Those of you who don't know about Sony's QUALIA line of products are missing o­ne of the best examples of capitalism I've ever seen.

Basically, you pay Sony an exorbitant amount of money for a seemingly normal piece of hardware...and then call yourself Sally. I'm really not sure who would buy these.

These new products are no exception. We've got the Qualia 017, a $1700 MD player, then the Qualia 010, a $2400 pair of headphones.

QUALIA 017 MD Player
Sony will begin accepting orders for the "QUALIA" brand portable MD player o­n April 24th. The Qualia number is 017. The price is 189,000 yen.

The Q017-MD is a high-class MD player that gives a "delightful carrying" feeling. This is a new product in the small quantity, small brand, "QUALIA" line, which are produced using skilled hands-on human labor. It will be sold at the QUALIA Tokyo and Osaka stores. The time for payment, at the shortest, will be in the middle part of May. o­nly 15 units per month will be produced. The base model for this player is the "MZ-E10," released back in November of 2002.

Inside the package, o­ne will find a remote controller, headphones, an AC adapter, recharging stand, a headphone adapter, a neck chain for the remote, an exclusive case, and a cleaning cloth.

As an optional service, users can choose from getting a different cover plate (gold plated, silver plated), and/or having the cover engraved (standard, full custom). A summary of the cost of the options is below.

Option name	Additional fees	Summary
Gold plating	73,500 yen	change cover plate of unit to a 24 karat gold plated o­ne
Silver plating	73,500 yen	change cover plate of unit to a silver-plated (with Rhodium coating) o­ne
Standard name insertion	31,500 yen	Engrave name and initials o­n cover plate
Full custom name insertion	52,500 yen	Engrave name, initials, and any design o­n cover plate

The player is made partially out of brass, and features highly precise Palladium-plated construction o­n which the crevices, patched eyes, and screw holes are hidden. Sony has said the using S-curves, they have "achieved a beautiful, object-like exterior."

The external dimensions of the player are 91.4 x 79 x 15.3mm (W x D x H), and it weighs 244g (with batteries). This is 189g lighter than the MZ-E10.

Also, the body of can be opened by pushing the OPEN lever o­nly lightly, which is an original mechanism. Furthermore, so as not to damage the external appearance, it uses a centralized control key.

With the originally designed, airtight, dynamic headphones, the body is made partially out of aluminium. "They feature reduction of extra reverberation, and can accurately reproduce nice high-tones, as well as rich bass." Earpieces made of silicon are included. The driver unit has a 9mm diameter, and the headphones weigh 11g.

The included remote is also a brass, Palladium-plated exclusive product. It supports the display of Japanese characters. The headphones and remote controller will not be sold individually.



Also, the headphones feature the original "HD Digital Amp" amplifier. After the signal has been digitally amplified, it is converted to an analog signal. Sony has said that it can produce all "high resolution tone quality," "low noise-level," and "spread out supple sounds."

Other specifications follow those of the MZ-E10. It supports MDLP, and can change the playback speed of the music without affecting the step through the "DPC (Digital Pitch Control)" function. It uses "G-PROTECTION" shock protection. The batteries, when used for a continuous amount of time, can last for 21 hours in SP stereo mode, 27 hours in LP2 mode, and 33 hours in LP4 mode.




Inspired by:
http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/av/docs/20040421/sony2.htm

News Release:
http://www.sony.jp/CorporateCruise/Press/200404/04-0421B/

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QUALIA 010 stereo headphones
As a new product in the "QUALIA" brand, whose theme is "hand-made, appealing to the heart of people," Sony will begin accepting orders for the "Q010-MDR1" stereo headphones o­n July 1st. Although production will be limited to orders o­nly, they plan o­n having the products shipped within 30 days of placing the order. The price is 262,500 yen, and the Qualia Number is "QUALIA 010."

These are high class headphones which "have pursued high sound quality and installing emotions." With the use of a newly developed "nano-composite" osciallation board with a dia. 50mm full range unit, a frequency response of 5Hz - 120kHz has been accomplished. It also features a lightweight frame mechanism, natural leather pressure-dispesion earpads, etc. allowing for the improvement of "installing emotions."

For the driver, a newly developed nano-composite oscillation board with a 50mm diameter full range unit is used. This subdues the attenuation of ultra-high frequencies in the 120kHz range, making the playback of wide range sources such a SACD and DVD-Audio possible.

Also, using an improved diaphragm structure and 440kJ/m³ highly-magnetic Neodymium magnet, a highly-sensetive, clear tone quality has been realized. It can faithfully reproduce the fundamental tones of subtle atmoshpheres, nuances, and atmospheric emotions.



On the buffle section, a porous cellulose structure that optimizes airflow is used, and it also eliminates unnecessary resonance. Also, a  "6N-OFC" high-purity cord that remains 99.9999% oxygen-free is used. The cord has a 4-wick structure, which includes a wooden grounding line that seperates the left and right channels from the input plug, and allows for minimalization of tone quality deterioration that occurs as a result of common impedance. Finally, o­n the connector side of the headphones themselves, a LEMO-made plug is used, which allows for the retention of a stable touch-resistant electrical flow even when used for a long period of time.



The frame is made of Magnesium, and it also uses highly porous materials that preserve a high level of endurance yet still weigh a mere 200g. Natural sheepskin is used o­n both the fixed earpads and headpads.

Sales will be done in the Tokyo and Osaka QUALIA stores. Concierges at the QUALIA stores will conduct fitting service consisting of measuring the head size of the purchaser. Headphone sizes can be chosen from S, M, and L, and cable lengths can be chosen from 5, 3.5, and 2m.

Also, users can choose from black and blue earphone colors, and the concierges will ask about the attachment position of the earpads.

The technical specifications are as follows:

-Model style: Open Air Dynamic style
-Driver unit: 50mm diameter, dome style
-Maximum input: 1,500mW (IEC)
-Impedence: 70 ohms (1kHz)
-Sound pressure sensitivity: 100dB/mW
-Frequency response: 5Hz - 120kHz
-Cord: 6N-OFC Ritz removable style
-Connector (Headphone side): LEMO-made
-Plug (device side): standard gold-plated stereo plug
-Mass: 200g (not including cord)
-Included: Stand



Inspired by:
http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/av/docs/20040421/sony1.htm

News Release:
http://www.sony.jp/CorporateCruise/Press/200404/04-0421/

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Assorted QUALIA links:

QUALIA Homepage (Japanese):
http://www.sony.co.jp/SonyInfo/QUALIA/

QUALIA Homepage (English):
http://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/QUALIA/

QUALIA Homepage (English, HTML version):
http://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/QUALIA/word/word_1.html

QUALIA Product Index (Japanese):
http://www.sony.jp/products/Consumer/QUALIA/jp/index_flash.html