19 Nov
Blog

Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 2 Review: An E-Ink Experiment

Lenovo Thinkbook Plus Gen 2 review

Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 2

RRP $ 1,696.00

"The Lenovo ThinkPad Plus Gen 2 is just fast enough for productive users and has reasonable battery life, but its e-ink display stands out as a unique and useful feature."

advantages

  • Innovative e-ink panel

  • Excellent IPS main display

  • Very good keyboard and touchpad

  • Good build quality

  • Thin and light

disadvantage

  • Expensive

  • There is a lack of performance

  • Insufficient connectivity

If you're an avid reader like me, e-ink is magical. You will likely appreciate the way e-ink makes reading more comfortable, while causing far less eye strain and putting a minimal drain on battery life.

But is there any application that goes beyond simple e-readers? Lenovo has been at the forefront of experimenting with e-ink, and its latest creation embeds a 12-inch e-ink display right on the lid of a laptop called the ThinkBook Plus Gen 2. The laptop is an upgraded version of the thin and light ThinkBook 13x, a device for small businesses.

I tested a high-end configuration of the ThinkBook Plus Gen 2 with a Core i7-1160G7 and a 13.3-inch 16:10 WQXGA (2,560 x 1,600) display that came at a premium price of US $ 1,696 -Dollars is being sold. Like the ThinkBook 13x, it is a bit overpriced for a basic business laptop. However, the e-ink screen may be worth the premium for anyone looking to read e-books, write notes on a more comfortable display, or take lots of notes without running out of battery.

E Ink display

The Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 2 in e-ink mode.Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

We'll start with the e-ink display, because that's what sets this laptop apart, of course. It's a 12-inch panel compared to the previous generation's 10.8-inch version – it takes up more space on the lid, with large bezels that would have looked normal on a standard display just a few years ago. The e-ink screen is 16:10 like the main display and sharp at the same WQXGA resolution.

It's also not backlit, so like all e-ink screens, it can only be used with direct lighting. There will be more to that shortly, but in general, it's a good thing. It's designed to protect your eyes from the blue light that standard displays emit and, in theory, make it less tiring to use for long reading sessions.

In order to be able to use the e-ink display comfortably, I needed a lot of ambient light.

The e-ink display works just like the one you find on the Amazon Kindle and other specialty e-book readers. Its image is made up of tiny black and white particles that electronically align themselves in the right direction to create a grayscale image. As such, the display will freeze until it is updated, which takes noticeably time and causes the typical warping effect you get with the technology. This makes the display suitable, for example, for showing documents and other information, for reading e-books and for taking notes. It doesn't work well for watching video or any other thing that requires a fast refresh rate.

When the laptop is idle or turned off, the static image offers some personalization – you can choose your own wallpaper that will become the aesthetic of the lid. When enabled, by default you will be presented with a number of panels of customization information, such as: B. Your Outlook calendar (if configured), the weather, a notebook, and customizable buttons to open supported applications.

I was able to add and run every application I had installed on the laptop, including the full suite of Office apps, Google Chrome, and the Kindle reader for PC, although not every application works well with e-ink technology. Gaming is certainly out of the question, and you should avoid apps that require immediate response to input.

If I bought the laptop, I would upgrade to Windows 11, join the Windows Insider Program, and install the Android version of the Kindle app. That would give me a huge e-book reader that is as good as a Kindle without lighting.

The e-ink display of the Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 2 in tablet mode. Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

And for me there is the catch. In order to be able to use the e-ink display comfortably, I needed a lot of ambient light. My home office, which is normally lit by indirect sunlight, did not have enough light by default. I had to actively turn on a lamp just above the ThinkBook Plus Gen 2's e-ink display to get a clear view of the image. It's the same with my Kindle Paperwhite, where the lights are switched off and don't knock on the e-ink display itself. It's just that the technology requires good lighting, and that limits its usefulness.

If you want to take something to the beach at the same time (in a plastic bag or something to protect it from the sand) the display looks amazing in direct sunlight. In fact, that's one of the e-ink display's greatest strengths. It gives you something to use when outside or in an unusually bright setting. Standard laptop displays are rarely bright enough to beat the Southern California sun, and I can imagine using the e-ink display on such occasions for things like email triaging, web browsing, and of course, e-booking. To use reading.

draft

Close-up of the Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 2 webcam.Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

The ThinkBook Plus Gen 2 shares an almost identical case with the ThinkBook 13x, a thin and light brother of the ThinkBook 13s Gen 2. Chassis. The ThinkBook 13s is a bit more solid than the other two, which have a slight bend in the lid, while the keyboard deck and lower case are solid. This bending is a little more worrying about the ThinkBook Plus Gen 2 given its e-ink display.

The Dell XPS 13 is an example of a more rugged 13-inch laptop, as is the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano. The ThinkBook Plus Gen 2 benefits from the same military durability tests as all ThinkBook and ThinkPad laptops.

In terms of size, the ThinkBook Plus Gen 2 and ThinkBook 13x are equally wide and deep thanks to identical 16:10 13.3-inch displays with small bezels. The ThinkPad 13x is slightly thinner at 0.51-inches and lighter at 2.49 pounds than the 0.55-inch and 2.56-inch ThinkBook Plus Gen 2 – likely due to the e-ink display. The ThinkBook 13s is only slightly thicker at 0.59 inches and heavier at 2.78 pounds.

The XPS 13 is slightly smaller in width and depth, measuring 0.58 inches and 2.8 pounds, while the ThinkPad X1 Nano is slightly thicker at 0.68 inches and the lightest of them all at 2.14 pounds. If you're sticking an e-ink screen onto a clamshell laptop, the ThinkBook Plus Gen 2 is a relatively thin and light candidate.

The ThinkBook Plus Gen 2 has almost identical aesthetics to the ThinkBook 13x, with slightly tapered edges on the sides and a rounded back edge on the case. It's the darker Storm Gray color compared to the silver Cloudy Gray on our Thinkpad 13x test device, and it has a comfortable, soft coating on the keyboard deck that the ThinkPad 13x lacks. Overall, the design is tasteful and no-nonsense, following a current trend towards minimalist designs that I noticed.

Of course, the ThinkBook Plus Gen 2 does not share the two-tone lid of the ThinkBook 13x, but instead has the E-Ink display. The XPS 13 is slimmer and more elegant, but the ThinkBook Plus Gen 2 stands out even more thanks to its unique lid.

Two USB-C ports with Thunderbolt 4 and a 3.5 mm audio jack on the left side of the Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 2.

Power button on the right side of the Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 2.

Just like the ThinkBook 13x, the ThinkBook Plus Gen 2 is a challenge when it comes to connectivity. There are two USB-C ports with Thunderbolt 4 and a 3.5mm audio jack, and that's it. It's the same unfortunate compromise in connectivity that is required to produce a thinner case. Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1 offer wireless connectivity. An interesting option that is available on certain models (and not on my test unit) is wireless charging. These versions come with pogo pins on the bottom of the case connected to a $ 200 wireless charging kit – just place the laptop on the pad and you can charge without plugging it in. That is a nice comfort.

power

Like the ThinkBook 13x, the ThinkBook Plus Gen 2 is equipped with an energy-saving 11th generation Intel Core CPU, in this case the Core i7-1160G7. It also runs with up to 15 watts compared to the 28-watt Core i7-1165G7, which is more popular in thin and light laptops. That promises longer battery life, but slower performance. I didn't notice any slowdowns during my tests, but my verification process isn't very demanding. The 16GB of RAM and swift 512GB SSD helped keep things moving, and that's how I found the ThinkBook Plus Gen 2 fast enough for most productivity workers.

My benchmark results weren't impressive. The ThinkBook Plus Gen 2 took third place in Geekbench 5, ahead of the ThinkBook 13x and the ThinkPad X12 Detachable. The Handbrake result, which reflects how long it takes to encode a 420MB video as H.265, was the last time, although the results improved from 303 seconds to 206 seconds when I used the Lenovo utility to switch from standard to performance mode – faster but still behind the pack.

The ThinkBook Plus Gen 2 took penultimate place in the Cinebench R23 test, beating only the ThinkPad X12 Detachable, and its multi-core test jumped from 3,949 to 4,254 when I enabled performance mode. In the PCMark 10 Complete Benchmark, the ThinkBook Plus Gen 2 was more competitive and took third place. The results were decent in both the essentials and productivity areas of the benchmarks and not as competitive in the content creation area.

Overall, the benchmarks confirmed my subjective experience: The ThinkBook Plus Gen 2 is fine for a reasonable productivity workflow, but demanding users and particularly creative professionals will want to look for their primary laptop elsewhere. As with the ThinkBook 13x, Lenovo chose a low-power CPU to better fit into the thinner case, and it was a poor compromise.

Geekbench (single / multiple) Handbrake
(Seconds)		 Cinebench R23 (single / multiple) PCMark 10 3DMark time spy
Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 2 (Core i7-1160G7) 1396/5115 303 1377/3949 4861 1580
Lenovo ThinkBook 13x (Core i5-1130G7) 1337/4863 271 1282/4037 4590 1363
Lenovo ThinkBook 13s Gen 2 (Core i5-1135G7) 1406/5379 178 1357/5502 4668 1511
Lenovo ThinkPad X12 detachable (Core i5-1130G7) 1352/4796 185 1125/3663 4443 926
Dell XPS 13 (Core i7-1185G7) 1549/5431 204 1.449 / 4.267 3,859 1,589
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9 (Core i7-1165G7) 1327/5201 170 1469/4945 5147 1776
Samsung Galaxy Book (Core i5-1135G7) 1401/5221 175 1361/5391 4735 1584
Dell Inspiron 14 2-in-1 (Ryzen7 5700U) 1184/6281 116 1287/8013 5411 1247

The ThinkBook Plus Gen 2 does surprisingly well in the 3DMark Time Spy test. However, that didn't carry over to our Fortnite test, which only managed 18 frames per second (fps) at 1200p and epic graphics. This is not a gaming laptop.

Main display

I mentioned that the ThinkBook Plus Gen 2 and ThinkBook 13x are almost identical outside of the former's e-ink display, and I noticed this similarity when I started working with the main 16:10 IPS display. It looked the same to me, with the same high resolution, the same dynamic and natural colors and the same deep contrast (for an IPS display). I couldn't tell the two apart when I looked at them side by side.

The ThinkBook Plus Gen 2 has an excellent IPS display that creative types can operate in no time at all.

According to my colorimeter, these are actually the same panels. The ThinkBook Plus Gen 2 was bright at 418 nits, had a slightly above average color width at 76% AdobeRGB and 100% sRGB, very accurate colors at a DeltaE of 1.03 (1.0 or less is excellent) and a strong contrast at 1,440 :1. The ThinkBook 13x achieved 417 cd / m², the same color width, a DeltaE of 1.04 and a contrast of 1,430: 1. Lenovo has opted for an excellent display for both devices. The 4K display of the Dell XPS 13 was equally good with 420 cd / m², 79% AdobeRGB and 100% sRGB, an accuracy of 1.3 and a contrast of 1,360: 1.

The ThinkBook Plus Gen 2 has an excellent IPS display.Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

The ThinkBook Plus Gen 2 has an excellent IPS display that creative types can operate in no time at all. The colors aren't wide enough to be a full-time creative laptop, but the colors are accurate and the contrast is high enough for less demanding developers to get some work done. It's more than good enough for productive users, and Dolby Vision High Dynamic Range (HDR) support makes for great Netflix and Amazon Prime Video bingeing.

Two downward facing speakers handle audio, and I found them to be a bit louder on the ThinkBook Plus Gen 2 than on the ThinkBook 13x – but not by much. The mids and highs were nice and clear with no distortion, but the bass was missing. Headphones would be preferred for enjoying Netflix and listening to music, but the sound quality was fine for the occasional YouTube video.

Keyboard and touchpad

Close-up of the keyboard and pen on the Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 2.Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

Lenovo has two keyboards that it uses on most of its laptops, the iconic version of the ThinkPad range and the equally recognizable, but not quite as famous, version on laptops like the IdeaPad and ThinkBook. The ThinkBook Plus Gen 2 has the latter keyboard, of course, and it has the same molded keycaps, wide key spacing, and snappy switches that make for a comfortable floor movement. There isn't much travel, however, which makes the keyboard a little less suitable for long typing sessions than the HP Specter and Dell XPS series keyboards.

The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro has an upgraded version of the same basic keyboard with even faster switches, and it's unfortunate that it didn't make it into the ThinkBook Plus Gen 2. The three-level backlight is bright and consistent, but it's the lowest setting, and the keyboard is splash-proof with call buttons for video conferencing – two small business nods to it.

The touchpad is just big enough to be comfortable, with a non-slip surface that enables sensitive and precise swiping. It's a Microsoft Precision touchpad, which means all Windows 10 multi-touch gestures are supported. The display was touch and pen capable and supported the Lenovo active pen that comes with the ThinkBook Plus Gen 2 and docks in a slot on the right side of the case. The pen isn't as convenient to use on the main display, but it works well with the e-ink panel and allows for taking notes that look a lot more like ink on paper.

Use the pen to draw a line on the Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 2.Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

Passwordless login under Windows 10 Hello is provided by a fingerprint reader integrated into the power button. It worked well during my tests and helps wake up the laptop and log in with the lid closed, which activates the e-ink display. Notice that a dialog box appears on the e-ink panel offering you to continue working or to put the laptop to sleep when you close the lid. It's a nice touch that makes it easy to switch to e-ink mode.

Battery life

The e-ink display of the Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 2.Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

The ThinkBook Plus Gen 2 offers 52 watt hours of battery life, a little less than the 56 watt hours of the ThinkBook 13s and another compromise in favor of a thinner case. Inside is a low-power processor but a high-resolution display so I wasn't sure what battery life to expect. My impressions were also influenced by the results I saw on the similarly configured ThinkBook 13x, which were downright mixed.

In our web browser test, which ran through a number of complex websites, the ThinkBook Plus Gen 2 lasted 7.75 hours, about 40 minutes less than the ThinkBook 13x. That's not a bad score, but we see more thin and light laptops exceed 10 hours on this test. The ThinkBook 13s lasted 9.3 hours, the Dell XPS 13 4K was worse with 6.3 hours.

In our video test replaying a local 1080p movie trailer, the ThinkBook Plus Gen 2 only achieved 12.75 hours, less than the 15.57 hours of the ThinkBook 13x and more than the 10.5 hours of the Dell XPS 13. Note that the ThinkBook 13x played very choppy videos during the test, suggesting that it may not have booted up enough to get a smooth video and thus wrongly increased its score. The ThinkBook 13s lasted 13.4 hours in the video test.

I also used the PCMark 10 Applications battery test to see how the ThinkBook Plus Gen 2 fares as a productivity device. It reached 9.25 hours which is a good score close to the 10 hours we want to see in this test. The ThinkBook 13x lasted 8.5 hours, while the ThinkBook 13s reached 11.5 hours and the XPS 13 4K 8.7 hours. In the PCMark 10 gaming battery test, which shows how hard a laptop works when not connected, the ThinkBook Plus Gen 2 lasted 2.25 hours, less than the 2.75 hours of the ThinkBook 13x and about the same the ThinkBook 13s. The XPS 13 4K reached 3.5 hours, which suggests it throttles quite a bit during the test, but I didn't notice any chops in its video.

All in all, the ThinkBook Plus Gen 2 had decent battery life for a thin and light laptop. It should get you through a full day of work which is the standard we like to see. Obviously, using the e-ink display gives you significantly longer battery life, although our benchmark suite isn't designed to test this display technology.

Our opinion

The ThinkBook Plus Gen 2 is simply judged to be a thin and light notebook and doesn't offer any convincing features to recommend it. It's very similar to the ThinkBook 13x in that regard – yes, it's slightly thinner and lighter than its bigger brother, the ThinkBook 13s, but it's also slower, has less battery life, and lacks the connectivity of the larger device. Those are unfortunate compromises for just a tiny bit less thickness and weight.

Throw in the e-ink display, however, and that changes the dynamics. It's not for everyone, but if you are an e-ink lover and want to use your laptop in bright light environments while taking a break from your eyes, then this is a great feature. It offers just enough value to make the ThinkBook Plus Gen 2 a standout laptop for those looking to take advantage of this unique feature.

Are there alternatives?

If you don't care about the e-ink display, the ThinkBook 13s is the better choice. It's less expensive and does the same small business features, it's faster with better battery life, and has better connectivity. There are two versions to choose from, with the Gen 2 running with either Intel or AMD or the slightly updated AMD Gen 3-only model.

Again, the Dell XPS 13 remains a better alternative if you aren't interested in the e-ink panel. The XPS 13 isn't more expensive but has a superior and better looking build, is faster and more durable depending on the display, and you get the option of an incredible 3.5K OLED display.

If a convertible 2-in-1 is more your thing – and you don't care about the e-ink display either – then the Specter x360 14 from HP is a good option. It looks even better, has an excellent 3K OLED display in the preferred aspect ratio of 3: 2, and is better built. You spend the same money but get more value.

How long it will take?

The ThinkBook Plus Gen 2 has enough build quality that you can be confident that it will last for years and its components are state-of-the-art. The one-year warranty is always disappointing and care should be taken with the e-ink display.

Should you buy it?

Yes, if you use the e-ink panel for longer reading and note-taking sessions. It's a competent thin and light laptop with some tradeoffs, but the e-ink display beats it.

Editor's recommendations



09 Apr
Blog

Sony SRS-RA5000 360 Speaker Review: An Expensive Experiment

Sony SRS-RA5000 360 speakers

"A fascinating but expensive speaker that doesn't quite live up to the hype."

  • Easy adjustment

  • Crystal clear sound

  • Chromecast support

  • Works with Google Assistant / Amazon Alexa

  • Expensive

  • Polarizing design

  • Difficult placement requirements

  • Overwhelming 360 RA effects

  • No hi-fi bluetooth codecs

When Sony unveiled its 360 Reality Audio (360 RA) music technology – a stunning 3D format designed to restore listening to live music – the only way to hear it was through headphones.

Starting in March, you can now listen to 360 RA tracks aloud through two models of wireless speakers: The Small Room for $ 300 Sony SRS-RA3000 and the much larger $ 700 SRS-RA5000.

They're both designed to optimize 360 ​​RA playback, but also have the ability to make regular stereo tracks an even more immersive experience if you so choose.

Sony was kind enough to send Digital Trends a RA5000 to try out. So we tested the unusual looking speaker to see if it actually offered a listening experience worth investing in.

What's in the box?

Sony SRS-RA5000 360 speakersSimon Cohen / Digital Trends

Sony keeps things simple with the RA5000. In the fully recyclable box you will find the speaker, its power supply and a collection of printed materials such as a quick start guide, safety information and warranty documentation. It's a bit of a surprise – especially considering the $ 700 price tag – that Sony didn't use a 3.5mm cable or two, but you might be expected to buy one when you need it.

With its copper-grilled speakers; curvy body wrapped in cloth; and tall stature, it will be controversial.

design

Sony SRS-RA5000 360 speakersSimon Cohen / Digital Trends

In recent years, Sony has been enthusiastic about black or anthracite-colored devices with copper accents. You can find this color scheme on the WH-1000XM4 wireless headphones and the excellent WF-1000XM3 wireless earphones, but the most bombastic display comes with the RA5000.

With his trio of copper-grilled step-up speakers; his curvy body wrapped in cloth; I suspect it will be a controversial purchase. I really like the way it looks, but my family members are divided about the aesthetics.

If a speaker isn't your cup of tea in terms of design, you can usually just stick it in a bookcase or in a corner behind a plant. That won't fly with the RA5000.

Although it can fill a room with sound from almost any position, the closer you get to it in a central location, the better able it is to accomplish its mission of true 360-degree sound.

However, this raises two questions: How can you supply a central location with electricity (there is no on-board battery) and how do you disguise the enormous power supply module?

Unfortunately, I don't have an answer to either question. For my assessment, I simply placed the RA5000 on a coffee table and let the power cord dangle over the edge. A nearby extension cord under my couch served as a power source, but the trip hazard it created (not to mention how unsightly it looked) means it would never work as a permanent place.

There are a total of six touch-sensitive buttons along the top edges that allow you to access the most frequently used functions such as playback, volume, source, Bluetooth on / off / pairing and sound calibration.

Sony does not include a remote control, presumably because a phone is required to use the RA5000.

Another difficult aspect of the RA5000 design is the use of metal grids over the three high-boosting drivers. These thin shields are eye-catching, but seem to be very easy to dent. Our test device arrived with a very noticeable and a slightly smaller bruise. This is something to keep in mind if you want to put the speaker in a very central location (exactly where Sony suggests it).

Setup and configuration

The Sony Music Center app serves as a guide for configuring the RA5000 and gives you access to settings such as EQ and turning the speaker’s Immersive Audio Enhancement mode on and off. You can also use it to trigger the speaker's automatic sound calibration. However, this can also be done using the touch-sensitive controls that line the upper edge of the housing.

Using the SRS-RA5000 as a Bluetooth speaker is a breeze. Just long press the power button to enter pairing mode, then select the speaker from your phone's Bluetooth device list.

To get the most of it, we recommend that you take the extra step of adding it to the Google Home app so that you can enjoy Chromecast audio.

This opens up all the functions that make the RA5000 unique: It enables 360 RA streaming, which is not supported via Bluetooth. This allows you to stream stereo tracks with much higher quality (up to CD quality), which is also not possible via Bluetooth. Finally, if you have other Chromecast-enabled devices, you can manage the speaker as part of a larger multiroom audio system. If you have a Google Assistant smart speaker, you can use your voice to control the RA5000.

Amazon Alexa users can also control the speaker using voice commands by adding the RA5000 as a device in the Amazon Alexa app.

Sound quality

Sony SRS-RA5000 360 speakersSimon Cohen / Digital Trends

The SRS-RA5000 is a speaker with a mission: to enable people to listen to Sony 360 RA music without headphones, while “upgrading” their non-360 RA sources for an even more immersive sound experience. Given the high price tag, these two scenarios should better be fantastic. Otherwise it will be difficult to give the RA5000 our recommendation.

I just don't appreciate what 360 RA brings to the noisy listening experience.

To really get a feel for how it handles these tasks, I created several playlists in the Tidal app. I started by searching through Tidal's 360 RA track library for songs I'd heard countless times before – Heart's Barracuda, Billy Joel's Big Shot, Pharrell Williams' Happy, and Dave Brubeck's Take Five. Then I added the standard HiFi stereo versions of these tracks so I could easily switch back and forth between the two formats.

I also listened to these stereo versions with and without Sony's Immersive Audio Enhancement feature.

Sony SRS-RA5000 360 speakersSimon Cohen / Digital Trends

The judgment? The RA5000 does a good job rendering 360 RA tracks with its signature open-air ambient sound. The up and side firing drivers add both width and height to these songs, making for an even more immersive experience than listening to the stereo version, even when using Immersive Audio Enhancement. Not sure if you are actually hearing 360 RA audio? An LED indicator light under the speaker glows cyan when the format is recognized.

But as noticeable as the effect is, I just don't appreciate what 360 RA brings to the loud listening experience. I find that opening up and “stretching” the music to fill the room with sound tends to hollow out the recordings. Intimate details in the mids that I know own these tracks are harder to spot. Lushness and immediacy give way to the ambience, and I think a lot of the songs don't survive this transition intact. Then there is the question of consistency. It turns out that not all 360 RA tracks are the same.

The upward and side fire drivers give these songs both breadth and height, making for an even more immersive experience.

Fire up the 360 ​​RA version of Heart's Barracuda, and the RA5000 does an excellent job of making the iconic rapid-fire guitar licks fill the room. But Ann Wilson's normally soul-piercing vocals sound like she's singing with her back to the audience.

Big Shot loses much of the deep bass thrumming that gives this song so much of its nuance, which is very strange given that the RA5000 is more than capable of producing excellent bass response.

Pharrell Williams' Happy 360 RA is a much better mix, and on the RA5000 at least, it's more fun to listen to than the stereo version. But I still prefer the way this song sounds when played on a traditional stereo pair of speakers. Only Dave Brubeck's Take Five sounded much better in its 360 RA version.

Is this an inherent problem with the 360 ​​RA format? I do not believe that. Some of the above issues can also be heard when listening with headphones. With headphones, however, the spatial rendering is much better controlled and can better convince your brain that the songs are being played by a band on stage in an open space.

The RA5000, despite its 360 degree driver suite, still acts as a very identifiable sound source, reducing the effectiveness of the 360 ​​RA spatial audio effect.

Now, if you gave me a choice between the 360 ​​RA tracks that play on the $ 700 RA5000 and Dolby Atmos Music tracks that play on the $ 800 Sonos Arc soundbar, I'd be Atmos take on the arc every day.

One thing that particularly confused me about the RA5000 is the Bluetooth capabilities. According to Sony, the speaker is designed for high resolution audio, which means it can accurately reproduce frequencies from 20 Hz to 40 kHz. The problem is that only SBC and AAC bluetooth codecs are supported, neither of which can carry high resolution audio.

That would be a bit understandable if there wasn't a better Bluetooth codec. But there is and Sony invented it. LDAC is one of only two Bluetooth codecs recognized as high definition by the Japan Audio Society. However, for reasons known only to Sony, the RA5000's LDAC was not supported.

More than music?

Sony SRS-RA5000 360 speakersSimon Cohen / Digital Trends

Comparing it to the Sonos Arc soundbar raises another consideration: for $ 700, can this $ 700 spatial audio speaker do anything other than let you listen to streaming music?

The answer: it depends. You can connect the RA5000 to a newer Sony Bravia TV via Bluetooth. According to Sony, a signal is delivered with very low latency, which means that the audio and video remain well synchronized. However, Bluetooth doesn't allow for multi-channel audio like 5.1 or 7.1, and it definitely lacks the bandwidth required for Dolby Atmos, which is a huge missed opportunity given the RA5000's upstream drivers.

The TV connection feels like an afterthought. It is not officially endorsed by any other TV brand. Since the RA5000 has neither an HDMI port nor an optical port, it is pretty clear that Sony would prefer to use this speaker primarily for listening to music.

Our opinion

The $ 700 Sony SRS-RA5000 is a bold experiment – an eye-catching design that aims to bring immersive live music sound to rooms of all sizes. However, this experiment is not entirely successful, making the RA5000 difficult to recommend.

Is there a better alternative?

For a lot less money the $ 200 Amazon Echo Studio uses a similar multidirectional driver setup to support 3D sound formats like Dolby Atmos and Sony 360 RA. Plus, it can be connected via WiFi to select Fire TV streaming devices for home theater sound, and it's a full-fledged smart speaker from Amazon Alexa. It can't match the overall clarity and depth of the RA5000, but it's pretty impressive for the price.

For a traditional wireless speaker that's $ 700 Denon Home 350 has many of the same features (other than spatial audio) and offers bigger, bolder, more powerful sound, as well as decent stereo separation.

How long it will take?

Sony builds high quality products and the SRS-RA5000 is no exception. Since there is no internal battery to worry about and an additional analog input is no longer available, it should function without any problems for many years as long as you take care not to damage it (e.g. by accidentally pulling the power cord).

Should you buy it?

No. With the SRS-RA5000's unique design, cumbersome placement requirements, and high price tag, only those who want to experiment deeply with Sony's 360 Reality Audio should take the plunge.

Editor's recommendations