This is good.Newly -sensitive speaker released by new AIWA "Butterflyaudio"

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Photo: IMPRESS WATCH

■ Speaking of Aiwa from AIWA to AIWA, many Ojisan generations remind you of "TV video", which had dominated the world in the 1990s. For those who do not know, it has been sold well to students and others because the VHS video deck is built in the lower part of about 14 inches of CRT TV, so it is not necessary to purchase TV and video deck separately. 。 [See another image about this article] I purchased it for business use, which was because I was able to play the PAL video. The TV and the deck were synchronized, so even if the frame rate and the number of scanning lines were different, it was reflected. It was once an audio maker under Sony, but was merged with Sony in 2002 due to poor business performance. In 2004, the AIWA brand entered the MP3 player market, which was the rise of Chinese manufacturers at the time, and left a major impact. However, it did not last, and the brand converged in 2008. After that, Aiwa -brand, which was transferred from Sony in 2017, established Aiwa Corporation, which was revived. He has produced Bluetooth speakers, radio, etc. TV and online video players, but as a sharp product like Aiwa, "ButterFlyaudio" and "HPB-SW40" appeared in 2020 at crowdfunding Makuake. As a way of thinking, it can be said that it is a kind of shoulder speaker (shoulder speaker), but I was surprised at the fact that a speaker unit rising from a neck band. The crowdfunding was successfully finished, and it was officially released in the Awas Store. The price is 21,780 yen. It was scheduled to be released on February 14, but it seems that it has been changed to February 25 due to transportation delay. This time, we were able to borrow a sample machine of HPB-SW40 prior to general sales. Let's listen to the first Awa challenge. ■ A strong impactful appearance shoulder speaker, Sony launched "SRS-WS1" in October 2017 after listening to the sound of TV nearby. At one point, the production was unable to keep up due to unusual popularity, and the order was stopped. Other companies also enter this genre with different structures and designs, and now Panasonic, Sharp, JBL, Audio Technica, Sanwa Direct, and ELECOM are developing products. "ButterflyAudio" "HPB-SW40" is basically a product that forms that trend, but other products are based on the idea of ​​raising the sound from around the collarbone and reaching the ears. This is because the basic model Sony "SRS-WS1" was such a structure. However, the HPB-SW40 is the same product that is attached to the body with a neck band, but it is a bold idea product that launches a large-diameter speaker and sounds near the ears. At the time of crowdfunding, a method of deciding all three colors by voting at the time of support and purchase was to use six colors with the decided beige. As a result, it was decided to be beige, black and navy. This time I borrow navy. When it arrived first, it was a big box, so I thought it was something, but when it was transported, it opened in the horizontal direction and put it in a thin shape, so the area of ​​the box would be large. The product is a set of speakers and transmitter. The transmitter is for flying TV audio, but the speaker itself is connected directly to smartphones because it is connected to Bluetooth. By the way, the speaker is a structure in which two full -range speakers with a 100mm diameter are rising from the U -shaped shoulder. The speakers used in general headphones are about 40-50mm, so 100mm is quite large. It is a size that can be used as a bookshelf speaker in a box. The housing part is not wrapped in a cup, and is widely opened on the back. Since it is not originally attached to the ear, it is a super open type among the open types. Since it rotates at the root, the opening condition can be set freely. In addition, since it can be moved vertically, it can be set in the optimal position for the ear. A separate stopper is included, and by attaching it to the shoulder part, it prevents you from falling off the back. The arm part is cylindrical, a synthetic leather cover is applied only to the part that hits the neck, and the hit is soft. There is a power supply and pairing button on the left tip. The silver cap portion at the tip is slightly turned, which supports the volume up and down. If you hold it with twisting, it will skip and back the song. On the right is the button with mute, and press and hold it. If you press it short, the equalizer switching of the bass will be switched, and the setting of 6 levels will be rotated. The initial value is 4, but only the switching sound is heard every time you press it, and you have to listen to what is 4 and judge it. The difference from 6 to 1 can be known because the difference is large, but only when you return to 4, you want a different sound. Compatible Bluetooth codecs are SBC, AAC, APTX, AptX LL. The battery plays for 20 hours continuously for 2 hours. Battery 3.At 7V/700mAh, it is quite power -saving for the sound of a large -diameter speaker. Let's look at the transmitter side. It is small in the outer dimension of about 6 cm square, and has a power supply and input switching switch on the left. There is an LED indicating status at the top, indicating which codec is connected now. The back is a power supply terminal as a USB-TypeC terminal, the input is optical digital input x 2, and an analog stereo mini system. It is rare that there are two optical digital systems. There are three types of transmission codecs: SBC, APTX, and AptX LL, not AAC. ■ Low delay AptX LL Lives TV playback, first try TV voice regeneration. Shoulder speakers are often positioned for TV viewing, but many products are combined with transmitter because the TV does not support Bluetooth. There are many products that have lip syncs with the screen, but this unit is compatible with AptX LL between transmitter and speakers, and can be expected to be transmitted in low delay. The speakers do not support multi -points and cannot connect to transmitters and smartphones at the same time. When connected to the transmitter, it is initially connected by AptX, but if you press the power button shortly three times, it will switch to AptX LL connection. After that, it will be connected by AptX LL forever unless it is changed. First of all, I watched a variety show, but when connecting to AptX LL, the delay with the TV speaker was about 2 frames. Delays are not a concern for talk programs. Some TVs have an optical output timing adjustment function. The Toshiba REGZA used also had this setting, and when the timing was set to -2, the actual sound and timing from the TV were the same. The sound quality is also firmly bass, and it is much different from the built -in speaker. In the low -range, the energy attenuation due to distance is severe, so it takes considerable output to reach the bass to a remote place. On the other hand, this machine has only about 4 to 5 cm from the ears, so it does not require such a large output and is sufficient bass. The sound leaks to the surrounding area due to the structure, but it is surprisingly small when removed. Should I say that when I removed the headphones I was listening to at the medium volume? Still, if you wear it, you can hear it at a sufficient volume. Families in the same room may be a little worrisome, but once the room is divided, there is no complaint with sound leakage. The light input of the transmitter is only compatible with the linear PCM. Since Dolby Digital etc. cannot be decoded, it is necessary to pay attention to the light output setting on the TV side. ■ In music playback, you can get a new sound image space and listen to music playback from your smartphone. If you turn off the transmitter and turn the speaker in pairing mode, you can connect to the smartphone. Unfortunately, it is not high -resolution compatible, but when I listened to Donald Fagen "Morph THE CAT" from a playlist that always uses high -resolution that I always use in reviews, the sinking bass sound is fully reproduced and it is very far from my ears. I don't think I'm listening on a speaker. The amount of bass can be added with the equalizer of this unit, but the simply the distance to the ears is closer, the lower the bass. However, if you separate about 5cm from your ears, the sound image will add a sense of openness and three -dimensional effect. The speaker position can be sideways as well as the headphone, but if you defeat it slightly, you will feel more open and wrap it in a sound image that you have never experienced before. The interesting thing is when I listened to a spatial audio truck. Amazon Music has been able to provide spatial audio playback since September last year, but when you listen to the Liam Gallagher MTV Unplugged "CHAMPANE SUPERNOVA" on this unit, the sound is sounded. There is a unique three -dimensional effect as if surrounded by a sphere. There is no sense of size that makes the whole room image, but it feels like a sound space like a spacecraft helmet. It may not be correct to listen to spatial audio, but this is very interesting. I listened to Tears for Fears "Woman in Chains", which is a reference with non -high -resolution sound sources, but the deep echo space of the intro is played dry. However, the three -dimensional effect is very strong, and the headphones listening in headphones are considerably resolved. If only the neck is turned sideways, the speaker position remains the front of the body, so the speaker position shifts from the ear shaft. Then, since the sound pressure drops suddenly, it is possible to communicate with the family by turning the neck as it is as it is. In a sense, I don't need mute. ■ General theory At first, I thought it was a TV -related product, but when I played music, the sound image was quite interesting. Rather, I feel that my favorite is that. The bass can be set freely with the distance to the ear and the equalizer, and the spread condition can be adjusted physically. The sound quality has a playback ability that can withstand music appreciation, and it can be heard more than the speaker and the headphone, and you can feel the depth of the music. This is a good product. In fact, until February 13 just before the release, it was sold 20%off online store, but it is now returning to 21,870 yen. However, a little 20,000 yen in this sound is enough. Nowadays, there is a shortage of semiconductors, and it is becoming more difficult for any manufacturer to manufacture products, and if possible, I want to get the initial lot. In particular, this unit is likely to leave a name in history in terms of ideas, and it can be said that it is a highly valuable product.

AV Watch, Nobuyoshi Koji