Audiophile Headunit

[Dev]

 I did some EQ shaping using my spectrum analyzer.
 I played a test tone and readjusted the gains and its cleaner now. This little subwoofer can keep up with my mid bass driver which is important for good blending. The system has so much attack that it actually sounds better in some ways than my Shanling DAP and my home system. I did not think that could be possible but it has lots of rumble like a real drum set. It must be because it is in a small confined area with limited volume.

 I like my home system for being relaxed but I wouldn't mind a second system that has a lot of dynamic punch like this even if it's exaggerated and fatiguing.   


 

[Dev]

 I bought a better oscilloscope to check my gains to make sure I am not clipping my mids. I do not hear any distortion and I have plenty of power being 90 watts RMS feed into one driver without any power robbing passive crossovers.
   
 This oscilloscope has a nice feature of capturing images.

 No clipping at full volume from the amp which is remarkable. I seen a YouTube video where they tested a similar Kenwood that has the same guts and its preamp outputs are over their rates specs of 5V and it plays clean at full volume. 

  This is what I got. No clipping. I could get more power but the door panels are at the limit. 

[Dev]

I asked the stereo gods something unreasonable in this day and age of mass marketed cheap nav units that have moved away from pro sound quality.
My current NAV unit is a compromise and it's very difficult to tune without a parametric EQ.

  The stereo gods have answered and have given me everything that I asked for which I did not think was remotely possible.

  1. Flac and DSD file support for 24 bit audio
  2. 3 way network with active crossovers
  3. Time alignment
  4. Parametric EQ. As a bonus it has the ability to tune each RCA channel like the Pioneer PRS line.
  5. 5 volt outputs that are low impedance.  This I was not expecting which makes a big difference.
  6. A music focused deck. Although it has Car play and some other things its UI is music centric with easy to access a music filing system.

  In addition to this it has quality audio grade components and a good DAC. It has capacitive touch as good as a smart phone. There is a hard off button and properly spaced volume buttons.

  The 10.1" version has been on the market for over a year but it was too expensive. They are now going to offer an 6.75" version which would be just right as I don't want a floating screen and it is a lot more reasonable in cost.

Incase anyone is looking for a real audiophile professional product this is it. I cant think of ever upgrading again.

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[Craigjm]

Not coming to Europe unfortunately

[Dev]

Sad to hear. Alpine has also come out with their offerings that does have a parametric EQ but they failed horribly because they have a poor active crossover network. Instead of being able to tune components independently they decide to tune for a basic system for a front and rear speaker system. Their crossovers do not have the proper high pass. 
 
From what I understand professional installers were consulted on the design and features for the Sony ES system.
 It's so sad that there is a disconnect from the engineers and audiophiles. Everything is about Car play and mirroring devices.

[Ardent]

I asked the stereo gods something unreasonable in this day and age of mass marketed cheap nav units that have moved away from pro sound quality.
My current NAV unit is a compromise and it's very difficult to tune without a parametric EQ.

  The stereo gods have answered and have given me everything that I asked for which I did not think was remotely possible.

  1. Flac and DSD file support for 24 bit audio
  2. 3 way network with active crossovers
  3. Time alignment
  4. Parametric EQ. As a bonus it has the ability to tune each RCA channel like the Pioneer PRS line.
  5. 5 volt outputs that are low impedance.  This I was not expecting which makes a big difference.
  6. A music focused deck. Although it has Car play and some other things its UI is music centric with easy to access a music filing system.

  In addition to this it has quality audio grade components and a good DAC. It has capacitive touch as good as a smart phone. There is a hard off button and properly spaced volume buttons.

  The 10.1" version has been on the market for over a year but it was too expensive. They are now going to offer an 6.75" version which would be just right as I don't want a floating screen and it is a lot more reasonable in cost.

Incase anyone is looking for a real audiophile professional product this is it. I cant think of ever upgrading again.

You cannot view this attachment.



 

Other than a Sony. I'm non the wiser what it is. Model number wise

[Dev]

Here you go.
Model: XAV-9000ES
https://electronics.sony.com/audio/car-marine-audio/mobile-es-series/p/xav9000es

Sony is a bit of a mixed bag. They make a lot of mass marketed cheap consumer garbage. Their car audio products are generally laughable.
However their XBR TV line and their Elevated Standard audio line which they brought back after three decades of absence is top notch.
 This particular deck will probably go up in value once they kill off the ES line again because I doubt they will sell many of these. Only old car audio hobbyists from the 90s would be interested. 

[Dev]

 I decided to take advantage of the sale on the 10.1" Mobil ES unit than waiting for the smaller version. I think I can get it to fit just right so it just covers the tops of the HAVC dials so it is in a position where it is easy to see and operate.

 This is the best deck I have come across in my life of car audio where it has a minimalistic approach for audiophiles. The UI is simple and the build quality is outstanding.
 
Looking forward to the install.

[Dev]

I finally got to hear the Sony ES for the first time. It sounds muddy so I had to make adjustments to the crossovers settings which improved it. I also entered in my previous time alignment settings and it imaged bad so I measured the distance between each driver and entered that calculation. I don't do it this way because it never sounds as good but this time it worked. 

I did a rough parametric EQ adjustment using my spectrum analyzer. This time I did it differently by tuning each driver separately to knock off the peaks. 

  Played my test tracks and it was a big improvement. It still has a long way to go but the ability to tune each driver independently is going beyond anything I had before except my home theater system which has that fictionality and it works. 

Very pleased with this unit as its everything I wished for except for one thing and that is a volume knob.
There is no point to upgrading and I hope it lasts as long as the car.

[Dev]

  The good thing about my tuning process is I have the ability to stop when I know its right.
 
I tried several ways to do this with A/B comparisons. What worked in the end is hard work using my spectrum analyzer tuning each driver using the parametric EQ. I was then able to turn on or off individual drivers and combine them to see where the problem areas are and isolate them. Then I combined all the channels and massage it once more.  This has taken days of comparisons further refining my tune.
 
 What I got was something jaw dropping. One of my previous radios from long ago was the bench mark for perfect and this Sony ES has exceeded it. There is so much 3D transparency like a bubble of sound all around you like a Dolby Atomos home theater system. You cant localize the music coming from the speakers.

 If I find a sound quality competition I think I would like to enter my car for fun just to see how the judges rate it.