4 -576 -9 51-12(1)
P ersonal Audio S ystem
Oper ating Instructions
©2015 Sony Corpor ation P rinted in China
ZS-PS55B
*
and VOL +
have a tactile dot.
The unit is not disconnect ed from the A C power
sourc e (mains) as long as it is connect ed to the wall
outlet, even if the unit itself has been turned off.
Do not install the applianc e in a confined spac e,
such as a bookcase or built -in cabinet.
Exc essive sound pr essure fr om earphones and
headphones can cause hearing los s.
Do not expose the ba tteries (battery pack or
batteries installed) t o ex ces sive heat such as
sunshine, fire or the like for a long time .
The nameplate is loca ted on the bott om exterior .
Basic Oper ations
Befor e using the unit
T o turn the power on or off
Pres s OPERA TE (or POWER)
. Y ou can also turn on
the power of this unit using the direct power -on
function (below).
In this manual, oper ations are mainly e xplained
using the direct power -on function.
T o use the dir ect power -on function
Pres s CD
, USB
, D AB/FM
, AUDIO IN
or
F A VORITE RADIO ST A TIONS (1-3)
while the unit is
turned off. The power turns on with the relevant
function selected.
T o adjust the volume
Pres s VOL + or
.
T o listen thr ough headphones
Connect headphones t o the (headphones) jack
.
Playing a music disc
1 Pr ess CD
to turn on the CD function.
2 Pr ess PUSH OPEN/CL OSE
, plac e a disc in
the CD compartment and then close the
compartment cover .
Label side up
The disc is loaded and the disc information
appears on the display .
To Do this
Find a point in a
track/file
(fast forwar d/
rewind)
Hold down
or
during playback, and r elease the
button at the desir ed point.
When locating a point while
paused, pr ess
to start
playback after the desire d point
is found.
* In progr am play mode, playback starts fr om the first
progr ammed track/file .
Tip
T o cancel the Resume Play , press
while the CD is
stopped.
Note
Resume Play is cancelled in the f ollowing cases:
When you open the CD compartment.
When you turn off the power .
Example of folder structur e and playing or der
The playing order of the folders and files is as
follows. However, the playing order may differ from
the original order on the disc, depending on the
rec ording me thod used.
Folder
MP3/WMA file
Notes on MP3/WMA discs
When a disc is loaded, the unit reads all the files on that
disc. During this time, “READING” is flashing. If there are
many folders or non-MP3/WMA files on the disc, it may
take a long time for play t o begin or for the ne xt MP3/
WMA file to start to play .
We r ecommend tha t non-MP3/WMA files or unneces sary
folders are e xcluded when cr eating MP3/WMA discs.
During playback, audio files other than MP3 and WMA
files are skipped even if those files ar e included in a folder .
The audio formats supported by this unit ar e as follows:
MP3: File ext ension “ .mp3”
WMA: File ext ension “ .wma”
Note that even if the file name has the c orrect file
extension but the actual file w as creat ed in a different
audio format, this unit may produce noise or may
malfunction.
MP3 PRO format is not supported.
WMA files encoded in WMA DRM, WMA Lossless and
WMA PRO formats canno t be played back.
This unit cannot play audio files on a disc in the following
cases:
When the total number of audio files e xc eeds 999 .
When the total number of folders on a single disc
ex ceeds 256 (including the “ROOT” folder).
When the directory level (folder dep ths) exc eeds 8
(including the “ROO T” folder).
Folder names can be displayed with up t o 32 charact ers,
including quotation marks.
File names can be displayed with up to 32 char acters,
including quotation marks and file e xtensions.
Characters and symbols that c annot be displayed by the
unit will appear as “_” .
This unit conforms to version 1. 0, 1.1, 2.2, 2.3 and 2.4 of the
ID3 tag format for MP3 files and the WMA t ag format
defined by the ASF specification (Adv anced S ystems
Format) f or WMA files. When a file has the ID3 or WMA tag
information, the song title, artist name, and album name
will be displayed. If a file does not have the tag
information, the unit displays as follows:
File name instead of the song title.
“NO ARTIST” message instead of the artist name.
“NO ALBUM” message instead of the album name .
ID3 and WMA tag information can be displaye d up to 64
characters.
Audio CD
T otal number of track s
T otal playing time
MP3/WMA disc
T otal number of folders*
* If MP3/WMA files are pr esent only in the root dir ectory
(“ROO T” folder), “1FLDR” appears on the display .
3 Press
to start playback.
T rack number or MP3/WMA
file number
Playing time
When you play an MP3/WMA disc, the folder
name*
1
and song title are displayed bef ore the
playing time*
2
appears.
*
1
If MP3/WMA files are pr esent only in the root dir ectory ,
“ROO T” appears on the display .
*
2
If the playing time is longer than 100 minutes, “--:--”
appears on the display .
Other oper ations
To Do this
P ause playback Press
. T o return t o
playback, pr ess the button
again.
Stop playback Press
. When you pr ess
after playback is stopped,
playback starts from the point
where you stoppe d playback
(Resume Play)*.
Select a folder
on an MP3/WMA
disc
Press
+ or
.
Select a track/
file
Press
or
. Y ou can
skip track s/files one by one.
W ARNING
T o reduce the risk of fir e, do not cover the ventilation
opening of the appliance with newspapers,
tablecloths, curtains, e tc. Do not expose the
appliance to nak ed flame sour ces (for e xample,
lighted candles).
T o reduce the risk of fir e or electric shock, do not
expose this appar atus to dripping or splashing, and
do not place objects fille d with liquids, such as
vases, on the apparatus.
As the main plug is used to disconne ct the unit from
the mains, conne ct the unit to an easily acc essible
AC outlet. Should you notice an abnormality in the
unit, disconne ct the main plug from the A C outlet
immediately .
P ower Sour c es
Connect the A C power cor d
, or insert six R14 (size C) batt eries (not supplied) into the ba ttery compartment
.
T o a wall outlet
T o AC IN
AC power c ord (supplied)
Rear
Notes
When using the radio on batteries and the ba ttery power drops to a c ertain level, the OPR/BA TT indicator
dims or power of
the radio may go off during playback. If this happens, replac e all the batteries with new ones. Even after the OPR/BA TT indicator
becomes dim, you can use the radio function for some time, although you cannot use the CD player . Befor e you replac e the
batteries, be sure to remove any CD and disconne ct any USB devices or optional c omponents from the unit.
T o use the unit on batteries, disc onnect the A C power cord fr om the unit and the wall outlet.
In standby mode with the AC power c ord conne cted, “ST ANDBY” appears on the display .
T o use the power -management function (Eur opean models only)
This unit is equipped with an automatic st andby function. With this function, the unit enters standby mode
automatically aft er about 15 minutes if ther e is no operation or audio signal output.
T o turn standby mode on or off, press V OL
while holding down TUNE +
. Each time you pr ess the buttons,
“ AUT O ST ANDBY ON” or “ AUT O ST ANDBY OFF” appears on the display .
Notes
The displayed content starts flashing on the display about 2 minutes bef ore entering st andby mode.
The automatic standby function is not av ailable with the FM function.
In the DAB function, if “NOSIGNAL ” or “OFF- AIR” remains displaye d for 15 minutes, the unit enters standby mode automatically .
Listening to music on a USB devic e
Y ou can listen to audio files stor ed on a USB devic e
(a digital music player or USB stor age media).
Audio files in MP3, WMA and AAC formats* c an be
played on this unit.
* Files with copyright pro tection (Digital Rights
Management) cannot be played on this unit.
Compa tible USB devices
Compatibility r equir ements for the USB devices ar e
as follows. Before using a device with this unit,
check that it meets the r equir ements.
Complianc e with USB 2.0 (F ull Speed)
Supports Mass Stor age mode*
* Mass Stor age mode is a mode that allows a USB devic e to
become ac cessible t o a host device, enabling file
transfers. Most USB devices support Mass Stor age mode.
1 Connect the USB devic e to the (USB) port
.
2 Pr ess USB
to turn on the USB function.
The volume label is displayed once , then the to tal
number of folders appears on the display .
T otal number of folders
3 Press
to start playback.
The folder name and song title are displaye d, and
then the file number and playing time appear .
File number
Playing time*
* If the playing time is longer than 100 minutes, “--:--”
appears on the display .
Other oper ations
To Do this
P ause playback Press
. T o return t o
playback, pr ess the button
again*
1
.
Stop playback Press
. When you pr ess
after playback is stopped,
playback starts from the point
where you stoppe d playback
(Resume Play)*
2
.
Select a folder
Press
+ or
.
Select a file Press
or
. Y ou can
skip files one by one.
T o skip files continuously , hold
down
or
and
release the button a t the desired
file.
Find a point in a
file
(fast forwar d/
rewind)
Hold down
or
during playback, and r elease the
button at the desir ed point.
When locating a point while
paused, pr ess
to start
playback after the desire d point
is found.
*
1
When playing a VBR MP3/WMA/AAC file, playback may
restart from a diff erent point.
*
2
In progr am play mode, playback starts from the first
progr ammed file.
Note
When removing a USB device , hold down
until
“NODEV” appears, and then turn off the unit or switch t o
other functions befor ehand. Removing the USB device
without performing these steps may corrup t the data on the
USB device or damage the device itself .
Example of folder structur e and playing or der
The playing order of the folders and files is as
follows. However, the playing order may differ from
the original order on the USB devic e, depending on
the rec ording me thod used.
Folder
USB device
MP3/WMA/AAC file
Notes on the USB devic e
It may take a long time befor e playback starts when:
the folder structure is c omplex.
the USB device is close to capacity .
When a USB device is connect ed, the unit r eads all the
files on the device. If there are many folders or files on the
device, it may take a long time for the unit to finish
reading them.
Do not connect a USB devic e to the unit through a USB
hub.
With some connected USB devic es, after an oper ation is
performed, there may be a delay bef ore it is performed by
this unit.
This unit may not support all the functions provided with
a connected USB devic e.
Do not save non-MP3/WMA/AAC files or unnec essary
folders to a USB devic e that contains MP3/WMA/AA C files.
During playback, audio files other than MP3, WMA and
AAC files ar e skipped even if those files are included in a
folder .
The audio formats supported by this unit ar e as follows:
MP3: file extension “ .mp3”
WMA: file extension “ .wma”
AAC: file extension “ .m4a, ” “ .3gp” and “ .mp4”
Note that even if the file name has the c orrect file
extension but the actual file w as creat ed in a different
audio format, this unit may produce noise or may
malfunction.
MP3 PRO format is not supported.
WMA files encoded in WMA DRM, WMA Lossless and
WMA PRO formats canno t be played back.
AAC files encoded in c opyright -prot ected AA C format
cannot be played back.
This unit supports the AAC-L C (AAC Low C omplexity)
profile.
This unit cannot play audio files on a USB device in the
following cases:
When the total number of audio files in a single folder
ex ceeds 999 .
When the total number of audio files on a single USB
device ex ce eds 5, 000.
When the total number of folders on a single USB
device ex ce eds 256 (including the “ROO T” folder).
When the directory level (folder depths) e xc eeds 8
(including the “ROO T” folder).
These numbers may vary depending on the file and folder
structure.
Compatibility with all enc oding/writing software is no t
guarante ed. If audio files on the USB device wer e
originally encoded with inc ompatible softwar e, those files
may produce noise or int errupted sound, or may not be
played back at all.
Folder names can be displayed with up t o 32 charact ers,
including quotation marks.
File names can be displayed with up to 32 char acters,
including quotation marks and file e xtensions.
Characters and symbols that c annot be displayed by the
unit will appear as “_” .
This unit conforms to version 1. 0, 1.1, 2.2, 2.3 and 2.4 of the
ID3 tag format for MP3 files, the WMA tag format defined
by the ASF specification (Advanc ed Syst ems Format) f or
WMA files, and the AAC tag f ormat for AA C files.
When a file has the ID3, WMA or AAC tag information, the
song title, artist name, and album name will be displayed.
If a file does not have the tag information, the unit
displays as follows:
File name instead of the song title.
“NO ARTIST” message instead of the artist name.
“NO ALBUM” message instead of the album name .
ID3, WMA and AAC tag information can be displayed up to
64 characters.
Listening to the r adio
1 Pr ess DAB/FM
repeat edly to turn on the
radio function and select the “DAB” or “FM”
band.
Reception of D AB/D AB+ r adio station
When you press D AB/FM
for the first time
after you purchase the unit, DAB auto tune
starts automatically and cr eates a list of
available services. During DAB auto tune, the
progr ess indica tor flashes on the display . Do
not pres s any buttons during D AB auto tune.
Scanning will be interrupt ed and the service
list may not be crea ted pr operly .
2 Perf orm tuning.
For tuning t o a DAB/D AB+ station
Pres s TUNE + or
repeat edly to tune to the
desired sta tion.
“SC” flashes on the display when the selecte d
primary station has a secondary service. Press
TUNE + or
to tune to the sec ondary service.
“SC” lights up when a sec ondary ser vice is
rec eived.
For tuning t o an FM station
Hold down TUNE + or
until the frequency
digits begin to change on the display .
The unit automatically sc ans the radio
frequencies and st ops when it finds a clear
station.
If you cannot tune to a st ation using automatic
tuning mode, press TUNE + or
repeat edly to
change the frequency st ep by step.
When an FM stere o broadcast is r ec eived, “ST”
lights up on the display .
Note
The unit of frequency of tuned sta tions is MHz.
Notes on D AB/DAB+ sta tions
When tuning to a DAB/D AB+ station, it may take a few
seconds befor e you hear any sound.
Primary service is automatically r eceived when sec ondary
service ends.
This tuner does not support data services.
T o make low sounds clear f or D AB/DAB+
r eception
The DRC (Dynamic range c ontrol) function mak es
low sounds clear even when you turn the volume
down.
Check that the DAB/D AB+ station you ar e listening
to conf orms to DRC.
1 Hold down PLA Y/FM MODE
until “DRC x”
appears on the display .
2 Pr ess TUNE + or
to select “2, ” “1” (default
setting) or “0.5 . ”
T o turn off the DRC function, select “0 . ”
3 Pr ess ENTER
.
T o run the DAB auto tune manually
If you have moved to another ar ea, per form the D AB
auto tune manually and re-r egister the c ontents of
broadcasts.
Hold down DAB/FM until “INITIAL ” and “SCAN?”
appear alternately on the display , and then pres s
ENTER .
Scanning begins. Depending on the DAB/DAB+
services available in your area, scanning may take a
few minutes.
When scanning is comple te, a list of available
services is creat ed.
Notes
If your country or region does not support DAB/D AB+
broadcasts, “NOSIGNAL ” appears on the display .
The currently stor ed list of available services will be
cleared onc e the DAB auto tune pr oces s has started.
T o improve r adio rec eption
Use the radio in a plac e where
radio signals c an be easily
rec eived such as near a window .
Also, adjust the antenna for good
rec eption.
Adjust the antenna to
improve FM r ecep tion. If the
stere o FM rec eption is noisy ,
press FM MODE
repeat edly
until “MONO” appears on the
display . Y ou will lose the
stere o effect, but the
rec eption will be impr oved.
If the rec eption pr oblem still persists, try changing
the installation loca tion.
Avoid plac es such as the following:
Between buildings
Nearby mobile
phones, electrical
appliances
On steel desks
or tables
Pr esetting stations to F A VORITE
RADIO ST A TIONS
Y ou can preset up t o three f avorite stations t o
F A VORITE RADIO ST A TIONS (1-3) buttons. Assign one
DAB or FM pr ogram f or each button.
1 Pr ess DAB/FM
repeat edly to turn on the
radio function and select the band “DAB” or
“FM. ”
2 T une to the station you want to pr eset.
3 Pr ess and hold the desire d F A VORITE RADIO
ST A TIONS (– SET) (1- 3) button
until you hear
a beep.
The tuned station is pr eset to the select ed button
of F A VORITE RADIO ST A TIONS (1-3) and the same
number as that of the button will light up on the
display .
(Example: Pr esetting FM 8 7 .50 MHz to number )
T o change the pr eset sta tion
Repeat steps 1 to 3 .
The preset st ation on the button will be r eplaced by
the new one.
Listening to pr eset stations with
F A V ORITE RADIO ST A TIONS
Pres s the desire d F A VORITE RADIO ST A TIONS (1-3)
button
.
Note
T o prevent the preset fr om being changed by mistake , do
not hold down the button. If doing so, the pr eset on the
button will be replac ed by the currently tuned st ation.
For cust omers in Eur ope
Notic e for customers: the following
information is only applic able to
equipment sold in countries applying EU
dir ectives
This product has been manuf actured by or on behalf
of Sony Corpor ation, 1-7 -1 Konan Mina to-k u T okyo,
108- 00 75 Japan. Inquiries related to pr oduct
complianc e based on European Union legisla tion
shall be addresse d to the authorize d repr esentative,
Sony Belgium, bijkant oor van Sony Eur ope Limited,
Da Vincilaan 7 -D1, 19 35 Zaventem, Belgium. F or any
service or guarant ee matters, please refer to the
addresses pr ovided in the separ ate service or
guarant ee documents.
Disposal of waste ba tteries and electrical
and electr onic equipment (applicable in
the Eur opean Union and other Eur opean
countries with separ ate collection
systems)
This symbol on the product, the battery
or on the packaging indicat es that the
product and the batt ery shall not be
treat ed as household waste . On c ertain
batteries this symbol might be used in
combination with a chemic al symbol.
The chemical symbols for mer cury (Hg) or lead (Pb)
are added if the batt ery contains mor e than
0. 0005% mer cury or 0.004% lead. By ensuring these
products and batt eries are disposed of c orre ctly , you
will help prevent pot entially negative conse quences
for the envir onment and human health which could
otherwise be caused by inappropria te wast e
handling. The r ecycling of the materials will help to
conserve natural r esour ces.
In case of products tha t for safe ty , performanc e or
data integrity r easons re quire a permanent
connection with an inc orpora ted batt ery , this batt ery
should be replac ed by qualified service staff only . T o
ensure that the ba ttery and the electrical and
electronic equipment will be tr eate d properly , hand
over these products at end-of-lif e to the applicable
collection point f or the recycling of electric al and
electronic equipment. For all other batt eries, please
view the section on how to r emove the battery from
the product safely . Hand the battery over to the
applicable colle ction point for the re cycling of waste
batteries. For more det ailed information about
recycling of this pr oduct or battery , please c ontact
your local Civic Office , your household w aste
disposal service or the shop where you pur chased
the product or batt ery .
Personal A udio System is designed t o be used
for playing back music sourc es on CDs or USB
devices and listening t o radio sta tions.