Sony Bows DolbyÆ Digital Headphones

Sony Electronics has unveiled a set of headphones that reproduces Virtual DolbyÆ Digital surround sound from home audio/video sources such as DVDs,LaserDiscs, and satellite broadcasts. The new infrared, cordless MDR-DS5000 headphones feature a Dolby Digital decoder and exclusive Logic 3D digital processor.ìThe world of audio is rapidly becoming a multichannel world,î said Masa Yamamoto, Vice President of Accessory Marketing for Sony Electronics. The new headphones allow consumers ìto appreciate the full dynamics of 5.1-channel Dolby Digital surround sound, anytime, anywhere in their home,î Yamamoto added.The MDR-DS5000 system utilizes Head Related Transfer Functions (HRTFs), which psychoacoustically modify volume and frequency content. These factors are then applied to all 5.1 Dolby Digital channels to recreate the soundfield of an ideal listening room, providing the illusion of three-dimensional surround sound with the open-air headphones.The system will be available from select Sony dealers during the first quarter of 1999 at a suggested retail price of $499.