Hi-Res audio has been Sony’s proudest feature on its WALKMAN player line ups and XPERIA flagships, and it is no surprise that the company has decided to expand that high fidelity audio quality to cars this round by announcing a range of in-car products made for car audiophiles, simply imagine it as a modern Walkman in your car.
The RSX-GS9 is the first in-car receiver to support Hi-Res audio playback and was revealed back in IFA 2015, it features a single din form factor and will support DSD files and Sony’s very own DSEE HX sound upscaling technology. Sony officials has emphasized the use of its new Hi-Res audio player to be best experienced in premium and hybrid cars that has great noise isolation cabins, the great sound can also be attributed to the ESS ES9018s D/A converter that delivers 32-bit audio, transcodes analogue audio to an impressive dynamic range of up to 135dB and THD+N (total harmonic distortion and noise) of -120dB, which means you will be able to listen to background music instruments with superb clarity.
With a hairline brushed front panel and a large beautiful volume knob with built-in One Touch NFC pairing, the RSX-GX9 comes with a simplistic OLED display that shows audio modes and track information, it will also support Bluetooth aptX and LDAC wireless audio streaming connections, two USB Type A and a USB Micro-USB Type B port that support smartphones and Walkman devices. Last but not the least, the RSX-GX9 can also be controlled wirelessly with Sony’s SongPal app which can be downloaded for free from Google Play and App Store.
To complement the Hi-Res audio experience, Sony also introduced the XM-GS4 High Resolution Audio Amplifier that delivers a tremendous 700W of audio power and the XS-GS1 tweeter that delivers a superior frequency range of up to 50KHz. Sony has not announced any pricing for its in-car Hi-Res audio devices however it will be availabe for purchase starting December 2015, and you know you will have a hole to burn to be able to afford premium audio.
