Those seeking the ultimate performance from a car audio system know that the result will only be as good as what you start with. Decades ago, many companies offered high-end CD players. These days, your options are limited when it comes to genuinely high-performance car audio source units. If support for hi-res, an impressive 10.1-inch display, wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, and iDatalink Maestro compatibility are on your list, then you’ll want to take a serious look at Sony’s flagship Mobile ES receiver – the XAV-9500ES.

Design Features of the Sony XAV-9500ES

The first thing you’ll notice is that the XAV-9500ES is a floating-face radio with a 10.1-inch capacitive touch anti-glare interface display with a 1280 by 720-pixel resolution. The display depth, angle, height and left-to-right alignment are adjustable, so your installer can make the radio look great in your dash. The radio’s main body is standard single-DIN so that it will fit in a variety of vehicles – even an ’89 Honda Civic — without any modifications. The display is impressively bright at 425 candela per square meter and offers a contrast ratio of 1000:1. Sony’s bezel-less design is used on this radio, so the display assembly looks smooth and clean – like it belongs in a car and not a spaceship.

The radio includes a 20-watt-per-channel amp to drive the front and rear speakers. The preamp outputs are rated to produce at least 5 volts of output and include adjustable frequency and slope high-pass crossovers on the front and rear channels and the subwoofer. In addition, Sony’s gone above and beyond by including an eight-band parametric EQ for each output channel and a master 14-band graphic equalizer to shape the system’s response to your listening preferences. There are also signal delay settings for each of the six outputs that your installer can use to ensure that the sound from each speaker arrives at the listening position simultaneously. When the system is configured correctly and used with properly installed speakers, you’ll experience smooth tonal balance and a realistic soundstage across the vehicle’s width – just as if you were at the console of a world-class recording studio.

Sony didn’t skimp on quality components inside the radio either. At the heart of the system is an Analog Devices 32-bit, 192-kHz compatible digital signal processor to handle the system calibration. The DSP feeds a state-of-the-art ESS Sable HiFi 32-bit high-performance digital-to-analog converter. Unlike most source units, the XAV-9500ES is Hi-Res Audio-certified and will output audio to 96 kHz instead of the usual 22 kHz of most radios. With the latest premium audio components, the XAV-9500ES offers performance that rivals that of many esoteric home audio source units costing in the five-digit range.

Source and Smartphone Integration Features

The XAV-9500ES includes wireless Apple CarPlay and both wired and wireless Android Auto. You can use either of these solutions with your smartphone’s voice recognition and digital assistant features to make phone calls, listen to and dictate responses to text messages or choose from dozens of entertainment options. There are dedicated apps including Spotify, YouTube Music, iHeartRadio and Tidal for music, and several options for those who enjoy audiobooks. In addition, you can get detailed navigation directions to almost anywhere in North America using Google Maps and Waze on both platforms, along with Apple Maps when using CarPlay.

The USB-C port on the rear of the chassis provides up to 3 amps of current to charge a smartphone or tablet. You can also connect a USB memory stick to the USB-C port on the back of the radio or through the included USB-C extension cable to play MP3, WMA, AAC, ALAC, FLAC, WAV and DSD/DSF audio files. Bluetooth audio streaming with support for the LDAC codec for Hi-Res Audio playback from supported devices is also included. There is, of course, an AM/FM receiver with RDS information display. Your installer can upgrade the radio with a SiriusXM satellite radio tuner for non-stop entertainment from coast to coast.

Speaking of upgrades, the XAV-9500ES is compatible with the iDatalink Maestro RR and RR2 vehicle integration interfaces. These modules allow the radio to communicate with the computers in your car or truck to display information on the screen or adjust the climate controls in some applications. Visit your local Sony retailer to learn more about what features the Maestro interfaces offer for your vehicle.

Upgrade Your Car Stereo with Sony Mobile ES

Many car audio brands are looking for ways to save money by reducing features and performance. However, Sony continues to deliver car audio solutions with exceptional sound quality and an extensive feature set. If the quality of your music matters, drop by a local authorized Sony Mobile ES retailer today and ask for a demonstration of the XAV-9500ES, along with their impressive speakers, amplifiers and subwoofers. You can learn more about Sony Mobile ES products by visiting their website or their Facebook page.
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When it comes to speakers for the front of your car or truck, the flagship Sony XS-163ES three-way component set from the Mobile ES Series is an excellent choice. The set includes a pair of 6.5-inch woofers, a pair of 3.5-inch midrange drivers, two soft-dome 1-inch tweeters and matching passive crossovers. Sony has combined premium designs and technologies to deliver a speaker system that sounds great and can reproduce your music at impressive volume levels. Let’s check them out!

Features of the Sony XS-163ES Speaker System

Starting with the 6.5-inch woofers, Sony has developed a five-beam basket that includes their Dynamic Air Diffuser technology that prevents pressure from building up under the cone and spider at high excursion levels. The result is a speaker that’s impressively linear when pushed hard. The cone on the woofer uses Sony’s Lightweight Rigid Aramid Fiber Matrix material to balance rigidity, damping and mass. The result is a cone design that’s 10 times as stiff as polypropylene, with excellent damping to prevent resonance and distortion. Furthering the efforts to quell distortion is Sony’s Separated Notch Edge Surround. This rubber surround includes small grooves that help prevent resonances at high frequencies, so your music is uncolored and clear. A set of mesh grilles is included for the woofers.

The Sony XS-163ES kit includes a pair of 3.5-inch midrange drivers that feature a powerful yet compact neodymium magnet housed inside the voice coil. The driver requires a mere 1 7/16 inch of mounting depth so that it will work in doors and dash locations. A rubber Separated Notch Edge Surround is employed on the midranges to allow for linear operation and distortion control.

Both the 6.5-inch woofers and the midrange driver feature an aluminum phase plug that assists in keeping the voice coil cool while eliminating the chances of distortion from an untamed dust cap. The stamped steel frames for the mids include venting under the spider plateau and mounting tabs with spacing to fit a variety of applications. The design of these drivers matches the larger woofers for a consistent look and similar excellent performance.

Sony’s 1-inch tweeters are based around a synthetic fabric soft dome design for smooth response. The Sony XS-163ES system is hi-res audio certified and offers output well beyond 20 kHz to ensure that your high-quality audio tracks sound amazing. The kit includes cups for surface and angled mounting applications, and the tweeters can be flush-mounted.

The three-way passive crossover networks from the Sony XS-163ES set are bi-amp capable with dedicated inputs for the woofer and a second for the mid and tweeter. The networks include a low-pass filter for the woofer, a bandpass crossover for the midrange and a high-pass filter for the tweeters. As such, they aren’t small – but they are necessary for the system to function reliably and sound excellent. A toggle switch allows your installer to adjust the tweeter output level to -3, 0 or +3 dB settings. The networks combine iron and air-core inductors with electrolytic and mylar foil capacitors.

Enhance Your Car Audio with a Three-Way Component Set

There are three significant benefits to using the Sony XS-163ES three-way component set for the front speakers in your vehicle. First, if you want to turn up the bass and really work the woofers, the midrange drivers will remain clear and detailed. Second, the sound dispersion pattern from the speakers is very even through the listening environment as larger drivers have to reproduce higher-frequency information. Lastly, and this depends a bit on your application, the system can produce a very stable soundstage because the midrange drivers are often mounted higher in the doors or the corners of the dash. When installed, configured and calibrated correctly, the result is a listening experience that can be incredibly realistic and detailed.

Upgrade Your Car Stereo with Sony Mobile ES Today!

If you are shopping for a premium speaker upgrade that won’t break the bank, drop by a local authorized Sony Mobile ES retailer and ask to audition the Sony XS-163ES three-way component speaker set. We know you’ll be impressed. You can learn more about Sony car audio products by visiting their website (https://electronics.sony.com/audio/c/car-marine-audio) and following them on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/sonycaraudiousa) to learn about all the cool new products they are bringing to the car audio market.
This article is written and produced by the team at www.BestCarAudio.com. Reproduction or use of any kind is prohibited without the express written permission of 1sixty8 media.

Looking for new speakers for your car or truck that will deliver detailed sound and impressive output? Look no further than the Sony XS-692ES 6×9-inch two-way component speaker set from the Mobile ES series. Let’s examine what Sony has done to make this speaker set unique.

Modern Component 6×9-inch Speaker Solution

The Sony XS-692ES speaker set was developed primarily for front-door applications where the tweeter is installed higher and farther forward to improve the perceived depth of the soundstage. With that said, they will also work fantastically on the rear parcel shelf of a sedan. The system includes a pair of 6×9-inch woofers, two soft-dome tweeters and a set of passive crossover networks. Sony rates each speaker system as producing 90 dB of output when powered with 1 watt and measured at 1 meter. Power handling is rated at 90 watts per the IEC 60269-5 standard and 110 watts by the CTA-2031 standard. A 100-watt-per-channel amp like the XM-4ES or XM-5ES is a perfect match.

The woofers from the Sony XS-692ES set feature the same lightweight rigid cellular cone design that Sony uses in the rest of the Mobile ES drivers. This cone material is low in mass while being solid and well-damped – the three critical components of a great speaker design. At the outer edge of the cone is a surround with what Sony calls a Separated Notch Edge design. These small notches help to improve driver linearity and high-excursion levels by allowing the surround to stretch and compress radially. The notches also reduce unwanted resonance. The combination results in a design that performs with impressively low distortion characteristics at high excursion levels. Sony has implemented a progressive spider to optimize efficiency while controlling cone motion at high power levels.

Sony uses a phase plug in the center of the driver rather than a dust cap. This choice once again reduces the potential for distortion, as dust caps are known to resonate and can color the sound. The aluminum phase plug is also one of the key components in keeping the voice coil cool to reduce power compression and optimize reliability. Sony designed the chassis of the woofer using their Dynamic Air Diffuser basket to further assist in keeping the voice coil assembly cool. The basket design allows air to flow around the motor and prevents pressure from building up in the spider and cone at high excursion levels.

The tweeters in the set have a synthetic fabric soft dome with a diameter of 1 inch. The low-mass design offers output that extends to 40 kHz, making them ideally compatible with high-resolution audio recordings. The voice coil is immersed in a magnetic fluid to increase efficiency and dramatically improve power handling. The kit includes surface- and angle-mounting options, or your installer can flush-mount the tweeter in your dash, doors or A pillar.

Finally, the passive crossover networks included with the Sony XS-692ES set feature air-core inductors and high-quality film capacitors for excellent linearity and efficiency. The networks feature an attenuator switch with 0 and -3 dB settings, so your installer can adjust the tweeter level based on its proximity to the woofer and the listening position. The crossover can also be wired in a bi-amped configuration with four amplifier channels for infinite adjustment over tweeter to midrange levels and the ability to add signal delays from a digital signal processor.

The 6×9 woofers have a mounting depth requirement of 2.875 inches. The tweeters require 0.75 inch of mounting depth when flush-mounted.

Premium Components and Design Deliver Amazing Performance

All the design elements and features we’ve mentioned combine to reduce distortion and improve clarity. Listening to the Sony XS-692ES will change how you think about car audio systems. Visit a local authorized Mobile ES retailer today to audition these speakers and the amplifiers, subwoofers and amazing source units from Sony. For more information on Mobile ES products, visit the Sony website.
This article is written and produced by the team at www.BestCarAudio.com. Reproduction or use of any kind is prohibited without the express written permission of 1sixty8 media.

When Sony relaunched the Mobile ES Series line of premium car audio products in 2021, the first subwoofer they announced was the XS-W104ES. This 10-inch subwoofer includes the performance-enhancing cone design, surround technologies and cooling innovations common to all speakers and subwoofers in the Mobile ES series. Let’s take a close look at the design of the driver and how it can be integrated into your car’s audio system.

Sony Mobile ES XS-W104ES Design Elements

The Sony XS-104ES 10-inch subwoofer is based on a five-spoke heavy-gauge stamped steel frame. The frame is concealed by an injection-molded shroud that helps to guide air around the motor assembly to improve cooling. Likewise, the design allows air under the spider to escape for additional cooling and to help reduce variances in linearity at high drive levels. Finally, a large vent through the pole piece offers the same benefits for the inside of the voice coil and motor assembly.

The subwoofer features Sony’s Lightweight Rigid Cellular Diaphragm cone design to offer a good balance of rigidity, mass and damping. These critical criteria need to be balanced in any speaker design. Sony’s LRCD design is 10 times more rigid than conventional polypropylene cones. At the outer edge of the woofer cone is Sony’s proprietary Separated Notch Edge Surround. The diagonal groves in this rubber surround help ensure linear operation at high excursion levels while adding damping to the design to prevent resonances that add distortion. The cone assembly is supported and centered by a progressive-rate spider with sewn-in tinsel leads. This spider design ensures excellent efficiency while providing the required cone-assembly excursion control at high volumes for reliable operation.

Electrical connections are handled by a set of gold-plated, spring-loaded terminals on the side of the basket near the spider mounting plateau. These terminals can accept up to 10-AWG wires for excellent power delivery. Sony finished off the top of the XS-W104ES with an injection-molded trim ring that conceals the mounting hardware for a neat look once installed.

By way of specifications, this subwoofer has a 450-watt continuous power handling rating compliant with the CTA-2031 standard. The peak power handling rating is 1,800 watts. Finally, the calculated efficiency is 86 dB when driven with 1 watt of power and measured at 1 meter.

Subwoofer Parameters and Application

While features are an essential part of any subwoofer design, how the suspension components and mass of the cone assembly interact with a specific enclosure determines the driver’s frequency response once it’s in your vehicle. The engineers at Sony designed the driver with a moderately compliant suspension that allows it to produce excellent low-frequency output from small enclosures. The XS-W104ES will work well in sealed enclosures with an internal volume as small as 0.5 cubic foot, but for the most low-frequency output, a 1-cubic-foot enclosure is ideal.

For those wanting a boost in subwoofer system efficiency, a vented enclosure is another option for this impressively flexible driver. The owner’s manual for the driver suggests a 1.44-cubic-foot enclosure tuned to 37 hertz. This enclosure offers about 10 dB more output at 40 hertz than the sealed enclosure designs with the same power. One subwoofer in a vented enclosure would outperform four identical drivers in a sealed enclosure.

Upgrade Your Car Audio System with Sony Mobile ES Subwoofers

Long-time readers or those who understand car audio system design know that adding a premium subwoofer to your car stereo is one of the best ways to improve its overall performance. Not only will a subwoofer like the XS-W104ES produce more deep bass, but it also will alleviate the need for the smaller speakers in the vehicle to reproduce those low frequencies. The small speakers will sound better, play louder and last much longer.

If you’re shopping for a premium subwoofer to upgrade your car audio system, drop by a local authorized Sony Mobile ES retailer and ask to audition the XS-W104ES subwoofer. You can learn more about Sony car audio products by visiting their website. Be sure to follow them on Facebook for all the latest news and updates on their car audio solutions.
This article is written and produced by the team at www.BestCarAudio.com. Reproduction or use of any kind is prohibited without the express written permission of 1sixty8 media.