Sony will bring high-resolution audio to trade shows and consumer events in a partnership with home and car audio installation company Whitledge Designs, which has added Sony’s in-dash high-res head unit to a 4,620-watt sound system installed in a Mercedes Benz cargo van.
“Since its inception, the Magic Bus has been highly acclaimed by numerous musicians, experts, and executives from across the industry,” Sony said.
Sony’s RSX-GS9 head unit, the industry’s first in-dash high-res head unit, will make its debut in the bus at THE Show Newport, the high-end audio show held at the Hotel Irvine from June 3-5. In the past few years, the Magic Bus has been exhibited at such venues as CES, Rocky Mountain Audiofest, and Cars and Coffee events.
The sound system was designed by Jon Whitledge, who founded Whitledge Designs in 2004 and has more than 27 years of experience in applied research, manufacturing, and product development.
“The Magic Bus is the culmination of my ongoing efforts to build the world’s finest mobile music system,” Whitledge said. “For nearly 10 years, it has been both a labor of love and a rolling laboratory to expand the art of sound. So it’s only fitting that Sony’s RSX-GS9 high-res audio player assume its proper place in the ultimate showcase for premium car entertainment.”
In its latest iteration, the sound system was redesigned to take advantage of the RSX-GS9’s 32-bit D/A converter from ESS Technology. The player achieves a dynamic range of up to 135dB and delivers low noise and distortion (-120dB), Sony said. All of the RSX-GS9’s primary components have been optimized to minimize electro-magnetic noise and time-based errors (jitter), Sony added.
