Sony SRS-NS7

Sony promises you will be neck-deep in surround sound

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Neckband speaker ₹24,990

KEY FEATURES

• Dolby Atmos
• Bluetooth connectivity
• In-built microphone

If you have ever found yourself wishing you could listen to audio in a highly localised personal soundfield that follows you around without the unwanted isolation and pressure on your temples of headphones, then perhaps you have considered a neckband speaker. Perhaps you have then cringed at the thought of, a) being that person who forces other people to listen to their music/phone conversations and, b) looking slightly silly.

Draping a horseshoe-shaped speaker across your shoulders and going about your business in public will certainly raise a few eyebrows; but there are plenty of domestic scenarios where the SRS-NS7 works well as a practical and portable audio device. It is specifically designed with home cinema in mind, though, and despite its 3D audio credentials, we can't stick our neck out for it.

The yoke's on you

The SRS-NS7 has a fairly pliable U-shaped design, worn on the shoulders with a gap front and centre. Midway down both sides, sitting just above the collar bone, are a pair of upward-firing full-range X-Balanced drivers that use a non-circular shape (3.2 x 3.3cm) to maximise the area of the diaphragm for increased sound pressure. Behind these are a pair of passive radiators to help boost low-frequency response.