The emergence of the CAS-1 Desktop Micro Hi-Fi Music System indicates Sony’s interest in PC Hi-Fi, and the functionality of desktop speakers is no longer limited to traditional concepts: it does not merely amplify the analog audio input from a phone or player but can also serve as a USB sound card and power amplifier for personal computers, Android or iOS devices, and some Sony Walkman products, providing high-spec, high-quality output.
The entire CAS-1 consists of three parts: the receiver host and a pair of speakers. Compared to some desktop speakers that are getting larger and more cumbersome, the CAS-1 host is deliberately designed to be small and tall, occupying minimal precious desktop space. The casing features a rubber matte skin coating, and the metal matte volume knob on the front panel remains eye-catching, with seven white LEDs hidden in the gaps that light up sequentially to indicate the volume level when adjusted. The gold-plated headphone jack is centrally located at the bottom of the panel. The touch-sensitive power button and signal source selection button are located above; once powered on, the three signal source indicator lights automatically illuminate blue, indicating that the machine has entered standby mode, and the lit position changes with the input source selection. With the help of the smartphone app SongPal or the included remote control, users can easily operate various functions of the CAS-1.
The CAS-1 supports NFC one-touch connection and LDAC high-quality Bluetooth wireless transmission, allowing users to wirelessly play music files stored on their smartphones, tablets, or computers. Additionally, the USB A port on the front panel and the USB B port on the back can connect to USB drives or large-capacity hard drives, as well as directly to a computer for playback control. Furthermore, listening to music requires an amplifier, and the CAS-1 is equipped with two amplifier circuits to drive and optimize speakers or headphones separately. The built-in Class D digital amplifier provides ample power while also featuring a Low Volume mode that maintains excellent sound quality output even at low volumes. When using speakers, the S-Master HX all-digital amplifier, developed for Hi-Res audio, starts working, reducing distortion and noise across a wide frequency response range and reproducing rich details in high-frequency music. Most importantly, it delivers excellent sound quality in a compact size, and the appearance is quite textured.
The USB B port on the back can connect to USB drives or large-capacity hard drives, as well as directly to a computer for playback control.
The headphone amplifier circuit is also competent, utilizing the TPA6120A2 chip, which can match various impedance headphones. The headphone amplifier circuit is separated and independently optimized from the amplifier circuit, automatically cutting off the amplifier power when using headphone output to avoid mutual interference. The DAC decoding capability is excellent, meeting the decoding needs of high-resolution digital streaming music, supporting up to 24bit/384kHz PCM and DSD128. The DSEE HX (Digital Sound Enhancement Engine) enhances the high-frequency parts of lossy compressed audio files (MP3, AAC, etc.), elevating audio quality to near the 192kHz/24bit Hi-Res audio standard. In terms of formats, it supports decoding mainstream audio formats such as PCM 24bit/192kHz (WAV/FLAC/ALAC/AIFF), DSD, and AAC.
The front corner cones can be rotated and replaced with the randomly included high cones, allowing users to adjust the speaker’s angle for tuning, thus broadening the suitable listening distance range.
Next, let’s look at the accompanying speakers of the CAS-1, which are very compact and occupy minimal space. The front and back panels of the cabinet are made from 12mm thick medium-density fiberboard, with a deep brown veneer surface, giving it a top-notch texture. The 2-way, 2-driver design features a 14mm soft dome tweeter and a 62mm carbon fiber cone mid-bass driver. Additionally, there is a shallow dish-shaped waveguide surrounding the tweeter, which reduces high-frequency diffraction, helping to minimize the roughness of sound and allowing for a more natural transition between high and mid frequencies, enhancing the accuracy of sound localization. The speaker terminals are located on the back and support both banana plugs and standard wiring, allowing users to freely choose between the original speaker wire or upgrade to higher-end speaker wire for added fun. The CAS-1 adopts a bass-reflex design, with the reflex port located at the bottom of the cabinet; it is important to note that the protective sticker covering the reflex port must be removed before use. The cabinet is supported by four metal corner cones, allowing the bass airflow to radiate downwards and evenly disperse in all directions, effectively increasing the low-frequency presence. The design of these four corner cones has also been carefully considered, with rubber at the bottom to effectively reduce resonance, and the front corner cones can be rotated and replaced with the randomly included high cones, allowing users to adjust the speaker’s angle for tuning, thus broadening the suitable listening distance range. Furthermore, using the specially designed metal speaker stand for the CAS-1 can further reduce resonance with the desktop, enhancing sound quality. It can be said that SONY has truly put effort into the overall design of the CAS-1.
The CAS-1 adopts a bass-reflex design, with the reflex port located at the bottom, supported by four metal corner cones, allowing the bass airflow to radiate downwards and evenly disperse in all directions, effectively increasing the low-frequency presence.
During the listening process of the CAS-1, I initially connected it directly to my computer on the desktop, first using the Sony MDR-1A headphones. Since I am using Windows 10 on my Thinkpad, I connected the CAS-1 via USB without needing any driver; it connected immediately. The CAS-1 can be used as a pure headphone amplifier, and its characteristics show a clear advantage in the high-frequency range, with satisfactory control and sound layering in dynamic situations. The sound profile is primarily characterized by excellent resolution, making it quite versatile, as most headphones can be comfortably used with it. Moreover, the CAS-1 has put significant effort into its power supply design, and the S-Master HX pure digital amplifier can deliver greater output power. If you wish to experience DSD or high-definition audio through the CAS-1, it is recommended to use Foobar2000 on Windows or JRiver on Mac OSX, and Sony’s Hi-Res Player is highly recommended for users. Of course, it can also be paired with Sony Walkman products like the ZX1.
When it came time to listen to the accompanying speakers with the CAS-1, it truly gave me a new appreciation for this type of mini desktop audio. By utilizing the corner cones to adjust the speaker’s angle, the CAS-1 can reduce the listening distance to 75cm, allowing for the enjoyment of wonderful musical details and immersive soundstage positioning within reasonable desk space. The tonal quality exhibits a very neutral sound profile, outperforming similarly sized desktop speakers in terms of resolution and sound layering, without the overly direct and harsh characteristics often found in monitoring equipment, instead providing a sound with emotional depth. The vocal imaging is appropriately scaled, and it’s hard to believe that such a small speaker produces such clear sound, with subtle characteristics of the voice clearly conveyed, such as the raspy texture of the throat, lip sounds, and breath sounds during transitions, enriching the musical picture. The thickness of the vocals is quite good, without losing the clear outline of the imaging. During testing, it was found that playing high-resolution audio files such as DSD can significantly enhance the overall playback effect of the CAS-1.
The CAS-1 is equipped with two amplifier circuits, capable of separately driving and optimizing speakers or headphones.
The CAS-1 Desktop Micro Hi-Fi Music System may be small, but through the application of various unique Sony technologies, it captures the key to great sound—clarity, smoothness, and charm, without lacking the information needed to convey the characteristics of the vocals. Most importantly, I can listen at relatively high volumes while maintaining a sense of ease and comfort, without the narrowness or roughness often found in small speakers, allowing me to simply sit back and enjoy the music without concern for its size.
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