Sony High-Resolution Audio

The ASA recently upheld a complaint that Sony deceptively advertised its high-resolution audio products on its website. A consumer challenged whether the ad, and in particular some graphs (see below) illustrating sound accuracy, exaggerated the capabilities and benefits of high-resolution audio.

According to the ASA

Although we considered that whether or not different sounds were better or more pleasant to listen to was a matter of subjective opinion, we considered that the graphs implied that the sound quality produced by HRA was perceptibly different to CD audio quality. Because we had not seen evidence that was the case we concluded that the ad, and in particular the graphs, misleadingly exaggerated the capabilities and benefits of high-resolution audio.

In the UK, the ad must not appear again in its current form. But in the US, the claims are still running on the Sony website. If you’re interested in high-resolution audio, do your research and don’t rely solely on ads for information before you buy.