The Sony 360 Reality Audio (RA) technology was announced in 2019. It may seem that this is similar to what Creative Super X-Fi is trying to do for the listening experience. While Creative SXFI is simulating an out-of-head listening experience as if you are listening with real speakers, the 360RA attempts to create a more immersive listening experience by mapping sound sources such as vocals, chorus and instruments with positional information and placing them within a spherical space. Therefore, the audio source must contain these information for the 360RA compatible speakers and headphones to decode and play them out.

How to Listen 360 Reality Audio
To get the RA3000 working, you need to install the Sony Sound Center smartphone app and go through the setup, particularly to connect the speaker to your home Wi-Fi. On the app, you can also adjust the EQ, Immersive Audio Enhancement, Auto Volume, Bluetooth codec, power saving option.
There are thousands of songs that already support 360RA. I checked their content on Deezer and TIDAL, and it seems TIDAL has a lot more 360RA songs. On headphones and earbuds like the WF-1000XM4, it is easy to discern the immersive experience. On the SRS-RA3000 speaker, the imaging is more holographic than ambient, since there is only one single unit. Sony has several other multi-speaker solutions like the HT-A9 which I’m sure will deliver a much more convincing sound.
Audio Quality Difference with 360 Reality Audio
Still, you can hear the difference when switching the 360RA mode (only works for non-360RA content). With the RA3000, what I am getting is more of the frontal sound imaging. The sound offers more treble headroom, more open, more bright, the percussions are more spatial, while the vocals are recessed, less forward. As the sound sources are more spatial and creates a more roomy effect, some instruments are less prominent. Listening to Olga Sheps “Satie” album (360RA on TIDAL), I feel that I am sitting in a concert hall listening to her performing live on stage. For non-360RA content, like Eagles “Hotel California” live, I get the similar live room effect.
The RA3000 has an auto sound calibration where it will detect the room acoustics and optimise the audio projection. I feel it lacks warmth that resonates the room and keep the sound soothing. The brighter instruments are projected outside the speaker, while the bass doesn’t have that same resonant projection. When the Immersive Audio Enhancement is disabled (available only for non-360RA content), the speaker sounds more neutral, the midrange is fuller, but the audio sounds like it’s coming directly from the speaker. In this mode, the RA3000 sounds like a normal single-point speaker output.

Connectivity Options
The RA3000 supports the numerous connectivity options – Bluetooth, 3.5mm Line-in, and Wi-Fi Chromecast. Once you set up with your favourite voice assistant like Google Home, you can simply command to adjust playback, volume, and other hands-free activities. The speaker is also humidity-resistant, so you can place it in the kitchen or bathroom, although the RA3000 is quite huge for these small spaces. While it’s relatively lightweight, it is still limited by the need for a wall socket to power it.

Verdict
The SRS-RA3000 is Sony’s most affordable speaker with 360 Reality Audio. Having experienced the 360RA on headphones, I feel that the RA3000 presents a modest sample of a room-filling ambient sound experience. It certainly creates a live-room performance atmosphere more than a cozy jam room. Personally, I would prefer to enjoy 360RA on headphones like WF-1000XM4.
Get A Free Trial with TIDAL, Deezer and Nugs.net
To enjoy 360RA, you need a subscription from TIDAL, Deezer or Nugs.net. You can get a promo code from Music.com to enjoy a free trial. TIDAL requires you to be a new sign-up, while Deezer accepts existing email without a paying subscription.
Visit the Sony Singapore SRS-RA3000 product page for more info.




