annoying lag between 99€ bt speakers from LG and LG TV speaker. We have already added an external bt transmitter assuming lg's internal bt caused the lag. Did not work out . paid 105€ for this Sony and everything is fine... especially the IR remotr control is workung pretty well with Philips TV

[@caseyholford]

My late grandfather had a wired version of something like this back in the day! Cool that there’s a solid modern version.

[@brandynnew]

Love your videos. Keep it up!

[@pelsesser]

As this product is excellent for hard-of-hearing individuals, many thanks for providing closed captioning on this video!

[@vintageyamahasquid]

I need one of those. I have hearing damage from the military and speech is really hard for me to understand on tv. I don't think I'm willing to spend $150 though.

[@ΔημητριοςΡουτσολιας]

Ryan Calhoun Arty?

[@MikhelBL]

There are quite a lot of bluetooth audio transmitters/receivers in the market for as low as $10 dlls depending on the capabilities, some are just transmitters, some can rx and tx. If you want to still have sound in your TV and feed the bluetooth dongle, you might need to either add a cheap soundbar or a pair of speakers of good quality that sounds as good or better than your TV speakers (not as difficult :p), then use a 3.5 mm stereo splitter, connect it to the headphone port in your TV, the other two will go one in the bluetooth dongle, the other one in your soundbar or your speaker's line in port (if it doesn't has one, just buy a female-female 3.5 mm stereo coupler). IMPORTANT: the 3.5 mm splitter and the coupler HAVE to be STEREO. You will need a second bluetooth dongle to pair with the first one connected to your TV and connect it to wired headphones or another set of speakers or one of those hands free bluetooth headphones for cellphones. It will set you back $30 to $60 total.

[@PaulR986]

My MIL is 92 years old and, quite understandably , has her TV blasting out to the extent that we can hear it through the wall to our extension. This could really work - provided she will be able to (a) work out how to turn it on. (b) Understand that once mastering (a) she realises the need to switch the TV sound off. One lives in hope so we will go for it - £150 - what the hell it's got to be worth a shot! BTW I love this site - keep it up Techmoan.

[@TheRealSmithFamily]

2.4ghz... Does it mess with your wifi? I've found devices on that frequency mess up WIFI.

[@CommodoreFan64]

Not to mention interference from other devices coming through the speaker like a microwave, which I've ran into because my house has one long open room at one end is a large kitchen that goes into the dining room in the middle, then at the other end is a fireplace which also has a TV with a ROKU express(2.4Ghz only), and sometimes when we turn on the microwave our 2.4 Ghz Wifi drops out in that room, and we also had to replace our cordless house phones with Dect 6.0 several years back because of the interference. I guess they do it because of range because 5Ghz might have less interference but not good enough range. makes me wonder why devices stopped using 900Mhz, as I use to have 900Mhz cordless house phones I could go 1/2 way around my neighborhood before dropping out, or having interference, I'm guessing maybe latency?

[@atmel9077]

Commodorefan64 Because 900MHz cordless phones totally lack privacy. They can be eavesdroped with a radio scanner. Such a device costs $10 nowdays.

[@sideburn]

Must not because there’s no delay

[@CommodoreFan64]

Integrated Electronics You could still transmit a digital signal over 900Mhz that's scrambled without the right decoder.

[@russ18uk]

2.4GHz will depend on channel availability when it comes to performance. But this device would take little bandwidth so I wouldn't worry

[@manuelprieto7402]

You’re who I watch at the end of a tough day.

[@A_S_M_R]

One hundred and fifty quids! Gordon Bennet!

[@jeffrey44]

ASMR by Matthew That's what I thought too, except I had the phrase "You're having a laugh" in mind rather than the "Gordon Bennet" that you used. Also, I would have said "quid" rather than your use of the plural form. Thank you.

[@ashthedash2]

Thank you for excellent review (as always). Thanks to your suggestion I have just given this to my father this for his 90th birthday & he is delighted (so am I, I had no idea what to buy ;p). Works like a dream, solves all his TV issues (& saves my ears whilst watching with him :p ). Expensive, but, (as far as I am concerned) money well well spent.

[@russax1373]

Great idea

[@InClausWeTrust]

After watching your review I bought one, it's going to be for my grandfather who has real issues hearing. This is, according to him, mostly due to the frequency of the voice rather than the loudness, yet his TV is so loud when he watches that it is hard to have a conversation. I hope, when I visit him early august, that this will improve watching tv for him. Thank you for the review, if I find my post again after his review I'll keep you up to date... Otherwise I'll leave a fresh one :P Thanks a ton

[@freesaxon6835]

What do you think of that new speaker he bought us? Yes I did Did what? Washed that blue beaker. No I'am talking about the NEW SPEAKER! Oh yes the news...

[@alptigin5438]

No, no, fork 'andles.

[@jonmahashintina]

this made me think there was a puppet show i missed, but its just endless patreon credits still.

[@JohnGeorgeBauerBuis]

This made me think of Prof. Cuthbert Calculus.

[@reddaB]

Ive thought of this design for years. Glad someone has made it a working reality!

[@simonsaysrewind]

Great device and video but who thought it was gonna be around 60 to 80 quid at most? 😂

[@marksims5730]

I thought it looked a good product too.. and I had 40 in my head.. I was a bit shocked by the price... all this proves is that I might a bit deaf but also very tight.. too tight to splash out on that.. some decent wireless headphones seem a more appropriate spend

[@Sammie1053]

It's definitely overpriced but the more I thought about it the less ridiculous the MSRP became. I have a low- to mid-range Bluetooth speaker at home. The battery life is 16 hours, same as this speaker, but it has Bluetooth and 3.5mm input only, and only has volume controls and play/pause for compatible devices. It cost me about 55 USD, MSRP is actually $80. I could see an electronics company doubling that price for someone who wants a universal IR remote, 2.4 GHz wireless, optical input, headphone output, dialogue isolation, and a charging station as well. So £150 (just punched it into a currency converter, that's $200) is a bit pricey for those added features, but only by about £30 in my opinion.

[@bubba99009]

It's a good idea but way overpriced. Especially for the target market.

[@DooMMasteR]

for us Germans it is 120€ incl. 20% VAT

[@qviewq2071]

Superb. If my farther was still alive... What many don't understand is that deafness is not just about the volume it is the ability to seperate voices from the background so boosting the voice frequency range over the background music (as used on many cop shows, films and the like) makes all the difference. Thats why you want little base coming from this Sony. Some TVs (including Sony TVs) do this on the built in menu system so old people can hear the voices better. - Before you buy one of these boxes check your TV for Clear Voice settings or just cut the base and boost the treble. But for now, thanks for reading.

[@CheshireTomcat68]

About 30-40 quid. Oh...

[@prestonrenify]

I use a Bose Sound Link Mini and a BT transmitter on my flat screen for late night and remote listing to TV audio. Having hearing issues, the walls are thin in my apartment, and I do not wish to disturb others at night. Can take the Bose downstairs to kitchen, and even to the basement laundry room. Audio is superior and battery life is good for a day. Freq response has good bass and mid range but highs seem a bit clipped to me. Bye the bye, should you have a need to make your Misses happy by ridding the house of some of your older/excess technology, please consider donating to a British Veterans Group. Take care, always a pleasure to see your work. NJ USA

[@lemagreengreen]

Holy crap, I thought this would be about £30-40... It's neat but what makes it £150? Seems like a bit of a gouge...

[@jrdnajh]

Buying sony gets you a quality product, but also you need to expect a price premium. All in all I'd rather pay 150 for a well engineered product than 20 for cheap chinese crap

[@NicMediaDesign]

They are the only company offering a product like this as far as I am concerned. So they can and will ask a lot more than expected.

[@QuintinGellar]

not much demand for it, so production of it isn't really high I would think, so that reflects the price :)

[@Starcrunch72]

Anything that falls in the "Listening Assistance" category is terribly overpriced, Search Williams Sound, Telex or Gentry listening assistance systems, you will be equally shocked at the price gouging scheme. But for public places, that's the way to stay ADA compliant, just like the wheelchair ramp on the front of the building....

[@Huppistakeikkaa]

Good for you, now come here and teach my 90 old grandma how to use those, and also come back whenever shes having issues with them. thanks.

[@jad8174]

I ran into this with one grandparent being 104 years old and hard of hearing. My father is caring for them in their home and he and my grandfather that is 102 years old listens to regular volume. I found a Serene Innovations TV SoundBox Wireless TV Listening Speaker that drowns out back ground noises from TV shows and emphasis base so that she can hear it. She is deaf in one hear and has limited in the one where this wireless device is placed. it has changed her life.

[@freesaxon6835]

Poor bloke has got it wrong, doing the dishes whilst he watches the football

[@Liofa73]

Free Saxon --- I think he's got it right, keeps everyone happy. :)

[@freesaxon6835]

Liofa women !!!!

[@trashandchaos]

Love the big chunky button/wheel combo. Great product design.

[@Thelemorf]

Wouldn't an hearing aid for the person with poor hearing be a better solution?

[@Clay3613]

Hearing aids can only help so much.

[@davek12]

This is a fully external hearing aid, if used as a close point speaker.

[@Liofa73]

Thelemorf --- Yes.

[@mialemon6186]

I know this video is a bit old but I have hearing loss and this is just what I need. Having the TV too loud is painful (hyperacusis is a jerk), but from a distance, I struggle to keep up understanding with videos without CC. And KZbin breaks CC so often its become a household joke. I'm honestly glad this video exists.

[@techbaffle]

I have a Samsung TV from about 10 years ago which has speakers either side. It actually means you can hear dialogue very nicely Now TV's just sound muffled because the speakers are facing downwards

[@HerecomestheCalavera]

Do you know what model it is? It is probably cheaper to just buy that TV rather than pay the crazy prices they are asking for this speaker.

[@maxmustermann1455]

You just can't have both, "thin borders" and big speakers on either side. But even good TV speakers are pretty crappy compared to semi decent speakers. If you ask me, drop those fucking speakers altogether. It's stupid anyway, why buy "new speakers" every time you buy a new display?

[@Raul-nm2me]

I wish I had come across this channel sooner... I am discovering some exciting gadgets, some new, others old.. Great videos, all very polished; and a nice English sense of humour..

[@JimFortune]

It sounded really good, until you mentioned the price. 50 pounds I could see.

[@jonmahashintina]

you could try a small DAC and a wireless speaker?

[@jamesleslie4833]

Jim Fortune 189 USD...no thank you. If it was 75 USD I'd consider it.

[@JimFortune]

Jon Mahashintina It would be for my Mother- and Father-in-law. One button and no cables.

[@farajaraf]

It's Sony, buy one for the parents or grandparents and you can use it when they're long gone and you need it! SONY - MAKING POSSIBILITIES LAST FOREVER

[@GiuseppeGaetanoSabatelli]

Top notch build quality, frustration-free plug-and-play connection and dock-charging, good sound. Nothing similar really exists outside of getting a bluetooth speaker which could be a hassle to set up for an elderly person or not play well with existing TV audio systems. Hard to argue with that price.

[@JohnWinstonLennonFan]

I just found the perfect gift for my grandmother's upcoming birthday! Thanks a lot!

[@GreyHulk2156]

Thought you would be one channel not going on about the football. And you use football to demonstrate it. :( Just kidding. Interesting device though.

[@Fireglo]

You've only got a few days left then all the casual football fans will lose interest.

[@alritedave]

GreyHulk2 FOOTBALLFOOTBALLFOOTBALLFOOTBALLFOOTBALLFOOTBALLFOOTBALLFOOTBALL

[@AnomalousMats]

How 'bout that pigskin? How 'bout that sport with the pigskin?

[@panteleon1]

its free broadcast so no copyright issues

[@robertofortuni6886]

it's the world cup semifinals now and England's facing Croacia

[@ooopticnerveee]

This is exactly what I've been looking to get for my father. Like your parents, my dad also has a lot of trouble hearing the TV these days. I considered getting a wireless Bluetooth headset for him to use but had a feeling that might be too technical for him to use. This looks great, thanks again so much!

[@_Super_Hans_]

no problem

[@websitesthatneedanem]

£150 ?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!!?!!!!!

[@jusb1066]

not bad if it works, people spend thousands on a tv

[@maxmustermann1455]

"people spend thousands on a tv" very few actually do. Most people I know paid 300-400€ for theirs. FullHD, 42 to 46 inches. From known brands like LG or Samsung. I paid 600 for a 52" 4K Hisense TV. Maybe one to 1.5k for a 60" 4k TV with a good panel and high dynamic range, everything else is super rare unless you are filthy rich or stupid (aka early adopter). Mind you, you don't only need the money for the TV, but also a giant living room to house such 80" monstrosities.

[@morrissonmusic5764]

The speaker seems to have a passive bass radiator in between the two stereo speakers to help with bass but as always small speakers can only go so far when it comes to lower frequencies. If that is a passive bass radiator (it probably is) that would mean that Sony used an acoustic air suspension design which is great for preventing things like insects from getting in.

[@kh103]

Does this improve porn dialogue? Asking for a friend.

[@CisIP1862]

It probably does, but I do recommend using protection - or you'll might end up with hearing AIDS.

[@LairdDeimos]

Nothing can improve those scripts.

[@proCaylak]

Ellen B. Johnson dang it! this is the most underrated answer to a comment. you made my night xD

[@colinjohnston8519]

Your friend is watching porn for the dialogue? You're doing it wrong...

[@FenderSidekick]

Guess it helps the story to know if that was a pizza delivery or the pool cleaner at the door.

[@stuartfmasterson]

Thanks, I had no idea Sony made anything like this. Wish they did a little marketing for it. My granny is in desperate need of something like this. And as you point out I think most people would find it handy at night time I know I would 👍

[@amb3cog]

Sorry to be the one to have to tell you this, but you are kind of old, and do actually have grey hair. So maybe it is designed for someone like yourself.🤣🤣🤣 Kidding. Great product though. Just a bit pricey. You do usually get what you pay for though, and it's nice that they made a quality product. I'm guessing a cheap one might be useless. And then you're not saving anything. You're wasting money, or at least time if your just send it back. I might get one of these for my 71 year old Mom. She'd probably like it for the clear dialog. Which is a very real problem with most TV's.

[@Steph6n]

HH Scott sorry to be the one to tell you this but... you'll also eventually get old and grey but NEVER be as cool as TECHMOAN 🤣🤣🤣

[@amb3cog]

Steve Z Dude I totally agree with you there. He may be old, but he's one cool cat.🏔️🐈 And God Bless him for having this awesome channel too. I'm an electronics junkie. I could watch this stuff all day if I had the time.

[@amb3cog]

Steve Z BTW. I already am old, and starting to get grey. I'm 46. Unfortunately!

[@CitizenKang]

My father has a tough time hearing the TV. I've tried numerous speakers and headphones, but I think this could do the job!

[@uhfnutbar1]

$400 bucks Canadian HA HA HA HA , fk that

[@my3dviews]

Ya, just a bit pricey.

[@johnthompson145]

That’s what you get for using Monopoly money

[@keithbrown7685]

there. ftfy

[@Sammie1053]

Christ, for that price why not just buy a second, smaller TV and an HDMI splitter, and put the second TV in front of the person with the poor hearing?

[@ddanny3108]

Superb. Too much headphone listening as a teenager has given me tinnitus. Late at night this would avoid disturbing the neighbours too. Well made and enjoyable video as well. Thanks.

[@Henchman1977]

Mr. Techmoan.... Have you been losing weight?

[@tonyarchivaldo714]

YOU HAVE THE BEST VIDEOS ON KZbin ON TECH LOVE YOUR WORK! HELLO FROM ANAHEIM CALIFORNIA

[@romandjma.recordplayers7806]

the first time here when its under 500 views

[@ALAPINO]

This is somewhat of a solution I've been looking for. Ideally, a unit that can receive audio from a TV/Audio System and send that via BT to any headphone. Pretty much an updated version of those janky RF wireless headphones of the past.

[@Menda_Lerenda]

who would guess sony making products for elderly people

[@startedtech]

Joselo Aero guest?

[@roxcyn]

Joselo Aero *guess

[@amirpourghoureiyan1637]

the walkman was made to solve the problem of an old person - their CEO

[@ProDigit80]

Only in Japan

[@CommanderZx2]

Japan has a huge elderly population so it makes sense there to make products that are specifically designed for the elderly.

[@YoshMaster]

Wow the fact that there is no delay is really cool! I have never seen a bluetooth device that doesnt have a delay before!

[@PeterEdin]

The North American electrical system is rubbish - no offence.

[@ceneblock]

Peter Edin are you kidding? 60Hz frequency is awesome! You can make a clock just by riding the cycles. We also have lower voltage for safety. That said, our outlets can certainly be improved..

[@ceneblock]

Anvilshock 🤙 60hz*

[@jonmahashintina]

north america is rubbish. (no offense)

[@ceneblock]

Jon Mahashintina we have less wars on our soil though.

[@jonmahashintina]

ce neblock less wars than where?

[@boowiebear]

This is surprisingly slick and well designed!

[@tdcattech]

Nice heartfelt outro there.

[@Ryuhei64]

Very interesting device. And the instant position changes in the video were hilarious :)

[@Okand2]

Thanks for showing this off. My grandmother has pretty bad hearing and struggles with using her hearing aids so much she just doesn't use them unless someone helps her put them in. I looked at headphones but was worried about the latency and if she would be able to actually manage using them by herself either. As it is right now she enables teletext subtitles and just doesn't bother with audio at all. This thing seems perfect for her. It was way cheaper on german amazon by the way.

[@flexarnn]

I don't know why but i love the way you plop out the volume knob to turn it on

[@jamesgame8573]

Thank you Mat for yet another great video, like you I have one parent out of two who is suffering from hearing loss and this may be able to assist but like another comment here the surplus of controls would confuse my mum (no reflection on you or the review of course) I wonder if there might be a similar idea possible with a bluetooth sender over 3.5mm or Optical and then a small Bluetooth speaker near the person who needs the assistance in hearing, obviously this wouldn't have the enhanced speech function. While I'm at it, what do you think about a few more reviews for devices that may or may not assist our ageing parents, we got my mum a large button cellphone recently and whilst it was a good concept it was terribly executed in the software.

[@mjg263]

Why is Sony not advertising or promoting this? What a great idea, something that is simple and effective and actually helps people! They could sell millions of these devices to senior citizens and they'd love to have them. Sony should be promoting this like mad on channels that cater to seniors.

[@stewartwebb5699]

Thank you. Great product. Changed my life and made it a lot easier. Paid £129.00. Worth every penny....

[@RacerX-]

Great video. I was surprised out how much louder this is over the TV. I mean TV speakers tend to be on the quite site but this thing is loud and seems clear to me.

[@MickeyKnox]

wow, sounds ideally for my parents, especially my father because he also struggles with understanding speech over the TV. Thanks for mentioning, I had no idea that such a product exists.

[@jagmarc]

@6:57 well of course there's no delay, there's no digitisation/encodingLayer/encryption/packetisation/decryption/decoding/etc/etc , The Sony speaker cone position is a replica of the TV's speaker position in real time through an analogue link