It’s been over a year since Sony launched their first Mobile ES subwoofer – the XS-W104ES. The big brothers to this amazing driver are now available in the form of the 12-inch XS-W124ES and XS-W122ES drivers. Rated to handle 500 watts of power and designed to sound great in either sealed or vented enclosures, these are a perfect solution for those who want an audio system that delivers impressive bass.

Design and Performance-Enhancing Features

The XS-W124ES and XS-W122ES are the same drivers, except for the 4- and 2-ohm voice coil impedance options. These subwoofers are based on a heavy-gauge, five-beam, stamped-steel basket concealed behind a custom-tooled shroud. The shroud forces air from under the spider mounting plateau down across the magnet and out of the bottom of the speaker in what Sony calls their Dynamic Air Diffuser design. There’s a custom trim ring around the mounting ledge to conceal the hardware and give the driver a clean, tidy look once installed.

Like all the speakers and subwoofers in the Mobile ES Series, these 12-inch drivers use Sony’s Lightweight Rigid Cellular woofer cone. The cone design balances rigidity, mass and resonance damping to ensure that unwanted harmonic distortion isn’t added to the audio signal. Sony notes that their LRC cones are 10 times as rigid as conventional injection-molded polypropylene speaker cones. The cone is attached to the outer edge of the basket with Sony’s proprietary Separated Notch Edge Surround. This rubber surround includes angled notches that allow it to stretch and compress smoothly to improve linearity at high volume levels. The notches also prevent the surround itself from resonating and coloring the music produced by the driver. Finally, a rigid inverted dust cap in the center of the cone keeps debris out of the voice coil.

The Sony XS-W124ES and SX-W122ES drivers use two progressive-rate spiders to deliver excellent efficiency and appropriate damping at high excursion levels. The tinsel leads are sewn to the upper spider for quiet and reliable operation. The terminals will accept cables up to 10-AWG in size for efficient power transfer from your amplifier.

Sony rates these subwoofers as capable of handling 500 watts of continuous power in compliance with the CTA-2031 standard. Using the older IEC 60268-5 standard, the continuous power rating is 400 watts. Peak power is listed as being 2,000 watts.

Sony Mobile ES Car Audio Subwoofer Applications

Sony suggests that these subwoofers can be used in sealed enclosures with an internal volume of 0.84 cubic foot. In this application, the Qtc is up around 1.0 and the F3 is about 45 Hz from either model. For those craving serious low-frequency output, the suggested 1.34- or 1.6-cubic-foot enclosures from the owner’s manuals both deliver a boost in output of just over 6 dB. That means a single driver in a vented enclosure will play louder than two drivers in a sealed enclosure at all frequencies above 20 Hz. If you have room for the vented design – we highly recommend going that route.

Not surprisingly, these woofers are well-matched to the power production capabilities of the new Mobile ES amplifiers. A pair of XS-W124ES subwoofers wired in parallel is ideal for the XM-1ES monoblock. You could also use these with the 750-watt subwoofer channel on the XM-5ES five-channel system amplifier.

Experience the Elevated Standard of Car Audio with Sony Mobile ES

When the time comes to add deep and accurate bass to your car audio system, visit your local authorized Sony Mobile ES retailer and ask for a demonstration of the XS-W124ES or XS-W122ES 12-inch subwoofers. We know you’ll be impressed. To learn more about Sony Mobile ES and the rest of its impressive products, follow Sony Car Audio on Facebook.
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.

Hundreds of audio-video receiver options are available to upgrade your car’s or truck’s entertainment system. Selecting one that’s easy to use, reliable and sounds great is no easy task. The car audio team at Sony has combined the most sought-after features with state-of-the-art technologies to create the XAV-AX6000 digital media receiver. This radio includes wireless Apple CarPlay and both wired and wireless Android Auto, so your smartphone’s voice recognition and internet-connected features become a crucial part of providing you with the information and entertainment you want while driving.

Sony XAV-AX6000 Source Information

Most owners will connect their Sony XAV-AX6000 to their Android or Apple phone using Android Auto or Apple CarPlay to stream music from Pandora, Spotify, iHeartRadio or Tidal. You’ll also have the option of playing music files stored directly on the phone, which can be accessed using simple voice commands. Both Apple and Android-based phones can connect wirelessly to the radio using a Wi-Fi connection, so there are no cords or cables to worry about each time you get in or out of the vehicle. You can also use these smartphone connectivity solutions to get detailed, turn-by-turn navigation directions to almost any address, business or landmark in North America using Google, Waze or Apple maps. Both systems allow you to check your schedule, make phone calls, listen to incoming text messages and dictate a reply – all while keeping your eyes on the road and your hands on the steering wheel.

The XAV-AX6000 includes an AM/FM receiver with RDBS station information display. Users can connect a USB mass storage class device to play MP3, WMA, ACC, FLAC, WAV, ALAC or DSF/DSDIFF audio files with sampling rates up to 768 kHz (depending on the file format). The USB-C port on the rear of the chassis provides up to 3 amps of current to recharge your smartphone efficiently when connected. The XAV-AX6000 also has a micro-HDMI port on the back of the chassis so that you can connect a smartphone, computer or game system to the radio as an external multimedia source. Bluetooth audio streaming with support for high-resolution LDAC is built into the radio to maximize the sound quality of wireless audio playback on supported devices.

Connectivity and Control Options

The XAV-AX6000 features a 6.95-inch display with a capacitive-touch interface. The screen assembly is integrated into a bezel-less design that looks as though it belongs in the dash of your car, truck or SUV. A set of six hard buttons is included at the bottom of the screen to make volume, source selection, track selection and voice recognition activation easy without having to look at the radio.

In terms of audio features, the radio has a 20-watt-per-channel amplifier built in and can be connected to external amplifiers using the 5-volt front, rear and subwoofer preamp outputs. The XAV-AX6000, the XAV-AX4000 and the XAV-9500ES offer high- and low-pass filters on all four channels with slopes that are adjustable from -12 to -48 dB/octave. Your installer can fine-tune the installation with the five-channel time alignment settings and the 14-band graphic equalizer. Many users will appreciate the ability to change the background wallpaper to a JPEG image from a USB memory stick.

A backup camera input is also included to make it easy to see everything behind your vehicle while parking or maneuvering. The backup camera image will display automatically when the transmission is in reverse or can be selected manually from the source menu if you need to check on a trailer.

Sony has included support for the iDatalink Maestro RR and RR2 integration system. These modules allow the radio to talk to the computer network in your car to display information like engine speed, vehicle speed, coolant temperature and much more. Select applications include information like tire pressure, battery voltage and even climate control adjustment. Check with your local Sony retailer to learn more about your vehicle’s Maestro compatibility and features.

Upgrade Your Entertainment System with Sony

If you’re looking for a new radio to upgrade the sound quality, features and technology in your car, truck or SUV, drop by a local authorized Sony retailer and ask about the XAV-AX6000. Be sure to bring your smartphone to experience how intuitive and responsive the system is. To learn more about Sony car audio products, check out the Sony Car and Marine Audio website. You can also follow Sony on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube to keep up with their latest product releases and new information.

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.