Sony SRS-RA5000

Easy setup ; Crystal-clear sound ; Chromecast support ; Works with Google Assistant/Amazon Alexa

Expensive ; Polarizing design ; Tricky placement requirements ; Underwhelming 360 RA effects ; No hi-fi Bluetooth codecs

Decent audio when all immersive effects are disabled

Expensive ; Distorts on deep bass ; Immersive audio and 360 Reality Audio modes sound bad

Sony's SRS-RA5000 wireless speaker offers a number of intriguing audio modes that simply don't sound very good, while its default performance never comes close to justifying its high price.

Powerful stereo sound ; 360-degree audio creates a wider soundscape ; Multiple ways of playing music

Wildly expensive for an individual speaker ; Requires large external power supply ; No AirPlay 2

Sony’s new SRS-RA5000 speaker can play immersive 360-degree sound and has useful features like Chromecast support. But at $700, it comes at a steep price.

360 Reality Audio has an impressive soundstage ; Room-filling party speaker ; Multiple options for wired and wireless sound

Very expensive ; 360 audio tracks are in short supply ; Regular music lacks precision compared to rival speakers ; No AirPlay 2 support ; No battery and the power supply is big

IAE expands sound field of stereo tracks to some degree ; EQ can help improve sound quality somewhat ; Works best on the floor

Muddy, congested sound, especially in the low midrange ; Boomy, overbearing bass ; 360RA tracks do not present a truly expansive, immersive sound field ; Stereo tracks with IAE off sound thin and closed in ; IAE dramatically alters the tonal profile of...

I’m sorry to say I was disappointed in the performance of the SRS-RA5000. The 360 Reality Audio tracks I played did not present a sweeping, immersive soundstage as promised; the effect is much more pronounced in headphones as I discovered in my...