A:AnswerHi fizzEd, thanks for bringing this up. Please reach us at socialsupport@am.sony.com with your concern so we can further assist you. Please also include your contact and product information. We will do our best to help you. Regards, ^Ron
A:AnswerUnfortunately, a regular USB thumb (or external hard) drive with music files on it definitely will NOT work. The USB port on the Sony SRS-HG1 cannot convert a digital signal to analog. You must use a USC DAC (Digital to Analog Converter) between the USB drive and the speaker in order to use the USB DAC port. The DAC converts the signal to a format the speaker can play.
The Sony speakers that have DAC converters built-in, and thus can indeed play music files directly from a USB drive plugged into them are the Sony SRS-X88 ($499), SRS-X99 ($699), SRS-ZR7 ($299) & SRS-ZR5 ($199). In the attached screen shots you'll see my SRS-HG1 only has the "USB DAC" option, whereas my Sony SRS-X99 has both "USB DAC" (requires converter) and simply "USB" which would use the speaker's built-in DAC to convert the files - which is what you're looking for.
The Sony SRS-HG1 is an awesome high-fidelity speaker with a decent amount of bass for its size, but it's best used in a network setup - be it using Spotify Connect or Google Cast, or Bluetooth as a last resort. USB DAC or plugging in a music player (like an iPod) via the 3.5mm auxiliary audio input are also options though.
A:AnswerHi Kitty, We're sorry to hear that it's not pairing with your phone. Kindly refer to page 248 for troubleshooting steps to help isolate the issue. You may also check page 257 to reset the unit:
https://docs.sony.com/release//Help_4589712115.pdf
~Ralph
A:AnswerYes any device with Bluetooth is compatible. Googles casting functionality should also be available although if you have a very old Android OS you will need to make sure the Google Home App (formerly Chromecast) is compatible by attempting to download it from the play store.
A:AnswerIf you are looking for a wireless (WiFi connection) alternative, you may want to consider Sony's SRS ZR5 speaker.
Here is a link to my video review with info you may want to know about:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrvvVl58xPk
A:AnswerCurrently The "Xperia Agent" is a concept and it isn't known whether or not any currenly existing hardware from Sony or other manufacturers will be compatible.
A:AnswerYes, DSD audio can be streamed via BT from supported devices (I have no DSD audio and could not test the quality of DSD BT streaming) and via USB audio directly from a Win or Mac PC details and download links can be found in the devices instruction manual [It's against guidelines to post external links].
The software is very limited and you will be playing any related files through that software using its internal file browser though other software should be supported if your PC supports USB audio out. There is however a specific driver for this device I would recommend downloading that driver as well even if your PC recognizes and plays audio through this Speaker (I couldn't do anything without that driver on Win 7).
I have not found any information about connecting devices other than computers via USB to play any audio or perform firmware updates.
You can play music directly from USB drives, unfortunately the USB autoplay feature is limited only to MP3 files.
A:AnswerNo, they will remain paired until you manually cancel the pairing. They won't unpair by themselves, and they will automatically turn on with the sound bar too so long as you have them plugged into a power source and have enabled the network wake function. They also automatically go to sleep after 15 minutes of inactivity (this can be controlled via the Sony Music app).
A:AnswerIf your TV is off for too long then yes, you will need to turn the speakers on manually if it's not plugged into the wall. This speaker system will only stay in standby indefinitely if it is connected to an external power supply from there it can be turned on via a network connection remotely I don't remember attempting to turn the speakera on from standby via BT, but network remote on and playback functions work fine.