Anyone heard te Sony SS-AR1


I heard Sony's 27k new speaker today. Sony is obviously not a name you think of when it comes to high-end audio, but this speaker is sony's effort to get back into high-end audio. I'll be honest, going in, I thought anyone who spends 27k on a pair of speakers by Sony needs their head examined.
That being said, I was really, really impressed by this speaker. I compared it head to head with some dynaudio tempations (44k) and thought that the sony's at least held their own. The dealer told me that Sony is only planning on releasing 60 pairs in the US this year, and there are only 6 dealers in the country right now. Also, the wood that they use for the cabinets comes from a special Japanese tree that is specially aged, etc.
Apparently there is a review coming out in stereophile next week.
My question is, with all the great speakers out there at this range, Wilson, magico, Von schweikert, hansen, etc, has anyone heard these, and how do you think they stack up against some of the big boys?
dserota17
I'll bet they are extremely good compared to most other speakers, however, remember that Sony Studios use ATC and Sony also selected ATC to demonstrate SACD format when they rolled that out.
Apparently not all are ATC. A couple of years ago John Marks related the story in Stereophile of Sony going to the trouble of ordering Duntech Princesses from OZ for a NYC studio. Also the Sony SACD introduction I attended used the SS M9ED mentioned by Mr Bill. Now I must believe some of the SS-AR1s will show up in their studios.

Like Pioneer, Kenwood, and perhaps others, from time to time Sony has made attempts at the higher end in audio. And why not? They certainly should have the resources.
And with Sony, you can expect the speaker will be supported with drivers & such for a good long time down the road, something I always worry about with something that expensive. Like what do you do if your Dunlavy or Hales goes on the blink?