This is not a surprise to anyone who's been paying attention to the sensor wars.
The current Sony APS-C sensor, used in the NEX, Sony D-5000, Pentax K-x, etc., appears to have leapfrogged the field in DR and high-ISO performance, and it approaches the performance we'd normally associate with much larger pixel sizes (Nikon D700, etc.). It's a remarkable achievement.
Only with the 7D is Canon starting to catch up to Sony. Canon appears to be a year behind Sony. Panasonic and Samsung appear to be another 6 months or so behind Canon.
Falk Lumo was probably the first (outside of the camera companies) to
fully appreciate, and report, just how good this generation of Sony sensors really is.