Exclusive preview of Sony's BDV-IT1000 Blu-ray system, featuring world's slimmest speakers

When Sony announced its BDV-IT1000 5.1 Blu-ray system at 2008’s European IFA tech expo, it predictably made headlines. Elegant and striking, the kit seemed a perfect mash-up of cutting-edge video tech and contemporary aesthetics.

But while much of the coverage focused on the fact it was a pretty-credible looking Blu-ray entertainment centre, the real story lies in the speaker technology behind the system. To make the BDV-IT1000 possible Sony had to reinvent the audio wheel.

The Japanese Corporation charged its audio engineers with developing speakers no wider than a Yakuza's finger. The concept, codenamed Pocky after the popular local chocolate pretzel snack,  was eventually made reality through the creation of radical new drivers which measure a mere 16mm wide, 118mm tall and 25mm deep.

Home Cinema Choice was recently given exclusive hands-on time with the new system as well as more insights into the astounding driver technology behind the speakers, at Sony’s Tokyo R&D facility.

Speakers.Like.No.Other
Unlike Sony’s current HT-IS1000 system (currently bundled in the UK with a the brand’s BDP-S350 BD player, to form the HTP-BD3iS package), which uses golf-ball sized square speakers, the BDV-IT1000 employs enclosures which can be either integrated into stands to create the slimmest floorstanders you’ve ever seen, or held erect on small desktop pedestals (pictured right).

Alternatively the speakers themselves can be fixed to a wall, typically around a wall-mounted TV (see image at the top of this page). Given the extreme lightness of their design the speakers can be quickly affixed to virtually any surface.

Each L/C/R in the package features a trio of the 16mm ‘finger-sized’ drivers, with two built into each of the rears.

Sony engineers went back to the drawing board for their design, throwing out most conventional wisdom in the process.  The result is a radical reinvention of the humble speaker, employing a flat, vertical voice coil with a rectangular-shaped wire, a super-lightweight Mica-reinforced diaphragm and a rectangular magnet circuit.

‘The speaker devices (pictured left) are very light, but very strong,’ I was told by a Sony executive, ‘which is why we can make them so very flat.’

Wider dispersion
Not only is the new design super-slim, but it offers wider dispersion characteristics than traditional front radiating speakers. Because they don’t need to be towed-in like direct radiating speakers, Sony believes they are more suitable for family theater use.

In addition to their deployment in standalone speakers, the designers behind the tech believe that their development will help redress the hitherto poor audio performance of super-slim TV design.

‘This is actually a full-range speaker, although the sensitivity is a little low,’ I was told. ‘So we have also developed a 20mm version, with greater sensitivity. This is used in our top of the range European X- and Z 4500 BRAVIA TV lines; these models are known as XBR in the States and XR in Japan.’
Larger, although not by much, the engorged super-slim speakers for TV are 20mm wide, 138mm tall and 26mm deep. They offer a moderately higher SPL of 79dB.

Better with movies
The new Sony Blu-ray system was auditioned with both music and movie software. The tiny speakers are actually crossed over with the subwoofer at 350Hz, which means that mid-bass and below is highly directional. As a consequence the sub unit itself should be located as close to the screen as possible.

The package itself sports a variety of cutting-edge convenience features sure to win it friends: for those in homes with wooden floors, the super-slim rear speakers can be used wirelessly, using the brand’s so-called S-Air technology, while the BD player itself is a Profile 2.0 Ready re-purposing of the popular BD-S350 standalone model.

The kit sports two HDMI inputs for extra expansion, as well as a push-button Digital Cinema Auto Calibration system, which automatically deduces optimum delay and frequency settings. The system uses CEC-powered BRAVIA Link for one-remote control of an all-Sony configuration, as well as the intuitive XrossMediaBar user interface. Although not DAB-enabled, there is an in-built FM RDS/AM radio receiver, plus a Digital Media Port, which allows easy connection to MP3 players, music-capable Bluetooth mobile phones and computers via Wi-Fi.

To make the most of compressed music, the unit also sports a Portable Audio Enhancer designed to ‘open-up’ bit-reduced sound files. Naturally, the amplifier is compatible with all BD audio formats.

Overall, I felt the system worked better with movies, than music. The dinosaur 'fetch'  sequence from A night at the museum was lively and exciting, and the soundfield created by the five digit-sized speakers, each mounted on floorstands, was found to be suitably entertaining. In truth, the sub does the lion’s share of the work, but the sense of surround that the super-slim speakers create is ingenious.

Beneath the system's lid are seven individual 32-bit S-Master digital amp modules, and their sound quality is tight and agile.
Sony’s press materials quote the BDV-IT1000’s firepower at 700w, derived from five 100W amps with 2 x 100W for the sub, although this cumulative number should be taken with a pinch of salt.  The speaker drivers actually have a maximum input rating of 40w. This isn’t a muscle-system; it’s all about user convenience and lifestyle design.

It was around 12 years ago (maybe even longer) that I was first introduced to Sony’s S-Master digital amp project. Back then the project’s senior manager Tetsuo Yuga ushered me into a small room, seemingly with nothing much in it apart from two huge B&W 800 Series studio-grade speakers  and a unfeasibly small box of electronics.

A flick of a switch and the monster speakers burst into life, with almost perfect channel separation. I remember being amazed at the tiny size of the cool-running  prototype and the girth of the sound it was producing. More than a decade later, it’s the speakers which have been shrunk to an almost impossible size.

The Sony BDV-IT1000 system is expected to sell for around £1,500 when it ships into the UK this Spring. In the meantime, check-out the brand's current range here.