With the likes of most peoples Home Audio Systems going in the direction of surround sound setups and a lot of companies downsizing normal everyday musical component systems, it is good to see Sony still have a Home Audio Range based around enjoying music on simpler level! Yeah, sure you can go out and buy numerous plastic docks on the market that will do for the garage or the kids room but for the enthusiast having a big piece of plastic playing their music just doesn’t cut it!
This is where the Sony MAP-S1 comes into place, as it can either be used as a standalone Multi-Source High-Resolution Player running a set of Bookshelf/Floorstander Speakers or as a Component in your existing System!
Again Sony have designed another easy to use unit that is not bad on the eyes so to say and even though its brushed aluminum casing is not a usual favourite with myself it has a very classy look about it, more of a place me on cabinet look where everyone can see me than a place in the cabinet away from people look! Even the controls on the MAP-S1 are classy with a slight retro look to them, this is something I do like a lot as their is just something appealing about retro looking home audio that has very modern features!
Once we had the Sony MAP-S1 setup in the Home Audio Lounge with a set of Sony SS-HA1B Bookshelf Speakers I put some music on via a USB to give the speakers some run in time, once the speakers had a couple of days play time on them it was now time to listen to some music and also check out the Sony MAP-S1’s features.
First of all, the features:
The Sony MAP-S1 has all the normal features that a everyday HiFi Media Unit would have like a Tuner, CD, USB, AUX & Bluetooth but also some features that will be new to a few people out there like DAB Tuner, Airplay, & DLNA Home Network Streaming. Airplay is something I have been using for quite sometime and playing your music wireless via Wifi does have its advantages over Bluetooth (Uses less power, better range, better sound quality), however the DLNA Home Network Streaming is something that is relatively new to myself but once you have it all setup properly I found it to be very interesting allowing me to stream my whole music selection from my PC!
Now for how it sounds:
Now that the Sony SS-HA1B have been run in and I’ve managed to spend close to a full working day listening to different music at varying volumes I can now truly comment on the sound produced though the Sony MAP-S1 into said speakers! The sound produced by this combo is stunning, with a very clean crisp sound that is produced by 100w RMS of clean amplification. The Sony MAP-S1 could easily be used to power some Floorstanders and I would go as far to say you would be surprised by not only the output produced by this little unit but also the sound quality too!
Specifications
AMPLIFIER
Power Output (RMS): 100W(S-Master HX)
Audio Line IN/OUT (Analogue): 1(RCA)/1(RCA)
Equalizer Function: Bass/Treble
Timer (Sleep/Play/Rec): Yes/Yes/-
Ethernet Port: 1
USB Port: 2
DLNA (DMP/DMR): 1/1
Function
CD: Yes
USB1: Yes
USB2: Yes
DAB: Yes
FM: Yes
AM: Yes
AirPlay: Yes
Home Network: Yes
Music Services: Yes
LINE IN1: Yes
Audio In1: Yes
Bluetooth: Yes
DECODING FORMATS
WAV: Yes
MP3: Yes
WMA: Yes
AAC: Yes
ALAC: Yes
FLAC: Yes
AIFF: Yes
DSD: Yes
TUNER
Station Preset (FM/AM/DAB+): FM/AM
CD/DVD PLAYER
CD/VCD/DVD Playback: Yes/-/-
CD-R/CD-RW Playback: Yes/Yes
MP3 Playback: Yes
Play Mode (Shuffle/Random/Program/Repeat): Yes/-/Yes/Yes
WEIGHT & DIMENSIONS
Main Unit Size (W x H x D): Approx. 251 x 115 x 290cm
Main Unit Weight: 5.7kg
USB PORT
Mass Storage Class Playability: MP3/WMA
MP3 Playback/Recording: Yes/Yes
Pro’s/Con’s
Pros: Beautiful sound, Compact size, almost endless Audio Source options, Wireless (WiFi) Network Streaming is very handy if your PC/MAC holds your music collection.
Cons: Doesn’t come in black. Setting up the Wireless (WiFi) Network Streaming can be confusing if you are not computer savvy.
Overall the Sony MAP-S1 is a very versatile Multi-Media Unit that can be used as standalone unit running a set of speakers or apart of your component system, with plenty of source options, beautiful clean sound with a nice simple stylish look to it! Would be perfect for an office, study, in a bedroom or even in your lounge!
Lance ‘Captain Z’ Wilson