# New Sony RSX-GS9



## fcarpio

It is finally out and in Stock at the Sonic website. 

Sony RSX-GS9










Let's discuss...


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## gumbeelee

If it only had a cd player, out the window for me!! It's still a sweet unit!!


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## gijoe

It would look so good with a proper screen! I'm looking forward to hearing from those who get this installed.


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## fcarpio

I know my biggest complaint is going to be browsing the tons of files and folders (500GB) I have on my hard drive from that tiny screen. To be honest, I hope Sony doesn't expect us to use that screen for browsing, there has to be something else to go with this unit to allow for that, like an external touch screen or something like that. Makes no sense.


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## Lycancatt

no optical input, headphone jack on the front so ugly! and no cd player for more than a pioneer p99 or clarion drz? yes it plays flac and alac which is nice but not for $500 difference


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## ErinH

I honestly have no idea wtf Sony was thinking with this headunit.


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## gijoe

ErinH said:


> I honestly have no idea wtf Sony was thinking with this headunit.


It seems like a poor choice if you want to get back into hi-fi car audio. Yes, most people are using an ipod, or hard drive, but many of us who would be interested in a high end piece like this still want a CD drive. For me, that's not a deal breaker, but if you make a deck exclusively around digital audio, you need to make the screen functional, how am I supposed to select albums/artists/songs on that screen? 

I do like the overall theme, I like the faceplate and the large knob, I like that there isn't a bunch of extra labels and stickers, but the knob should be further to the right, and the screen should be a proper size. That screen is absolutely a deal breaker, regardless of how the thing performs.


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## fcarpio

This what I got from Sonic staff regarding the screen question:

"Sony says that the RSX-GS9 was designed with external sources in mind, to which the browsing takes place on - not so much on the headunit itself. Moreover, there isn't an external 'monitor' nor is there one being developed".

So this tells me that Sony expects me to run this unit as a companion to my phone or tablet. If that is the case I just get a device to go toslink directly to my processor. I am pretty sure such device will cost me a lot less than 1500 bucks. Still makes no sense.


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## gijoe

fcarpio said:


> This what I got from Sonic staff regarding the screen question:
> 
> "Sony says that the RSX-GS9 was designed with external sources in mind, to which the browsing takes place on - not so much on the headunit itself. Moreover, there isn't an external 'monitor' nor is there one being developed".


That's a terrible design. I know a lot of people do this (and some prefer it) but driving around with an ipod in your hand switching songs is a terrible way of controlling music in a car.


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## fcarpio

gijoe said:


> fcarpio said:
> 
> 
> 
> This what I got from Sonic staff regarding the screen question:
> 
> "Sony says that the RSX-GS9 was designed with external sources in mind, to which the browsing takes place on - not so much on the headunit itself. Moreover, there isn't an external 'monitor' nor is there one being developed".
> 
> 
> 
> That's a terrible design. I know a lot of people do this (and some prefer it) but driving around with an ipod in your hand switching songs is a terrible way of controlling music in a car.
Click to expand...

Agree, that is terrible. Moving on now, nothing to see here.


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## WestCo

I still want one 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## rton20s

ErinH said:


> I honestly have no idea wtf Sony was thinking with this headunit.


Agreed. 

It's a half-assed attempt to re-enter the car audio SQ market. Maybe this is on purpose? Just to say "we tried." Perhaps more to do with what is happening internally at Sony, than to cater to our demographic. Or maybe, this is something the Japanese and SE Asian market will eat up? 

I really don't know. I just don't see it working here. Not at this ludicrous price point.


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## Mitsu1grn

Greetings!

This unit is not for everyone. I have had a Beta unit in my truck for over two months. I had to send that one back as the evaluation period was over and the launch of the unit was taking place. Am I putting another one back in my system? Bet your ass I am!

Agreed, its not for everyone. It is not designed for the masses. It is designed for the people who want the best possible playback of digital audio in their cars. In other words folks, its all about the music!

Having the ability to decode any file,( be it FLAC, AIFF, etc..). is huge for a lot of people. The unit can play standard rebook files up to the highest resolution (16/44.1; 96/24; 88.2/24; 172/24; 192/24; DSD). Since the home audiophiles have embraced computer audio and Sony has been doing a fantastic job creating pre amp/DAC's, it was only a matter of time for Sony to create one of these for the car. 

That is the reason why this unit was created folks. The ultra high end in home audio is where the money is at. Its not what Sony is selling in Wal Mart for 399.00 that is driving Sony sales and profits. Sony is not the only one doing this. Most of the high end and upper mid fi companies are making these units. The future of high end audio is in this area and Sony has been leading the parade. When Sony decided to release their DSD catalog to everyone for download, it opened the door for any company to include and license DSD decoding from Sony. That has occurred and the format is doing well and growing. Recently, I had the opportunity to take to several recording engineers who work with mainstream artists. They told me that they are adopting DSD in the studio as one of the formats they will be using from here on. Way better resolution, closer to the original as they have heard!
Thats what DSD does and that is why this unit was built. Its the future in their minds.

I know its not coming out of my system! I think its the future and its the closest thing to vinyl in my truck i have heard!

My two cents!

Nick


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## WestCo

I have heard from a few people that the sound is incredible on this thing. I couldn't care less about the display.


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## PianoMan

I have been a fan of SACD/DSD for many years (since Sony released the format to the masses a long time ago). The SQ is amazing - I have wanted for so long to have DSD capability in the car. Unfortunately, while waiting for this DSD source unit, I came to realize there is a dearth of source material being released in DSD (unless someone can point me to a treasure trove of DSD music lying around somewhere).

As much as I would hope this unit (and DSD in general) to do well, it will be an uphill battle to gain mass market adoption. Perhaps being a niche market, high-end/low volume may keep it going for Sony. Maybe the vinyl resurgence may lend a hand; in any case - I wish this unit luck, and happy to see Sony still focusing on SQ.

I agree somewhat on the display - it should be more functional. Perhaps it was an engineering decision (not much space in a DIN unit to cram in discrete analog components)? Sony really should consider a companion DIN display device - or perhaps something similar mounted to the front of a DIN dash mounted processor? It looks like it was expected for this unit to be a preamp/source control device?


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## Victor_inox

WestCo said:


> I have heard from a few people that the sound is incredible on this thing. I couldn't care less about the display.


ditto.


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## AAAAAAA

So the audio format is what makes this sound so good? If DSD takes off (unlikely, see SACD) I am sure even cheepo units will just adopt that format and make it available. Playing "formats" is usually a pretty easy feat.


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## TOOSTUBBORN2FAIL

And other units won't likely force you to navigate your music in an irresponsible and dangerous way.


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## Babs

gumbeelee said:


> If it only had a cd player, out the window for me!! It's still a sweet unit!!


That actually is not-so-secretly one of the things I like about it.. The entire guts of this thing is full of high-end goodness instead of a disk mech.



Lycancatt said:


> no optical input, headphone jack on the front so ugly! and no cd player for more than a pioneer p99 or clarion drz? yes it plays flac and alac which is nice but not for $500 difference


This unit is all about the guts. I'm going to place a bet not counting any DSP just left/right straight up audio this thing will better even the venerable 99RS.. Granted I'd be leaving the preamp alone running the digital output (which is a biggie).

Safe to say I'm a fanboi. Would I rather have it all behind a 2-din screen, hell yeahs, but it's do-able.


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## AAAAAAA

Babs said:


> That actually is not-so-secretly one of the things I like about it.. The entire guts of this thing is full of high-end goodness instead of a disk mech.


I would have assumed that it is mostly empty... no?


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## Mitsu1grn

For those of you who are suggesting its all about the DSD capability, let me clarify. 

The unit will upsample any signal coming into the unit via the USBII input. So, if you have a rebook CD file in FLAC, if your iPad, phone, Android device, etc....has the ability to play back FLAC or AIFF or whatever, the unit will upsample to at least 24/192 resolution. 

I demonstrated that capability at IASCA finals to a number of people going from standard 16/44.1 playback to up sampled playback and it wasn't even close. Pretty impressive in up sampling mode. Dynamic range was increased substantially, depth ,width, height was way better in up sampling mode. 

Like I said, its not for everyone. I will comment on the "unsafe" driving aspect of the unit. I has no problem in using the unit changing tracks or changing inputs while driving. All you need to do is pick up the remote and change volume, track up or down, mute, go to tuner or bluetooth the unit. Its all very simple. 

Granted, a bigger screen would make a lot of people happy, and I have no doubt that Sony is probably going to look into building one. 

As to the lower priced units in the near future, I am not betting on that to happen anytime soon. The DAC chips in this unit that must be used for the up sampling ability are the famous SABRE DAC ES9018 chips along with using an Asynchronous USB input which is capable of transmission of up to 192 Khz. Looking into the unit, if I was looking at this correctly, I was looking at separate power transformers for digital and analog sections of the unit. The internals are designed for maximum signal transfer with the cleanest signal possible given the size constraints of the unit. 

Again, this unit is not for everyone, nor was it intended to be!


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## Babs

AAAAAAA said:


> I would have assumed that it is mostly empty... no?


If the rest of the head unit were like your typical garden variety head unit, yes. 
However, No. 

Vid showing guts










Which has been my point for a long time.. Imagine all the cheddar you could put into a 2-din chassis if there were no amp section, no player, just a brain and preamp section or digi output section.


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## Mless5

Will pitch in from the industrial designer point of view: thing looks great, I bet it feels as good as it looks, but man, couldn't they put input on the back? They ruin the look as is, let alone when cable(s) will be sticking out front.


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## PianoMan

Babs said:


> Imagine all the cheddar you could put into a 2-din chassis if there were no amp section, no player, just a brain and preamp section or digi output section.


Cheddar... Nom, nom, nom...


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## Babs

Standard redbook cd has been the norm for so long, folks kinda have to experience higher formats to understand it's not all unlike going from laserdisc to DVD or DVD to Bluray. Just the next evolution. 


Sent from iPhone using Tapatalk


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## gumbeelee

Mless5 said:


> Will pitch in from the industrial designer point of view: thing looks great, I bet it feels as good as it looks, but man, couldn't they put input on the back? They ruin the look as is, let alone when cable(s) will be sticking out front.


Are all the input connectors on the front?


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## rton20s

Mitsu1grn said:


> Its not what Sony is selling in Wal Mart for 399.00 that is driving Sony sales and profits.


Ain't that the truth. Its not what Sony is selling *in any form of electronics* that is driving sales and profits.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/28/business/global/sonys-bread-and-butter-its-not-electronics.html?_r=0

Regardless of any other opinion I may have of the RSX-GS9, I'd be willing to bet my entire system that it is hands down the best head unit manufactured by any insurance company in the world.


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## Babs

gumbeelee said:


> Are all the input connectors on the front?


Nope.. USB2 on the back. USB1 and USB-DAC are on the front.

Alpine 149BT FOR SALE!  

Manual ... It's a good read.

Songpal demo..


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## Weigel21

With me, the screen is a major player in my decision, I can't stand single line displays that have to scroll for days to display the Artist/Ablum/Track/folder/etc etc. So unless they offer a larger multi-line display in the future, I'd never consider the HU, no matter how well it performs. 

Granted I'm a poor broke fool who can't justify $1K+ HU's, but still. I'd have never bought an Alpine CDA-9815, CDA-9833, CDA-117, Sony DSX-S200X (I know, not as good as the previous HUs, but I actually like it MUCH better than the CDA-117 it replaced), or Pioneer DEH-80PRS if they had such lousy screens as this "high-end" Sony.


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## Lycancatt

if it control a cd changer and had optical input to receive the signal from it, it'd be an amazing versital headunit.


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## Babs

Lycancatt said:


> if it control a cd changer and had optical input to receive the signal from it, it'd be an amazing versital headunit.


There are still CD changers out there? Retro!


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## Babs

Weigel21 said:


> With me, the screen is a major player in my decision, I can't stand single line displays that have to scroll for days to display the Artist/Ablum/Track/folder/etc etc. So unless they offer a larger multi-line display in the future, I'd never consider the HU, no matter how well it performs.


This thing is designed for device UI.. So your screen can be 3, 4, 5, 6" touchscreen. Trick is some ingenuity in simply mounting the device.. Having this for my iPhone I'd rock an iPad mini (or similarly sized mini tablet) on two nite-ize steelie mounts in about any car, if I couldn't come up with something better.

But there's the paradox of this thing.. Antiquated.. If I'm already using a mini iPad or similar, hell might as well just do a tablet dash install direct to DSP digital, abandon "head units" altogether, and call it done. It's already the phone device. It's already a media source 'switch'. 

Bam!


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## PianoMan

Now that's a nice install - sleek!

What processor are you feeding? And does it accept native DSD?


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## gijoe

Babs said:


> This thing is designed for device UI.. So your screen can be 3, 4, 5, 6" touchscreen. Trick is some ingenuity in simply mounting the device.. Having this for my iPhone I'd rock an iPad mini (or similarly sized mini tablet) on two nite-ize steelie mounts in about any car, if I couldn't come up with something better.
> 
> But there's the paradox of this thing.. Antiquated.. If I'm already using a mini iPad or similar, hell might as well just do a tablet dash install direct to DSP digital, abandon "head units" altogether, and call it done. It's already the phone device. It's already a media source 'switch'.
> 
> Bam!


I think you summed it up perfectly. If you are going to add a second device, like an ipad, for the display, there are other ways of doing it that would avoid an unnecessary $1,500 head unit. Might as well go straight to a DSP.

This Sony might have amazing sonics, but it just isn't going to cut it as far as I'm concerned. If they want these high end units to sell, they need to make them a bit more...accessible. If it only appeals to 9 people (like this new RSX-GS9) it will die in a few years. Look at how well rounded the P99 is, it's already discontinued. A unit as specialized as this Sony will last half as long on the market as the P99. I mean, if the brilliant P99 wasn't appealing enough to keep it going, how can this Sony work? The P99 isn't even common here, among dedicated hobbyists, let alone in the general public. This Sony is more expensive and even more limited. How they hell does Sony think this is going to end?


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## Babs

gijoe said:


> I mean, if the brilliant P99 wasn't appealing enough to keep it going, how can this Sony work? The P99 isn't even common here, among dedicated hobbyists, let alone in the general public.



Interesting though several of the better cars at the NCSQ meet were rockin a 99RS. I might need to stash one just because they're going away. End of an era. Dang they sound good. 



Sent from iPhone using Tapatalk


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## jpswanberg

Babs said:


> Standard redbook cd has been the norm for so long, folks kinda have to experience higher formats to understand it's not all unlike going from laserdisc to DVD or DVD to Bluray. Just the next evolution.
> 
> 
> Sent from iPhone using Tapatalk


Standard Redbook can sound really good. As good as a Japanese sacd only layer (with its green color) played back on a sacd deck? Of course not, but, and its a big but, the better the dac/transport etc., it can be much better than most people imagine or believe is possible. JPS


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## MB2008LTZ

For that kind of money I'll stick with my p99rs.


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## robert_wrath

I see Matt Roberts heavily modifying one of the in the future.


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## Bayboy

I still don't get it. A mechless deck touting high fidelity but offers fairly primitive contour controls which anyone in the hobby & business knows is the backbone of a good car audio system. Then offers an amp in the series that offers no furthering in at least the xover capabilities. Ummm... yeah. This is all too reminiscent of past Sony proprietary fails.


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## mrpeabody

Bayboy said:


> I still don't get it. A mechless deck touting high fidelity but offers fairly primitive contour controls which anyone in the hobby & business knows is the backbone of a good car audio system. Then offers an amp in the series that offers no furthering in at least the xover capabilities. Ummm... yeah. This is all too reminiscent of past Sony proprietary fails.


I'm assuming they're just hinging on the high def audio format.


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## robert_wrath

My question is: Any Apps for Expansion?


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## WestCo

robert_wrath said:


> I see Matt Roberts heavily modifying one of the in the future.


I don't know if this one needs mods... otherwise I would endorse and finance such an endeavor...

People are way too hung up on the display. Just fill a flash drive with high bitrate music, plug it in and press play. Seems like a simple enough concept.


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## haakono

Sony doesn't need to make this appeal to the masses.. Not any more than the $1200 DSD Walkman, or the $8000 XES-Z50 HU from back in the day:








(my personal unit, took me about 15+ years to finally find a XES setup at a livealbe price point)

They're not making this to start a DSD revolution in car audio, but it's nice to see them step back into higher end car audio after 10+ years of xplod crap (compared to what they used to make).


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## robert_wrath

WestCo said:


> I don't know if this one needs mods... otherwise I would endorse and finance such an endeavor...
> 
> People are way too hung up on the display. Just fill a flash drive with high bitrate music, plug it in and press play. Seems like a simple enough concept.


OPamps to start.


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## Bayboy

mrpeabody said:


> I'm assuming they're just hinging on the high def audio format.



Then the least they could do is have the headunit not include any processing since most who buy it will more than likely resort to an external processor. 

It's like in my situation... having started out with the 80prs, then going on to add a Helix since the 80 can not do exactly what I needed. Had a done a DSP to begin with, I probably wouldn't have used the 80 since it becomes rather redundant at that point despite the claims of how clean it plays. 

But time will tell for Sony if this was a good move. We all can speculate based off of past ventures, and it may be so. I just hate to see them lose their ass on this one and avoid anything else that would appear attractive to the SQ hobby.


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## Babs

Bayboy said:


> Then the least they could do is have the headunit not include any processing since most who buy it will more than likely resort to an external processor.
> 
> 
> 
> It's like in my situation... having started out with the 80prs, then going on to add a Helix since the 80 can not do exactly what I needed. Had a done a DSP to begin with, I probably wouldn't have used the 80 since it becomes rather redundant at that point despite the claims of how clean it plays.
> 
> 
> 
> But time will tell for Sony if this was a good move. We all can speculate based off of past ventures, and it may be so. I just hate to see them lose their ass on this one and avoid anything else that would appear attractive to the SQ hobby.



Well some will use it in a simple conventional setup as Sony markets it, and surely the internal crossovers are defeat able and nothing terribly extensive so it's less of an unused tool than say running an 80PRS or 99RS into external DSP. 


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## Bayboy

The 99rs is a different beast altogether though. I'm often tempted to get one and use it as intended. Personally, I wouldn't dare add a dsp to it. The 80 just misses the mark on 4-way, but the low cost makes justification easier to swallow.. The Sony.... well.... LOL


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## mrpeabody

I'll say this, it's a really expensive digital transport solution...


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## mrpeabody

Also, if you already have a helix i wouldn't go with a P99. It's way more limited in tuning capabilities. 

It's really pretty though.


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## Bayboy

mrpeabody said:


> Also, if you already have a helix i wouldn't go with a P99. It's way more limited in tuning capabilities.
> 
> It's really pretty though.


The P99 was a standalone consideration for a secondary vehicle. The Helix is in my daily driver.


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## mrpeabody

Bayboy said:


> The P99 was a standalone consideration for a secondary vehicle. The Helix is in my daily driver.


Ah cool, gotcha. It is my favorite piece of audio equipment, just feels special.


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## What?

CEoutlook Top 12 Volt Story for 2015 | ceoutlook.com


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## Precisionmike

Anyone using this deck? If so, with a processor?


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## Elektra

Mitsu1grn said:


> Greetings!
> 
> This unit is not for everyone. I have had a Beta unit in my truck for over two months. I had to send that one back as the evaluation period was over and the launch of the unit was taking place. Am I putting another one back in my system? Bet your ass I am!
> 
> Agreed, its not for everyone. It is not designed for the masses. It is designed for the people who want the best possible playback of digital audio in their cars. In other words folks, its all about the music!
> 
> Having the ability to decode any file,( be it FLAC, AIFF, etc..). is huge for a lot of people. The unit can play standard rebook files up to the highest resolution (16/44.1; 96/24; 88.2/24; 172/24; 192/24; DSD). Since the home audiophiles have embraced computer audio and Sony has been doing a fantastic job creating pre amp/DAC's, it was only a matter of time for Sony to create one of these for the car.
> 
> That is the reason why this unit was created folks. The ultra high end in home audio is where the money is at. Its not what Sony is selling in Wal Mart for 399.00 that is driving Sony sales and profits. Sony is not the only one doing this. Most of the high end and upper mid fi companies are making these units. The future of high end audio is in this area and Sony has been leading the parade. When Sony decided to release their DSD catalog to everyone for download, it opened the door for any company to include and license DSD decoding from Sony. That has occurred and the format is doing well and growing. Recently, I had the opportunity to take to several recording engineers who work with mainstream artists. They told me that they are adopting DSD in the studio as one of the formats they will be using from here on. Way better resolution, closer to the original as they have heard!
> Thats what DSD does and that is why this unit was built. Its the future in their minds.
> 
> I know its not coming out of my system! I think its the future and its the closest thing to vinyl in my truck i have heard!
> 
> My two cents!
> 
> Nick




Thanks Nick for your mini review - I am going to get one - regardless of the "aesthetic" annoyances - if it sounds good that's all that counts - besides I don't use CD's much anymore all my music is ripped Lossless on my iPhone...

Tell me did you connect it up via a DSP? Did you use RCA or the optical output? 

Please go a bit further into your setup for us.. It would be really helpful. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Precisionmike

I am also very curious about using the Sony with DSD and 24/192 music and going into a DSP. I planned on going analog out of the Sony (thus utilizing the ESS DAC), into either the Helix or ARC. My concern is if there will be reduction of resolution with the processor does the A/D, D/A conversion. I have asked many, cannot get a solid answer. I guess it depends on the chip limitations of the processor.


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## Mitsu1grn

Greetings!

My experience with the Mosconi processor has been extremely positive with the Sony. Going analog out of he Sony into the analog section of the 6 to 8 V8 works very well!

Is it as good as coming straight out of the Sony? No. I've bypassed the processor and there is a noticable difference in resolution. However, when driving down the highway I don't notice it due to the road noise. Is resolution better? Yes, even driving at 75 mph I can hear a difference. Higher resolution files obviously have a higher SNR and it is very apparent going through the processor. 

The limitation is the processor and it's pre amp section, but even so, there is a huge difference in overall SQ using the Sony. 

In August the new 8 to 12 dsp from Mosconi will be arriving and with SNR of 125 db and stereo separation of 115 db utilizing a 24/192 DAC, we should see a higher resolution than what we are seeing now with the 6 to 8. Can't wait!


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## Babs

Just to comfirm, the EQ on this unit is just a single global EQ correct? Meaning there's no left/right separate EQ's?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Elektra

I think this unit will be better in about a year or two when hi-Res catches on more with the DSP makers... 24/192 will be a minimum - your start seeing 32bit resolution coming out 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## E63M6

One of these just popped up in the classifieds and is brand new for a great price. So tempting...


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## hiramgarza

Mitsu1grn said:


> Greetings!
> 
> My experience with the Mosconi processor has been extremely positive with the Sony. Going analog out of he Sony into the analog section of the 6 to 8 V8 works very well!
> 
> Is it as good as coming straight out of the Sony? No. I've bypassed the processor and there is a noticable difference in resolution. However, when driving down the highway I don't notice it due to the road noise. Is resolution better? Yes, even driving at 75 mph I can hear a difference. Higher resolution files obviously have a higher SNR and it is very apparent going through the processor.
> 
> The limitation is the processor and it's pre amp section, but even so, there is a huge difference in overall SQ using the Sony.
> 
> In August the new 8 to 12 dsp from Mosconi will be arriving and with SNR of 125 db and stereo separation of 115 db utilizing a 24/192 DAC, we should see a higher resolution than what we are seeing now with the 6 to 8. Can't wait!


Hello finally install the HU Sony RSX-GS9 in my Mazda 6 and can conclude that it is the best head unit I've had, the change to use CD to USB was difficult for me but the daily use made will adapt me fast, the sound is much better than my previous Alpine N957HD, the use with the Sony app (SongPal) is very intuitive, Nick listening to the unit in the finals of Alabama in your Chevy made the want in my car, the analog or digital use are very good (I accompany with a DSP Mosconi 6to8V8), I hope soon to do a full review of the Sony head unit.

Greetings from Monterrey Mexico!

Hiram Garza








My olds C90´s


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## Elektra

hiramgarza said:


> Hello finally install the HU Sony RSX-GS9 in my Mazda 6 and can conclude that it is the best head unit I've had, the change to use CD to USB was difficult for me but the daily use made will adapt me fast, the sound is much better than my previous Alpine N957HD, the use with the Sony app (SongPal) is very intuitive, Nick listening to the unit in the finals of Alabama in your Chevy made the want in my car, the analog or digital use are very good (I accompany with a DSP Mosconi 6to8V8), I hope soon to do a full review of the Sony head unit.
> 
> Greetings from Monterrey Mexico!
> 
> Hiram Garza
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> My olds C90´s




Tell me did you use the optical or analogue from the Sony? Did you try both ways? Which was best?


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## hiramgarza

Elektra said:


> Tell me did you use the optical or analogue from the Sony? Did you try both ways? Which was best?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Actually use both but digital for my is better but on digital i can't use the head unit volume knob, analogue its very good too. For the daily use i prefer analogue and for demo sessions i prefer digital.

Enviado desde mi XT1563 mediante Tapatalk


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## subterFUSE

I noticed that the Sony GS9 also has an AUX2 input for high level signals.

The manual shows the high level connection, but it does not say how you select that source for listening on the head unit.


Does anyone know if the source must be selected manually by pressing a button, or can the source selection be done automatically by signal detection?


I am asking because it might be nice to have my car's factory navigation voice play over the Sony and therefore over my main speakers. But this would only be practical if the high level input could be automatically detected and switched.


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## gumbeelee

subterFUSE said:


> I noticed that the Sony GS9 also has an AUX2 input for high level signals.
> 
> 
> 
> The manual shows the high level connection, but it does not say how you select that source for listening on the head unit.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Does anyone know if the source must be selected manually by pressing a button, or can the source selection be done automatically by signal detection?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I am asking because it might be nice to have my car's factory navigation voice play over the Sony and therefore over my main speakers. But this would only be practical if the high level input could be automatically detected and switched.




I believe my buddy has his setup like this. I believe its automatic detection but could be wrong. He gots off work at 6, I will check with him then and let u know.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## subterFUSE

gumbeelee said:


> I believe my buddy has his setup like this. I believe its automatic detection but could be wrong. He gots off work at 6, I will check with him then and let u know.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Sweet...


Basically, what I am after is being able to listen to hi res music on a USB stick, but then the Navigation voice kicks in and mutes the music, gives me the instructions, and then lets the music start up again.

Also, it might let me keep the bluetooth phone connection with the car instead of using the bluetooth mic on the GS9 itself. Bluetooth on the car is better because of the video screen to show the info.


----------



## gumbeelee

subterFUSE said:


> Sweet...
> 
> 
> Basically, what I am after is being able to listen to hi res music on a USB stick, but then the Navigation voice kicks in and mutes the music, gives me the instructions, and then lets the music start up again.
> 
> Also, it might let me keep the bluetooth phone connection with the car instead of using the bluetooth mic on the GS9 itself. Bluetooth on the car is better because of the video screen to show the info.




I will surely let u know what i find out


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## ErinH

I'm sure this is in the manual somewhere but it's not jumping out at me...

Can someone tell me the following regarding the DSP section of this headunit:
What are the T/A adjustments in (0.02ms, etc)?
How much delay (in ms or distance units) be applied?
How does the 10 bands of EQ get applied? Are they parametric or graphic? How adjustable (Q and level) are the bands, or are they fixed?
Are there any level adjustments besides the standard balance/fade?

Thanks in advance.


----------



## subterFUSE

ErinH said:


> I'm sure this is in the manual somewhere but it's not jumping out at me...
> 
> Can someone tell me the following regarding the DSP section of this headunit:
> What are the T/A adjustments in (0.02ms, etc)?
> How much delay (in ms or distance units) be applied?
> How does the 10 bands of EQ get applied? Are they parametric or graphic? How adjustable (Q and level) are the bands, or are they fixed?
> Are there any level adjustments besides the standard balance/fade?
> 
> Thanks in advance.


The manual is actually quite worthless. Does not cover any of the sections in any detail.

The delay limits are 0 - 350 cm.

It only says there is an EQ10 Preset with 10 slots available. Says nothing about how many bands or whether it's GEQ or PEQ.

There is a picture of the EQ from the iPhone app that shows a 10 band GEW with +/- 6dB gain sliders. Frequencies appear fixed.


----------



## ErinH

subterFUSE said:


> The manual is actually quite worthless. Does not cover any of the sections in any detail.
> 
> The delay limits are 0 - 350 cm.
> 
> It only says there is an EQ10 Preset with 10 slots available. Says nothing about how many bands or whether it's GEQ or PEQ.


yea, that's what I found. I thought maybe I was missing something. but I figured not...

hopefully someone who owns this can answer these questions.


----------



## subterFUSE

ErinH said:


> yea, that's what I found. I thought maybe I was missing something. but I figured not...
> 
> hopefully someone who owns this can answer these questions.



My impression is that if anyone is thinking this deck will replace a DSP, they will be disappointed.

Use it for what it's worth.... a great source.


----------



## ErinH

Oh, I know that. But I still have questions and a purpose for those questions.


----------



## E63M6

Damn, this guy just put two brand new RSX-GS9 up in the classifieds for $1,000 each. 

FS: Brand New Sony RSX-GS9 Hi-Resolution - $ 1,000 Shipped - Car Audio | DiyMobileAudio.com | Car Stereo Forum


----------



## ErinH

Well, since I had curiosities about this I decided to buy it and try it out. Been talking about it a good bit over on CAJ so if you want to keep up with my thoughts go start here:
Erin's 2006 Civic Sedan - Page 91



I'll leave a teaser here....


----------



## mcintoshi

ErinH said:


> Well, since I had curiosities about this I decided to buy it and try it out. Been talking about it a good bit over on CAJ so if you want to keep up with my thoughts go start here:
> Erin's 2006 Civic Sedan - Page 91


I read your question about the micro usb on the front of the Sony on the other thread. It is for any DSD files larger than the 2.8Mhz/64fs. You can play the 2.8's through the USB2 if you have them loaded on a flash drive, but you need the front DAC to play the 5.6Mhz/128fs. 

I have played the 2.8s through both ports, I can't say I can hear a difference. When you play it through the micro port, the DSD functionality in the advance sound settings of the app become active. I do not have any 5.6 music so I am not sure how those sound. Hard to imagine the quality getting any better!


----------



## Elgrosso

Wow they look nice together, not exactly the same color but pretty good match!


----------



## Elgrosso

Got mine last week, wanted to install it yesterday.
The unit is nice for sure, typical intemporal style, the knob feeling is great, but...
I checked clearance and it's just not rigth, my console is big and I underestimated this.
The oem HU is quite large but also its faceplate is 3/4cm deep.
Result, the unit and especially the knob is too far inside even with some adapter, really not handy. 
I could of course work it with fiber etc but it will still look silly.
Just too small lost in the middle.
I didn't even plug anything to keep a clean return.
Maybe I'll go with a ddrc, it will fit I checked.


----------



## speakerman99

External storage question:
I have no issues adding a flash drive, but the Sony will not recognize a 2.5" external drive. Finally found some documentation where it states only external storage with separate power supplies will work..... Tried adding a powered USB hub just for good measure and no luck. 

Can anyone confirm if a SSD drive can be powered without separate power supply? If not, what other hard drives have you used that worked?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Babs

ErinH said:


> Well, since I had curiosities about this I decided to buy it and try it out. Been talking about it a good bit over on CAJ so if you want to keep up with my thoughts go start here:
> Erin's 2006 Civic Sedan - Page 91
> 
> 
> 
> I'll leave a teaser here....



That Sony with the Mc meter might have also looked cool. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## mcintoshi

speakerman99 said:


> External storage question:
> I have no issues adding a flash drive, but the Sony will not recognize a 2.5" external drive. Finally found some documentation where it states only external storage with separate power supplies will work..... Tried adding a powered USB hub just for good measure and no luck.
> 
> Can anyone confirm if a SSD drive can be powered without separate power supply? If not, what other hard drives have you used that worked?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I heard that the unit struggled with anything other than a flash drive. I use a 128GB drive with little to no issues. It takes about a minute to index all the music before you can see all the albums on the app.


----------



## speakerman99

mcintoshi said:


> I heard that the unit struggled with anything other than a flash drive.....



That's my fear. Already bough a USB powered drive assuming it would work. Would like to confirm that drives with external power supply work before wasting another $1.99!!



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Niebur3

^^You are worried about $1.99?


----------



## speakerman99

Niebur3 said:


> ^^You are worried about $1.99?




"My apologies I'll start putting quotations around sarcasm" 

Translation $200+ for large SSD or mobile drive.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## speakerman99

I cobbled together an old desktop hard drive with external power supply and USB to Sony. Formatted drive with "music" folder under the root directory, per instructions, and still no files recognized. 

Any ideas? 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## subterFUSE

Hey guys. Here is what I need to know about the Sony head unit.

I know that it has a pair of high level inputs on it. What I need to know is how you switch to that source?
Is it auto sensing? Or do you have to select a button to switch inputs?

The reason I am asking is because I want know know if I can plug the high level outputs from my OEM stereo into the Sony and then when the navigation instructions come in, it could mute the music momentarily and then give the nav directions.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## gregerst22

I'm having trouble finding the physical dimensions. Anybody know what the depth is?


----------



## speakerman99

gregerst22 said:


> I'm having trouble finding the physical dimensions. Anybody know what the depth is?




A little over 6" deep










Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Niebur3

subterFUSE said:


> Hey guys. Here is what I need to know about the Sony head unit.
> 
> I know that it has a pair of high level inputs on it. What I need to know is how you switch to that source?
> Is it auto sensing? Or do you have to select a button to switch inputs?
> 
> The reason I am asking is because I want know know if I can plug the high level outputs from my OEM stereo into the Sony and then when the navigation instructions come in, it could mute the music momentarily and then give the nav directions.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


You have to manually switch the inputs.

If you use your iphone/ipad for music and you are streaming via Bluetooth, then the music will cut out for Nav directions (if using Nav on your phone).


----------



## speakerman99

Niebur3 said:


> You have to manually switch the inputs.
> 
> If you use your iphone/ipad for music and you are streaming via Bluetooth, then the music will cut out for Nav directions (if using Nav on your phone).




+1 for manual. I was wondering the same thing so I wired the Sony up on my bench. High-level source only available when AUX2 input manually selected. 

To test: Ran music from iPad over BT using app. Let it play a few seconds, started secondary high-level signal to simulate OEM nav.... and nothing. I guess the auto sensing feature on my Helix has me taking such creature comforts for granted 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Elektra

Does the Sony have crossover settings - like can I bandpass the mids and the tweeters? I have read the Sony's manual and I don't see anything about crossovers - short of powering mine up and go through the menus...

Can anyone assist?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## subterFUSE

speakerman99 said:


> +1 for manual. I was wondering the same thing so I wired the Sony up on my bench. High-level source only available when AUX2 input manually selected.
> 
> To test: Ran music from iPad over BT using app. Let it play a few seconds, started secondary high-level signal to simulate OEM nav.... and nothing. I guess the auto sensing feature on my Helix has me taking such creature comforts for granted
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk




But does the auto sensing on the Helix work for the high level inputs? I know that the digital and Aux can trigger signal sensing source switch, but does it work the other way around?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## speakerman99

Yes it works flawless between high level and optical. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## subterFUSE

speakerman99 said:


> Yes it works flawless between high level and optical.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk




Are you sure it will allow high level to have priority? I know it will let optical or AUX to interrupt the main. But I was not sure Main could interrupt optical or AUX?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## speakerman99

subterFUSE said:


> Are you sure it will allow high level to have priority? I know it will let optical or AUX to interrupt the main. But I was not sure Main could interrupt optical or AUX?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk




Yes sir. Working daily in my pickup for 6 months now with a P6MKII.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## subterFUSE

Cool thanks!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## speakerman99

subterFUSE said:


> Cool thanks!
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Thinking about your question some more and I think I might have spoke too soon.....I typically play from my phone over airplay and digital into the P6. Optical has priority. When I get a phone call the phone (not the P6) auto-mutes the music app and airplay. Phone call seamlessly switches to the oem bluetooth connection which is providing high-level inputs into the p6.

The P6 drops digital signal in favor of the high-level OEM BT, inspite of the high-level signal rather than because of the high-level signal. All this happens automatically, but it's not exactly what you're asking so I wanted to clarify.


----------



## subterFUSE

This was my concern. I know the AUX and Optical inputs have priority settings, but not the Main.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## speakerman99

While I am eating crow tonight, I think I've figured out the hard drive issues. I glossed over the file system requirements. The Sony requires 1 of 3 FAT file structures (exFAT/16/32) which most flash drives come with already. External hard drives typically run with Windows NTFS or Mac equivalent. Because of this The Sony won't recognize most portable hard drives out of the box. Further Windows disk mgt. utility doest offer FAT reformat option. Had to format from a command prompt. Warning, my 2tb drive is going to take about 8 hours to reformat. I'll report back results. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## speakerman99

Elektra said:


> Does the Sony have crossover settings - like can I bandpass the mids and the tweeters? I have read the Sony's manual and I don't see anything about crossovers - short of powering mine up and go through the menus...
> 
> Can anyone assist?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk




Mine is powered up on the bench and the only xover settings I can find are for the sub. "Advanced" sound settings only changes TA/position control options. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## BlackHHR

Would a processor with a sound card open a new door for the sony users?


----------



## speakerman99

BlackHHR said:


> Would a processor with a sound card open a new door for the sony users?




Could you clarify? Options are always fun but I'm not sure where you are headed?? Are you thinking for additional I/O options or media integration? I think most users here that splurged for the Sony already have dsp in tow so DAC options abound. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## gregerst22

speakerman99 said:


> A little over 6" deep
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


cool, thanks. any issues or gripes with using songpal?


----------



## subterFUSE

BlackHHR said:


> Would a processor with a sound card open a new door for the sony users?


I'm a gearhead, but even I don't know what a sound card would be doing. 


I'll tell you what I do want to see in a DSP, however:


1. 30 band Input GEQ
2. 12 Band Input PEQ (complete with crossovers and all pass filters)
3. Polarity invert on inputs
4. Matrix Mixer
5. Output crossovers
6. 12 band PEQ on outputs.
7. More than 30 ms delay
8. Analyser bridge to SysTune Pro and/or Smaart.
9. Ethernet port OR Built in WiFi so you can tune without a USB cable.


In other words, just make it like a good, pro audio DSP.


----------



## USS Enterprise

Use EaseUS partition master.
Free, and will format into any file system you want.
And will bypass Windows FAT restrictions on partition size.
And in like 8 seconds, not 8 hours.

I've been using it for a couple of years now, and it's worked great.

Very user-friendly.


----------



## Babs

BlackHHR said:


> Would a processor with a sound card open a new door for the sony users?


I'm not a Sony user but yep.. Someone listened! Yes! Someone listened!


----------



## Vuillard

speakerman99 said:


> ... The Sony won't recognize most portable hard drives out of the box. ... Had to format from a command prompt. Warning, my 2tb drive is going to take about 8 hours to reformat. I'll report back results.


So, how did that go? 2TB of hi-res music permanently attached would be way cool.


----------



## speakerman99

Vuillard said:


> So, how did that go? 2TB of hi-res music permanently attached would be way cool.




Well so far the only non-flash drive that works is an external FAT formatted drive with external power supply. My 2tb "go drive" wouldn't work even with a USB pigtail that supplies separate power from the Sony. 

I'm planning to try an SSD based drive this weekend just for kicks. Strange thing is the Sony brings enough power to spin all drives...just won't read the darn thing. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## #1BigMike

I am tuned in for your results with the SSD.


----------



## speakerman99

USS Enterprise said:


> Use EaseUS partition master.
> Free, and will format into any file system you want.
> And will bypass Windows FAT restrictions on partition size.
> And in like 8 seconds, not 8 hours.
> 
> I've been using it for a couple of years now, and it's worked great.
> 
> Very user-friendly.




Thanks for the recommendation. Almost idiot proof!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## speakerman99

#1BigMike said:


> I am tuned in for your results with the SSD.




SSD formatted to FAT32 housed in generic external SATA case with external power supply works like a champ. 128gb SSD loaded much faster than 16gb flash drive. 5 seconds versus 90seconds. 

Only option left to try is traditional mechanical disk in the external case. I'm curious how the boot times compare?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## #1BigMike

OH HELL YEAH!!! That's good news.



speakerman99 said:


> SSD formatted to FAT32 housed in generic external SATA case with external power supply works like a champ. 128gb SSD loaded much faster than 16gb flash drive. 5 seconds versus 90seconds.
> 
> Only option left to try is traditional mechanical disk in the external case. I'm curious how the boot times compare?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Babs

speakerman99 said:


> SSD formatted to FAT32 housed in generic external SATA case with external power supply works like a champ. 128gb SSD loaded much faster than 16gb flash drive. 5 seconds versus 90seconds.
> 
> Only option left to try is traditional mechanical disk in the external case. I'm curious how the boot times compare?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk



That's really cool. I hadn't kept up on this. Is it accessed and played via the songpal or similar app? If so that basically makes the Sony a serious remote player contestant. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro


----------



## .69077

Babs said:


> That's really cool. I hadn't kept up on this. Is it accessed and played via the songpal or similar app? If so that basically makes the Sony a serious remote player contestant.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro


Ive seen quite a few installs where the GS9 was remotely mounted in the vehicle as this unit is perfect for that. Just makes it harder to use NFC.


----------



## subterFUSE

If remotely mounted how do you control volume?

Will the Onkyo app control it? Or just SongPal?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## speakerman99

Babs said:


> That's really cool. I hadn't kept up on this. Is it accessed and played via the songpal or similar app? If so that basically makes the Sony a serious remote player contestant.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro




Accessed SSD files by Songpal app via Bluetooth connection. SSD is wired of course. BT is just used to control the HU. 

I'm not very familiar with the Onkyo app, but I think it just allows one to play hi-res files stored on the phone/iPad right? 

If that's correct it would just play those files over the Wireless or wired connection from the phone app player and bypass Songpal as the media manager. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## .69077

subterFUSE said:


> If remotely mounted how do you control volume?
> 
> Will the Onkyo app control it? Or just SongPal?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


With the Songpal app, but seeing as most would use it as a source into a DSP you would usually set the HU volume and use the DSP control to adjust.

I almost got a GS9 but I need a Double Din with video for the backup camera on my truck. Those rearview mirrors with the LCD screen are meh to me.


----------



## subterFUSE

m249saw said:


> With the Songpal app, but seeing as most would use it as a source into a DSP you would usually set the HU volume and use the DSP control to adjust.
> 
> I almost got a GS9 but I need a Double Din with video for the backup camera on my truck. Those rearview mirrors with the LCD screen are meh to me.



Well, I was thinking since you want to use the analog outs from the Sony it might be nice to just have the volume on it and not get a DSP controller at all.

But if the Sony gets remote mounted, then you need a way to control it from the iPad or iPhone. Songpal does not seem to be the media player of choice, however. I think most guys using the Sony in competition are running the Onkyo player?

Will that control the volume like SongPal?


----------



## Elektra

I suppose you could extend the remote eye to the location of the HU and use the Sony remote to aim at the eye when you need to change the volume - iPod or tablet can control the song selection anyway


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Arete

This vid shows an app that is either designed for the radio or works well with it... 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvBdW06Qs24


----------



## speakerman99

Arete said:


> This vid shows an app that is either designed for the radio or works well with it...
> 
> 
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvBdW06Qs24




That's The SongPal app. It's not perfect but it's pretty darn good. Controls HU volume, syncs album art, switches sources, controls radio, even basic eq and time alignment if you're not running dsp. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## subterFUSE

Yes but the Onkyo pkayer is better. It will do DSD upsampling, I think.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## speakerman99

subterFUSE said:


> Yes but the Onkyo pkayer is better. It will do DSD upsampling, I think.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk




Ok so I just downloaded the Onkyo app. It looks like a dramatic improvement over Apple Music app. However, it can only play files on the mobile device. Not really an advantage here compared with playing Songpal from a hard drive. Onkyo unlocks dsd files from the phone, Songpal plays dsd files from a separate drive. Given the size of dsd or hi-res is say advantage hard drive and Songpal.


That said I'll definitely be trying Out the Onkyo app for my standard iTunes stuff. 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## BMW Alpina

subterFUSE said:


> Well, I was thinking since you want to use the analog outs from the Sony it might be nice to just have the volume on it and not get a DSP controller at all.
> 
> But if the Sony gets remote mounted, then you need a way to control it from the iPad or iPhone. Songpal does not seem to be the media player of choice, however. I think most guys using the Sony in competition are running the Onkyo player?
> 
> Will that control the volume like SongPal?


From the spec and pictures of the back panel, it's look like the Sony RSX-GS9 have input for connection with the adapter to work with the car Steering Wheel Volume Control, so you can control the volume from your steering wheel (if your car have it).


----------



## gu9cci

If I want to use Tidal in my phone will the song pal play it or not?
I want install the unit in glove department so use of volume knob is impossible.
I'm exclusively using Tidal so trying figure out the volume control.I have no dsp I wanna use with it


----------



## BMW Alpina

Hello to current owner of RSX-GS9, I need your kind help,

My goal is to have a 2 Way Active Front Channel with the ability to adjust time alignment for each Tweeter and each Midbass/Midrange separately and hopefully I can accomplish this by using RSX-GS9 Time Alignment adjustment plus adding an Analog 2 way active X-Over WITHOUT buying a DSP. 
Yes, I understand that I won't have the capability to adjust each channel EQ 
but it is better for me because my system will be more simple, lower cost 
and the signal won't be TRIPLE processed. 
I intend to use the volume control on RSX-GS9 connected to my steering wheel volume control,
and I can't use this function if I use RSX-GS9 optical output to DSP 
I have to use Analog output of the RSX-GS9 to feed DSP Analog input instead
so the signal will be TRIPLE processed digitally by both the Sony DAC and DSP ADC and DAC.


so my question is,
I understand that RSX-GS9 have Front Left, Front Right, Rear Left and Rear Right channel.
when you go into Time Alignment setting in the Adjust Position mode, 
Will I be able to adjust each channel of the Front Left, Front Right, Rear Left and Rear Right channel time alignment setting individually?

I am thinking of using the Front Left and Front Right channel output from RSX-GS9 as the channel that drive the Front Tweeters 
and the Rear left and Rear Right channel output from RSX-GS9 as the channel that drive the Front MidBass/Midranges.

I also see from the owner's manual that the adjustment consist of +3 - 0 - -3.
My question is, does it jump from +3 to zero and to minus 3,
or they adjust (in more precise manner) from +3, +2, +1, zero, -1, -2, -3?

I worry that if it is just jump from +3 to zero and to minus 3, then the time alignment adjustment is not precise enough...

Thanks


----------



## subterFUSE

The time alignment and EQ functions in the Sony GS9 are not very good.

You are going to be disappointed with them and ultimately end up with a DSP. Just sayin'


----------



## BMW Alpina

subterFUSE said:


> The time alignment and EQ functions in the Sony GS9 are not very good.
> 
> You are going to be disappointed with them and ultimately end up with a DSP. Just sayin'


Hello,

I am not really worry about the EQ functions, 
but I do really want to know if the time alignment setting available for each channel (FR, FL, RR and RL) 
in the Sony is more precise in adjust-ability meaning it can be adjusted 
from +3, +2, +1, ZERO, -1, -2 ,-3 (for each single channel).
If the Sony RSX-GS9 do that, that is precise enough for me


----------



## captainobvious

BMW Alpina said:


> Hello,
> 
> I am not really worry about the EQ functions,
> but I do really want to know if the time alignment setting available for each channel (FR, FL, RR and RL)
> in the Sony is more precise in adjust-ability meaning it can be adjusted
> from +3, +2, +1, ZERO, -1, -2 ,-3 (for each single channel).
> If the Sony RSX-GS9 do that, that is precise enough for me



Delay is typically adjusted in ms (milliseconds) or in inches. You can't impart negative delay, so there will be no -1, -2, -3 in any unit. If you're not worried at all about eq, then delay is probably more than fine for you in the unit.


----------



## BMW Alpina

captainobvious said:


> Delay is typically adjusted in ms (milliseconds) or in inches. You can't impart negative delay, so there will be no -1, -2, -3 in any unit. If you're not worried at all about eq, then delay is probably more than fine for you in the unit.


Hello,
yes, I think I will be ok, and if worse came to worse, then I just have to buy DSP later 

but I think I am set on Sony RSX-GS9,
because all the new optical capable Head Unit that just came out at CES,
the new Clarion and Alpine... just look... plasticky...
while this Sony eventhough it don't have Nav and Car Play,
but looks so much more..... high end...
and being a single din will enable me to have the other half of my double din opening at my Honda Fit for triple Defi gauge...

Ok... just need to find the right deal to buy this Sony


----------



## maximus5403

BMW Alpina said:


> Hello,
> yes, I think I will be ok, and if worse came to worse, then I just have to buy DSP later
> 
> but I think I am set on Sony RSX-GS9,
> because all the new optical capable Head Unit that just came out at CES,
> the new Clarion and Alpine... just look... plasticky...
> while this Sony eventhough it don't have Nav and Car Play,
> but looks so much more..... high end...
> and being a single din will enable me to have the other half of my double din opening at my Honda Fit for triple Defi gauge...
> 
> Ok... just need to find the right deal to buy this Sony


I have 2 brand new sealed! $950 Shipped!


----------



## BMW Alpina

maximus5403 said:


> I have 2 brand new sealed! $950 Shipped!


Hi maximus5403,

Is this 2 brand new Sony RSX-GS9 come with Sony USA Warranty Card
or International Warranty Card (like for example from Sony in Asian countries)?


----------



## maximus5403

Purchased from Sony Authorized dealer in the USA. I will provide original dealer invoice showing proof of purchase for warranty. I've sold 4 of these to members on here as well.

I'm actually installing one in my GT-R tonight. Still finishing fabrication.


----------



## BMW Alpina

maximus5403 said:


> Purchased from Sony Authorized dealer in the USA. I will provide original dealer invoice showing proof of purchase for warranty. I've sold 4 of these to members on here as well.
> 
> I'm actually installing one in my GT-R tonight. Still finishing fabrication.


Hello maximus5403,
Thanks for the information. 
Let me think about this again for the next few days, I really need to make sure I make the right choice for the head unit.


----------



## BMW Alpina

I just joint the Sony RSX-GS9 owner's club 

First,
I want to say Thank You to forum member maximus5403 for helping me to start my car audio system build.

Second,
For other reader who is interested in getting Sony RSX-GS9,
hurry up, 
maximus5403 is great seller and he only 1 left at this amazing price 

Third,
I am looking forward to share my experience with Sony RSX-GS9 here.


----------



## maximus5403

BMW Alpina said:


> I just joint the Sony RSX-GS9 owner's club
> 
> First,
> I want to say Thank You to forum member maximus5403 for helping me to start my car audio system build.
> 
> Second,
> For other reader who is interested in getting Sony RSX-GS9,
> hurry up,
> maximus5403 is great seller and he only 1 left at this amazing price
> 
> Third,
> I am looking forward to share my experience with Sony RSX-GS9 here.


No problem! I know you will enjoy it.

I spent all day finishing up my install in my GT-R, only took three solid days... lol

Kind of nerve racking disassembling a $5k AV unit that controls the whole car in order to make it smaller so I could fit the GS9.

But it's now playing music! I just have to fit it all back together tomorrow, and then wait for my new DRC-MP to be shipped from Audison since my DRC-MP looks to be faulty.


----------



## BMW Alpina

maximus5403 said:


> No problem! I know you will enjoy it.
> 
> I spent all day finishing up my install in my GT-R, only took three solid days... lol
> 
> Kind of nerve racking disassembling a $5k AV unit that controls the whole car in order to make it smaller so I could fit the GS9.
> 
> But it's now playing music! I just have to fit it all back together tomorrow, and then wait for my new DRC-MP to be shipped from Audison since my DRC-MP looks to be faulty.


Hi Maximus5403,
Do you connect the volume control button on the steering wheel to the RSX-GS9?
if yes, with which adapter?
I bought i-Datalink Maestro SW, although I am not 100% sure it is compatible. 
do you know if the I-Datalink Maestro SW work with the Sony RSX-GS9 (or not)?
Thanks


----------



## maximus5403

BMW Alpina said:


> Hi Maximus5403,
> Do you connect the volume control button on the steering wheel to the RSX-GS9?
> if yes, with which adapter?
> I bought i-Datalink Maestro SW, although I am not 100% sure it is compatible.
> do you know if the I-Datalink Maestro SW work with the Sony RSX-GS9 (or not)?
> Thanks


Yes, it does work! I'm using the Maestro SW. When you do the configuring on the online tool the RSX-GS9 won't be on the list of head units. I just chose a newer model Sony single din and it works perfectly. The Maestro SW is the easiest SWC adapter i've ever used.


----------



## BMW Alpina

maximus5403 said:


> Yes, it does work! I'm using the Maestro SW. When you do the configuring on the online tool the RSX-GS9 won't be on the list of head units. I just chose a newer model Sony single din and it works perfectly. The Maestro SW is the easiest SWC adapter i've ever used.


That is good to hear 
Thanks again Maximus5403 for the information and the picture.


----------



## Babs

maximus5403 said:


> Yes, it does work! I'm using the Maestro SW. When you do the configuring on the online tool the RSX-GS9 won't be on the list of head units. I just chose a newer model Sony single din and it works perfectly. The Maestro SW is the easiest SWC adapter i've ever used.


That's cool.. I've had a PAC SWI-CP5 which is phone-app programmable in mine for few years now which has served well, but the Maestro's appear to be a good bit less expensive.


----------



## ErinH

What are you guys using for large (say, 512gb+) storage? I know this will power a flash drive fine but I'm thinking more along the lines of external HDD/SSD/msata/etc where separate power may be needed. I have a 512gb msata on hand I could try but I'm curious what others have used with success (and read times).


----------



## _booo

I think it may only handle up to 320gb drives, please correct me if i'm wrong.
If it's true this makes it a bit weird considering this is a hi-res deck and hi-res files may be relatively large and keeping the whole collection of hi-res files may be problematic.


----------



## ErinH

_booo said:


> I think it may only handle up to 320gb drives, please correct me if i'm wrong.
> If it's true this makes it a bit weird considering this is a hi-res deck and hi-res files may be relatively large and keeping the whole collection of hi-res files may be problematic.


I know *of* others using 2tb+ drives with theirs. Just not sure of the configuration (ssd/hdd/etc). 

The USB ports do have limitations itself on the folders/tracks it can read. According to the manual:

Maximum current: 1.5 A (USB BC1.2 compliant)

The maximum number of recognizable folders: 997 (including the “Music” folder under the root directory)
The maximum number of recognizable tracks: 10,000


----------



## felix509

You would need some hefty Hard drive capability to utilize DSD files.. DSD64 files are 170-200Mb per song.... 

I would be curious to hear a review of some DSD files on the GS9. From reading up on it, it seems the improvement will come in the Imaging/soundstage of the music vs redbook CD..


----------



## subterFUSE

John Ridenour is running a 4TB drive on his Sony.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## benny z

so say you load up a thumb drive with 1TB (or more) of music...

you're then supposed to navigate all that w/ the sony's tiny display?


----------



## nineball76

benny z said:


> so say you load up a thumb drive with 1TB (or more) of music...
> 
> you're then supposed to navigate all that w/ the sony's tiny display?


Could you imagine 900 folders. Trying to jump from AC/DC to ZZ Top? Would need a way to jump quite a ways at a time.


----------



## ErinH

That's the intent of the app. The app is the GUI.

FWIW, you can jump folders by holding down the fwd/rev track buttons.


----------



## _booo

ErinH said:


> I know *of* others using 2tb+ drives with theirs. Just not sure of the configuration (ssd/hdd/etc).





subterFUSE said:


> John Ridenour is running a 4TB drive on his Sony.


Would be nice to know the configuration (drive manufacturer/type, external power or not, front or rear usb port)


----------



## benny z

ErinH said:


> That's the intent of the app. The app is the GUI


i get it.

but with everyone else implementing car play, etc, to get your hands/eyes OFF the handheld device...just seems backwards. *shrug*

this is one of the reasons i have held off on the sony for now.


----------



## BMW Alpina

benny z said:


> i get it.
> 
> but with everyone else implementing car play, etc, to get your hands/eyes OFF the handheld device...just seems backwards. *shrug*
> 
> this is one of the reasons i have held off on the sony for now.



I think the best solution for this is to use an iPad (larger screen than iPhone)
to control the Sony.
and use Apple continuity function so you can accept phone call that coming to your iPhone with the iPad as the interface.
(you can keep your iPhone in your pocket all the time).

The only trick is, you got to have a WiFi network in your car,
and can't use the hotspot from the iPhone.
because both the iPhone and iPad have to be connected to the same WiFi network to work. (and some other requirement like login to the same iCloud account including the facetime).

So since my car do not have WiFi, I will have to buy a portable AT&T wifi like this one:
https://www.att.com/devices/att/unite-explore.html#sku=sku7870787


----------



## benny z

sigh...

a lot of work, more equipment, more waiting for things to connect/sync when you get in to drive, etc.

to me it makes more sense to buy a dsd-capable portable usb dac and then aux-in it to my current head unit...*IF* i ever convince myself there's actually something to the dsd format (another story altogether).

then i could at least keep my cd player, too.


----------



## BMW Alpina

benny z said:


> sigh...
> 
> a lot of work, more equipment, more waiting for things to connect/sync when you get in to drive, etc.
> 
> to me it makes more sense to buy a dsd-capable portable usb dac and then aux-in it to my current head unit...*IF* i ever convince myself there's actually something to the dsd format (another story altogether).
> 
> then i could at least keep my cd player, too.


Yes, totally agree, this unit is not suitable for your preference.

I bought this unit simply because to me (personally) it is the best looking (design) unit out there for my personal taste, 
and that reason alone is enough for me


----------



## rton20s

And in states like California with our new electronic device laws, it is even more of an issue to rely on an app rather than the head unit. Even when securely mounted to the car, we are only allowed a single tap or swipe to perform a function. And the loophole of "manufacturer installed systems" is crap in my opinion. But given that loophole, with great integration a tablet or even phablet/phone, might pass a cursory inspection of an officer. 

https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201520160AB1785


----------



## Babs

rton20s said:


> And in states like California with our new electronic device laws, it is even more of an issue to rely on an app rather than the head unit. Even when securely mounted to the car, we are only allowed a single tap or swipe to perform a function. And the loophole of "manufacturer installed systems" is crap in my opinion. But given that loophole, with great integration a tablet or even phablet/phone, might pass a cursory inspection of an officer.
> 
> https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201520160AB1785


Good thing the People's Republik of Cali is on the other side of the map so when I rock the Fiio coax into the Helix, I won't get device-policed.


----------



## Elektra

How good is the EQ and TA on the Sony? 

I am trying to avoid a external DSP to have a pure analogue signal from the Sony 

I am using the Thesis amps which comes with those cards so I can set all the crossovers etc...

So I'll be using a Focal Kit 7 with the crossblock and a 33WX sub...

The idea is that I use the cards in the amp to sort out the crossovers etc and I could use front and rear and sub output on the HU which should allow for TA per output 

Does the Sony have EQ per output or total EQ so you can't EQ individual outputs?

The only thing that concerns me right now is I don't think I'll be able to attenuate left and right individually as the crossblock is not left and right adjustable and the amps are only one gain per pairs of channels 

Not sure but - it looks like if I want a decently tuned analogue system I'll have to get another crossblock for each side of the car....

Or I'll have to get a DSP since the DSP will cost the same as a Crossblock...

What to do...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## subterFUSE

The EQ and TA on the Sony are a joke. You won't be happy with them.

When I consider the high caliber of equipment you are using... Thesis, Utopia 7, Sony deck... I am left scratching my head as to why you are against using a DSP?

A DSP is the biggest bang for the buck improvement you can make to a car audio system. A few hundred $ and you'll have so much control.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Elektra

subterFUSE said:


> The EQ and TA on the Sony are a joke. You won't be happy with them.
> 
> When I consider the high caliber of equipment you are using... Thesis, Utopia 7, Sony deck... I am left scratching my head as to why you are against using a DSP?
> 
> A DSP is the biggest bang for the buck improvement you can make to a car audio system. A few hundred $ and you'll have so much control.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk




Not against it... just that I wanted to use the Sony's DAC rather than the DSP DAC 

But I may just get a DSP PRO.2 and be done with it... 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## subterFUSE

That is exactly the route I would go.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## sqnut

You can't run active with this unit and a DSP is a must, if you want decent sound in the car. The unit just allows LP for sub and HP for a passive set, no band pass. The eq is a 10 band, 1 octave job and not separate for L&R. TA is per speaker but if you're running passive w/o an xover that allows bi-amping, you're just TA'ing the sub and mid bass. I Not sure of the resolution on the TA. Still, just way too many compromises, if you're not adding a dsp. 

So $1,500 for the hu and $800 for a processor, $2,300. A bit OTT to play lossless digital files, if you ask me. Cheaper to just play cd's, but it's a sexy looking piece all the same.


----------



## Elektra

subterFUSE said:


> That is exactly the route I would go.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk




Just waiting for our Helix agent to put an order through so that I can order one..

I have the Director at home as I was planning to build 2 cars one with Utopias and Thesis the other with Brax and Scanspeak 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Elektra

sqnut said:


> You can't run active with this unit and a DSP is a must, if you want decent sound in the car. The unit just allows LP for sub and HP for a passive set, no band pass. The eq is a 10 band, 1 octave job and not separate for L&R. TA is per speaker but if you're running passive w/o an xover that allows bi-amping, you're just TA'ing the sub and mid bass. I Not sure of the resolution on the TA. Still, just way too many compromises, if you're not adding a dsp.
> 
> So $1,500 for the hu and $800 for a processor, $2,300. A bit OTT to play lossless digital files, if you ask me. Cheaper to just play cd's, but it's a sexy looking piece all the same.




Yeah... the thing is I hate carrying 50 CDs with me all the time - some of my CDs are now hard to get again so if they get scratched they can't be easily replaced 

I am more an IPhone kind of guy with lossless files ... the Sony is exactly what I want...

Besides I paid $900 and the DSP will cost me about $600 so $1500 seems very fair for the capabilities of both units 

Besides I have listened to my Sony for many hours and it's great - can't complain


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## subterFUSE

I think the EQ presets in the Sony are also cheesy canned flavor curves, like Rock, Jazz, Dance. Only 1 profile is available for custom. It's a total joke.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Elektra

subterFUSE said:


> I think the EQ presets in the Sony are also cheesy canned flavor curves, like Rock, Jazz, Dance. Only 1 profile is available for custom. It's a total joke.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk




Well that settles it...DSP it is...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Babs

subterFUSE said:


> I think the EQ presets in the Sony are also cheesy canned flavor curves, like Rock, Jazz, Dance. Only 1 profile is available for custom. It's a total joke.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk



They would have done better to simply have nothing. Or a two tone control kind of thing. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro


----------



## Elektra

Babs said:


> They would have done better to simply have nothing. Or a two tone control kind of thing.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro




P99 functions would have been a clear winner - but yeah I understand that would have brought the MSRP much higher and in a market where $1500 is a lot they probably would have been a F1 status sort of market which wasn't very big and sustainable 

There might be a matching Sony DSP in pipelines.... who knows


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----------



## Babs

Elektra said:


> P99 functions would have been a clear winner - but yeah I understand that would have brought the MSRP much higher and in a market where $1500 is a lot they probably would have been a F1 status sort of market which wasn't very big and sustainable
> 
> There might be a matching Sony DSP in pipelines.... who knows
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk



When the 99RS was devised it was to be a 1-device 3-way plus sub full system solution, and I still know competitors even who have world-class systems based on the 99RS for all processing. The Sony requires outboard DSP to pull off the same level of fully processed system for sure. So it comes down to choice I guess for your system goals. I, for one, am still rocking a venerable 99RS into the Helix. Best of both worlds.. Full DSP, but with a very good front end out of the 99. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro


----------



## ErinH

Babs said:


> I, for one, am still rocking a venerable 99RS into the Helix.


*cough* for now *cough*


----------



## Babs

ErinH said:


> *cough* for now *cough*


 Nah.. I'm good.  Until the change-bug bites. Ya never know.


----------



## High Resolution Audio

Elektra said:


> Well that settles it...DSP it is...
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Another option is to use the SONY DSP DAC and use two Analog EQT or EQX for L/R EQ.

I've done something similar with really good results.


----------



## Elektra

High Resolution Audio said:


> Another option is to use the SONY DSP DAC and use two Analog EQT or EQX for L/R EQ.
> 
> 
> 
> I've done something similar with really good results.




My issue is also level matching....


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## High Resolution Audio

Elektra said:


> My issue is also level matching....
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


How is level matching any different from L/R EQ?

In my mind it's exactly the same. 

Please explain.


----------



## Elektra

High Resolution Audio said:


> How is level matching any different from L/R EQ?
> 
> 
> 
> In my mind it's exactly the same.
> 
> 
> 
> Please explain.




With one side closer than the other you will also need to match each side to have the same level... 

Depending how you install your speakers it will be better to first drop the output on one side so that you don't EQ that much to make it equal

The EQ will just fine tune each side to match each other - others might have a different method... 

Also easier to drop each driver by say 2db or so instead of using your EQ going through each band individually...

If your system is well installed you may find very little EQ required to get a decent starting point and then more in depth tuning later to get it perfect... 

With the DSP PRO you have a lot of tuning capabilities which is always going to be better than a EQX etc...

Not saying it won't work... 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## High Resolution Audio

Elektra said:


> With one side closer than the other you will also need to match each side to have the same level...
> 
> Depending how you install your speakers it will be better to first drop the output on one side so that you don't EQ that much to make it equal
> 
> The EQ will just fine tune each side to match each other - others might have a different method...
> 
> Also easier to drop each driver by say 2db or so instead of using your EQ going through each band individually...
> 
> If your system is well installed you may find very little EQ required to get a decent starting point and then more in depth tuning later to get it perfect...
> 
> With the DSP PRO you have a lot of tuning capabilities which is always going to be better than a EQX etc...
> 
> Not saying it won't work...
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


The Analog devices allow for input gain adjustment per side and output for the entire channel. THIS ALLOWS TO LOWER OR RAISE THE ENTIRE SIDE.

As well as individual adjust individual frequencies separately.

So you still could use the DAC from the Sony.


----------



## Elektra

High Resolution Audio said:


> The Analog devices allow for input gain adjustment per side and output for the entire channel. THIS ALLOWS TO LOWER OR RAISE THE ENTIRE SIDE.
> 
> 
> 
> As well as individual adjust individual frequencies separately.
> 
> 
> 
> So you still could use the DAC from the Sony.




So you could adjust the individual left and right gain? How much do these devices go for?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## High Resolution Audio

Elektra said:


> So you could adjust the individual left and right gain? How much do these devices go for?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Equalizers - AudioControl

$115 - $ 350 depending on the model


----------



## Elektra

High Resolution Audio said:


> Equalizers - AudioControl
> 
> 
> 
> $115 - $ 350 depending on the model




But you would need one for each RCA output? Otherwise you won't be able to TA each output... so potentially $1000? 

I can get the latest DSP PRO for less? 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## High Resolution Audio

Elektra said:


> But you would need one for each RCA output? Otherwise you won't be able to TA each output... so potentially $1000?
> 
> I can get the latest DSP PRO for less?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


True.....In your install it might be less costly for sure. Depends how many channels you need to time align and if the SONY has built in T/A/ Crossoverss.

But is the Helix Pro DSP MK2 DAC as good as the Sony? I cant answer that one.


----------



## Elektra

High Resolution Audio said:


> True.....In your install it might be less costly for sure. Depends how many channels you need to time align and if the SONY has built in T/A/ Crossoverss.
> 
> But is the Helix Pro DSP MK2 DAC as good as the Sony? I cant answer that one.




It's also a 32bit DAC but doesn't do Hi-Res above 96bit on RCA whereas the Sony does DSD through the RCA

You would benefit more from the Sony without the DSP if you want to play DSD...

You can't use the full potential with a DSP right now...

Also those EQX are only 2v output compared to the 8v of the Helix...

Lots to consider 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## High Resolution Audio

Elektra said:


> It's also a 32bit DAC but doesn't do Hi-Res above 96bit on RCA whereas the Sony does DSD through the RCA
> 
> You would benefit more from the Sony without the DSP if you want to play DSD...
> 
> You can't use the full potential with a DSP right now...
> 
> Also those EQX are only 2v output compared to the 8v of the Helix...
> 
> Lots to consider
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


One model does 6 channels and have up to 9.5 volt outputs. The other models have 7.5 Volt outputs


----------



## Elektra

High Resolution Audio said:


> One model does 6 channels and have up to 9.5 volt outputs. The other models have 7.5 Volt outputs




Are you sure as the device says 2v output? 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## High Resolution Audio

Elektra said:


> Are you sure as the device says 2v output?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk



Directly from the specs. Read the specs.

OUTPUTS

Preamp Outputs: 1 (2 channels)
Maximum Output Level: 7.5Vrms

The 2V output LED lights up when at output level reaches a minimum of 2 volts.


----------



## High Resolution Audio

How many channels will you need to time align?


----------



## Elektra

High Resolution Audio said:


> Directly from the specs. Read the specs.
> 
> OUTPUTS
> 
> Preamp Outputs: 1 (2 channels)
> Maximum Output Level: 7.5Vrms
> 
> The 2V output LED lights up when at output level reaches a minimum of 2 volts.




Oh ok I thought it was max 2v...


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----------



## Elektra

High Resolution Audio said:


> How many channels will you need to time align?




Well 3 sets of RCA outputs front rear and sub


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----------



## High Resolution Audio

Elektra said:


> Well 3 sets of RCA outputs front rear and sub
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I just noticed the modern ones only have 13 bands of EQ. 

I use an old school set with 30 bands per side.

I'm using a Zapco modern electronic crossover/line driver with up to 9.5 volts output.

The Sony unit does have incredible sound for sure. Want to use it's DAC if you can.


----------



## willtel

Is anyone else having Songpal issues with one of these and an iPhone?

The firmware is up to date on the Sony, latest iOS on an iPhone 6S. I can connect to the unit with Songpal once but if I exit the app and try to go back in it won't connect again until I restart the phone. Inside Songpal the RSX-GS9 is displayed but greyed out and if I try to click on it I'm told to go to settings and enable Bluetooth which is already on.


----------



## _booo

I'm considering RSX-GS9 and have a couple of questions, if some one can answer that would be great:

I understand that all the interaction is via song pal app and I'm Ok with this, however I'd like to know 
if RSX-GS9 starts playing on engine start from the same place it was switched off before i connect to it with my phone.

For example I have a hard drive connected to RSX-GS9 and I got 1 folder with lots of sub folders with wav/flac files (lets say 2 tb of files), can RSX-GS9 be defined to play that whole folder in shuffle mode every time RSX-GS9 is started (acc is on) without the need to connect to songpal on engine start?
Does RSX-GS9 starts playing from the same place/mode it was switched off before connecting to songpal? 
Or on every start RSX-GS9 does not start playing any music till I connect with the phone/ipad and click play?

What is the start time of RSX-GS9, does it have to go and scan all connected devices (hard drives) every start? Can it actually be defined to play the same folder in shuffle or repeat mode with out connecting with song pal every time? and connect to only switch folder from time to time?

Thanks!


----------



## probillygun

some questions for the Sony users; 

What is the largest size thumb drive that can be inserted into the front face of the Sony and have it play without long delays between songs or other issues? Does it do better or worse with WAV vs FLAC files? or the same?

(I'm not concerned if it takes a minute or 2 to load a new thumb drive)

Thanks!


----------



## subterFUSE

Not sure about thumb drives but a 3 TB hard drive works.


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----------



## Babs

subterFUSE said:


> Not sure about thumb drives but a 3 TB hard drive works.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk



That's cool! Does it acquire and navigate the library fairly zippy or is it slow with such a big drive?

.. My GS9 is in the mail. The curiosity bug bit me. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro


----------



## #1BigMike

Babs said:


> That's cool! Does it acquire and navigate the library fairly zippy or is it slow with such a big drive?
> 
> .. My GS9 is in the mail. The curiosity bug bit me.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro


'


*OH THAT DAMN BUG*


----------



## _booo

Looks like lots of people here on forum using it and no one knows if GS9 can play from the same place/mode on switch on, after it was switched off with out connecting it to song pal?


----------



## Huckleberry Sound

Thump!


----------



## Elektra

Has anyone tried files 24/192? Or higher? 

How did it compare to the normal 16/44 files?

When I got my LG V20 it came with a track recorded by LG at 24/192 - Life is good...

Must say it was way better than any AIFF copied track I had...

Has anyone had any similar experiences?


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----------



## subterFUSE

I need to know if gapless playback works.


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----------



## Babs

subterFUSE said:


> I need to know if gapless playback works.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk



Thought you already got one? Will test but won't be anytime soon. Surely it does gapless. It's Sony, not Audison. LOL! 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro


----------



## subterFUSE

Not installed yet.

I heard rumors it won't do gapless despite Sony claiming it will.


----------



## speakerman99

Another anomaly for the Sony, does anyone know why SongPal won't work when I directly connect iPhone/iPad to USB1 on the front panel? I get that I'm supposed run the phone like an iPod in that situation, but what about selecting songs from a hard drive connected to USB2 on the back? Works fine with BT but plug the phone up to charge and no dice. I guess I just don't understand the logic here????


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## subterFUSE

Question for Sony owners...

When the Sony was released to market, only the micro USB port on the front was DSD capable. Later on, Sony released a firmware update which activated DSD on the rear USB port.

My question is whether anyone has experienced an SQ difference between the rear USB and the front micro USB ports after the update? I'm curious if there might be a hardware limitation on the rear USB since it seems Sony designed the unit with only the front micro port intended for DSD files.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Elektra

subterFUSE said:


> Question for Sony owners...
> 
> When the Sony was released to market, only the micro USB port on the front was DSD capable. Later on, Sony released a firmware update which activated DSD on the rear USB port.
> 
> My question is whether anyone has experienced an SQ difference between the rear USB and the front micro USB ports after the update? I'm curious if there might be a hardware limitation on the rear USB since it seems Sony designed the unit with only the front micro port intended for DSD files.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk




How do you do a firmware update on the Sony?

I want to buy a movie soundtrack which is Super Audio CD - DSD but it's DTS encoded will this work on the Sony? 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## subterFUSE

Elektra said:


> How do you do a firmware update on the Sony?
> 
> I want to buy a movie soundtrack which is Super Audio CD - DSD but it's DTS encoded will this work on the Sony?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk



No, it will not work because it's DTS not DSD.

You will have to convert the DTS audio to native DSD format.


----------



## Elektra

subterFUSE said:


> No, it will not work because it's DTS not DSD.
> 
> 
> 
> You will have to convert the DTS audio to native DSD format.




Converting DTS audio to native DSD difficult? What program do you need?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## subterFUSE

Elektra said:


> Converting DTS audio to native DSD difficult? What program do you need?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I have no idea.

I bet there are all sorts of variables. For example, is your DTS audio 2 channel, 2.1, 5.1, 7.1?


----------



## Elektra

subterFUSE said:


> I have no idea.
> 
> 
> 
> I bet there are all sorts of variables. For example, is your DTS audio 2 channel, 2.1, 5.1, 7.1?




5.1


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## ErinH

subterFUSE said:


> Question for Sony owners...
> 
> When the Sony was released to market, only the micro USB port on the front was DSD capable. Later on, Sony released a firmware update which activated DSD on the rear USB port.


FWIW, the FW update permits DSD to be playable on both the front USB1 and rear USB2 ports.


----------



## Elektra

ErinH said:


> FWIW, the FW update permits DSD to be playable on both the front USB1 and rear USB2 ports.




How do yo do a firmware update on this unit?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## subterFUSE

ErinH said:


> FWIW, the FW update permits DSD to be playable on both the front USB1 and rear USB2 ports.


Cool.

So I'm curious to know if the micro USB is still superior in any way. I have heard reports that the micro port sounds better than the rear port playing the same files. Enough difference to actually require different DSP tunes.


----------



## Elektra

subterFUSE said:


> Cool.
> 
> 
> 
> So I'm curious to know if the micro USB is still superior in any way. I have heard reports that the micro port sounds better than the rear port playing the same files. Enough difference to actually require different DSP tunes.




Must say I could not tell any difference - I suppose if you start with DSD etc...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## ErinH

Elektra said:


> How do yo do a firmware update on this unit?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk



Go to Sony's site for the unit. It has all the info you need.


----------



## Elektra

ErinH said:


> Go to Sony's site for the unit. It has all the info you need.




Cool


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## felix509

Elektra said:


> How do yo do a firmware update on this unit?


UPDATE page


----------



## ErinH

subterFUSE said:


> Cool.
> 
> So I'm curious to know if the micro USB is still superior in any way. I have heard reports that the micro port sounds better than the rear port playing the same files. Enough difference to actually require different DSP tunes.


Maybe if that port automatically upscales the music because it was designed to be the higher res port or something to that effect. Otherwise, I wouldn't expect there to be any difference.


----------



## subterFUSE

ErinH said:


> Maybe if that port automatically upscales the music because it was designed to be the higher res port or something to that effect. Otherwise, I wouldn't expect there to be any difference.


That's why I'm asking. I'm curious if Sony never actually intended for the other USB ports to be used for DSD, and whether there might be some hardware difference between them. Activating DSD on the other ports seems to have been an afterthought.

Anyway, I have heard from at least 2 people now that claim the front micro USB port sounds different than the rear USB port playing the exact same music files.

Just curious to see if we can learn more on the topic.


----------



## Elektra

felix509 said:


> UPDATE page




Go it thanks!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## ErinH

subterFUSE said:


> That's why I'm asking. I'm curious if Sony never actually intended for the other USB ports to be used for DSD, and whether there might be some hardware difference between them. Activating DSD on the other ports seems to have been an afterthought.
> 
> Anyway, I have heard from at least 2 people now that claim the front micro USB port sounds different than the rear USB port playing the exact same music files.
> 
> Just curious to see if we can learn more on the topic.


Undestood. I've been told the same by someone else. We may have the same source.

My question is... if it's true, is the front port actually "better"? Does it really sound better or does it sound artificial? Upscaling unnecessarily reminds me of using stuff like Alpine's Media Xpander back in the day. So I'm a bit skeptical on this stuff.


----------



## subterFUSE

Just reviewing the Sony website. They describe it like this (albeit before they announced the firmware update):




> Enjoy pure High-Resolution Audio via front micro USB
> 
> Experiencing the highest quality playback on the RSX-GS9 is easy: just connect your High-Resolution Audio capable smartphone or player to the front-facing micro USB port and you’re ready to go. *This connection makes sure audio signals pass directly through the industry-leading ESS D/A converter, so you can enjoy great-sounding lossless DSD and linear PCM playback.*


I'm wondering if maybe the pipeline to the DAC is more direct on the front micro port? Maybe the rear USB goes through different circuitry?
Just spitballing, though. I have no clue.


----------



## Elektra

ErinH said:


> Undestood. I've been told the same by someone else. We may have the same source.
> 
> 
> 
> My question is... if it's true, is the front port actually "better"? Does it really sound better or does it sound artificial? Upscaling unnecessarily reminds me of using stuff like Alpine's Media Xpander back in the day. So I'm a bit skeptical on this stuff.




Must say I tried my Android on the micro USB and iPhone on the USB1 and playing the same music (copied same tracks on both phones) 

Must say I thought the IPhone sounded slightly better... might be that I was using a specialized lightning cable vs cheap OTG cable and micro USB cable 

Dunno - never explored it much further...

Does USB 1 sound different to USB2? As I have been using USB2 lately as I didn't want to plug cables to the front...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## benny z

yes, the front micro usb port is the only dsd-capable usb port per my understanding.


----------



## Babs

ErinH said:


> FWIW, the FW update permits DSD to be playable on both the front USB1 and rear USB2 ports.





subterFUSE said:


> Cool.
> 
> So I'm curious to know if the micro USB is still superior in any way. I have heard reports that the micro port sounds better than the rear port playing the same files. Enough difference to actually require different DSP tunes.





subterFUSE said:


> Just reviewing the Sony website. They describe it like this (albeit before they announced the firmware update):
> 
> I'm wondering if maybe the pipeline to the DAC is more direct on the front micro port? Maybe the rear USB goes through different circuitry?
> Just spitballing, though. I have no clue.



That is a great mystery.. Interesting that they were able to add USB1 and 2 DSD capability with something as simple as a firmware update. The FAQ section on the GS9 is rather populated it appears. Can't surf it much currently, but lots of questions in there for your reading pleasure. That'd certainly be an excellent question to pose to Sony.


----------



## ErinH

benny z said:


> yes, the front micro usb port is the only dsd-capable usb port per my understanding.




Read the previous posts. Slacker.


----------



## benny z

ErinH said:


> Read the previous posts. Slacker.




Oooooh!


----------



## captainobvious

Benny needs my screen name today.


----------



## benny z

details, details...


----------



## Babs

It's all that green lighting.. It's getting to him.


----------



## nineball76

This being discussed heavily on the fb page right now but still a little baffled. I know the dsd being added to the other usb inputs, and the manual does show that dsd 2.8 is supported there but is converted to pcm where 5.6 is truly native only on micro usb dac input. I don't guess there's really any way to know for sure how 2.8 is being handled on the others but perhaps 5.6 on the other inputs is also still being converted to pcm prior to going into the dac?


----------



## benny z

yes, and i'm more confused than ever.


----------



## willtel

nineball76 said:


> This being discussed heavily on the fb page right now but still a little baffled.


What Facebook page is that?


----------



## nineball76

Strictly sound quality


----------



## nineball76

So I guess all inputs are equal now. The usb1 and 2 just being turned on via software update due to licensing issue before.


----------



## benny z

it still says this on the product info page on sony's website:



sony said:


> Pure High-Resolution Audio
> 
> Get the best from your music over direct USB DAC connection
> To get the best quality audio from your receiver, simply hook up your high-resolution capable smartphone to the front USB micro port for direct streaming playback with the ESS D/A converter.


Bluetooth® Car Stereo with MP3 | RSX-GS9 | Sony US


----------



## benny z

...and from the features page:



sony said:


> Enjoy pure High-Resolution Audio via front micro USB
> Experiencing the highest quality playback on the RSX-GS9 is easy: just connect your High-Resolution Audio capable smartphone or player to the front-facing micro USB port and you’re ready to go. This connection makes sure audio signals pass directly through the industry-leading ESS D/A converter, so you can enjoy great-sounding lossless DSD and linear PCM playback.


----------



## nineball76

I'm sure the website is the last thing to get updated. All usb being equal came from a comment on the fb thread, someone actually called Sony and was told all usb handle dsd and follow the exact same path to the dac.


----------



## willtel

Has anyone taken one of these apart yet or have a source for a service manual? 

I would like to change the lighting to a light green color and was wondering what that would take.


----------



## Babs

So my GS9 is in.. And it definitely delivers the sound, no doubt. I can say without a doubt the best I've run so far for SQ. 

So how are you guys "successfully" accessing and playing from USB drives connected, USB1 or 2, with phone/device not wired but connected via Bluetooth and Songpal or how you doing it? 

This current revision of SongPal is so terribly bad visually.. Blinding black and white. That wasn't broken but they tried to fix it and it's god awful IMO. 

But functionally SongPal doesn't seem much better. I'd even thought of creating a SongPal specific thread but share your experiences and knowledge on the interfacing of you would GS9 guys. I got so far as getting it to show the USB tracks in what appears to be the most rudimentary, unimpressive player I think I've ever seen. 

I did decide Onkyo HF Player will be the way to go for main player on my iPhone 6, and solely for high-res from phone, with USB connection. 

Is Sony doing some kind of big update to the app? Man I hope so. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro


----------



## Babs

I think I've found a bit of info on my above question on why the iOS version at least is so bad. Sorry if it's covered in here already.. Apparently Sony is transitioning SongPal to an app called "Music Center".. You android guys have it already. iOS won't get it until May 2017 at the earliest. 

Would love to know if you guys running Android have a pretty good app as far as solid connectivity, function and player section with the Music Center version. That'll be roughly what's coming to iOS as well. May sway me on the next phone swap.

iOS version: https://itunes.apple.com/en/app/songpal-bluetooth-wi-fideodio/id724406878?mt=8

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sony.songpal&hl=en


----------



## nineball76

Babs said:


> I think I've found a bit of info on my above question on why the iOS version at least is so bad. Sorry if it's covered in here already.. Apparently Sony is transitioning SongPal to an app called "Music Center".. You android guys have it already. iOS won't get it until May 2017 at the earliest.
> 
> Would love to know if you guys running Android have a pretty good app as far as solid connectivity, function and player section with the Music Center version. That'll be roughly what's coming to iOS as well. May sway me on the next phone swap.
> 
> iOS version: https://itunes.apple.com/en/app/songpal-bluetooth-wi-fideodio/id724406878?mt=8
> 
> Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sony.songpal&hl=en


I'd love to be able to answer this, but the app is unusable without having the unit to connect to.


----------



## Babs

nineball76 said:


> I'd love to be able to answer this, but the app is unusable without having the unit to connect to.


Yeah I figured someone with an actual GS9 head unit might chime in on it. 

I did confirm at least from USB, no gapless playback.. There is a very brief split second pause between tracks. Unfortunate. Possibly someone's contacted Sony on this if it might be firmware-improved. 

Not to gripe to much.. The SQ out of this thing well overcomes it's UI flaws IMHO for my purposes. In sheer output sound-quality is, and build-quality appears to be both stellar.


----------



## subterFUSE

The two major gripes are:

No native support of gapless playback

No fast forward within a track. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## nineball76

subterFUSE said:


> The two major gripes are:
> 
> No native support of gapless playback
> 
> No fast forward within a track.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


sounds like it's perfect! Gapless annoys me, My Onkyo portlable DAP is doing gapless on almost every track that's dsf and it kinds bugs me.....

I have no need to ever fast forward or reverse in the middle of a song. Skip or Next is about the only function I need to work 100%.


----------



## Babs

subterFUSE said:


> The two major gripes are:
> 
> No native support of gapless playback
> 
> No fast forward within a track.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Haven't tested for gapless specifically via "iPod" hookup wired with the phone using the Onk player. Onkyo HF Player certainly does FF/RW from slider.. Took me a bit to find it.. Tap on the album art and it appears during play. Don't know if I have any tunes on the actual phone gapless from one track to another with actual music continuation track-track. hmm 

The player portion of SongPal iOS I don't mind reporting is poor enough to forego running from USB just to avoid it.


----------



## subterFUSE

nineball76 said:


> sounds like it's perfect! Gapless annoys me, My Onkyo portlable DAP is doing gapless on almost every track that's dsf and it kinds bugs me.....
> 
> 
> 
> I have no need to ever fast forward or reverse in the middle of a song. Skip or Next is about the only function I need to work 100%.




Gapless is an essential feature for any media player. It's the only way you can play live albums, classical, opera, or any electronic mixed albums properly.

CD players have had gapless playback since the beginning. It's mind blowing that players would be introduced in this age without it.


The only workaround for gapless playback albums when your player does not support the feature is to rip your gapless albums as a single, long track. But then you might have a use for FF within a track since you'll longer have track advance as an option.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## willtel

Babs said:


> I think I've found a bit of info on my above question on why the iOS version at least is so bad. Sorry if it's covered in here already.. Apparently Sony is transitioning SongPal to an app called "Music Center".. You android guys have it already. iOS won't get it until May 2017 at the earliest.
> 
> Would love to know if you guys running Android have a pretty good app as far as solid connectivity, function and player section with the Music Center version. That'll be roughly what's coming to iOS as well. May sway me on the next phone swap.
> 
> iOS version: https://itunes.apple.com/en/app/songpal-bluetooth-wi-fideodio/id724406878?mt=8
> 
> Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sony.songpal&hl=en


Songpal was updated on iOS on March 14th. I honestly don't see much that changed but I don't really mess around in it too much.

When I get in the car I unlock my phone start the car and wait for Bluetooth to connect and pop up the Songpal alert on my phone. I choose allow then go into the "Music" section of the app and it opens up the Music app on the phone and I browse around from there. I've tried connecting from USB a few times but my phone and or Lightning cable is due to be replace and it sometimes loses connection if the phone moves around too much.


----------



## Babs

So on the question of whether this app transition to Music Center name change will make any significant improvements to SongPal, I asked the question on the Sony board.. Maybe some positive response / info will come of it:

RSX-GS9 SongPal improvements for iOS when transiti... - the Community


----------



## benny z

forget the song pal app.

get a win 10 tablet, load it up w/ dsd files, and use any ole windows high res player.

split the win 10 tablet's USB output (mini hub) to both the sony and the helix, thus enabling dsd playback and simultaneous tuning via the single tablet.


----------



## Babs

benny z said:


> forget the song pal app.
> 
> get a win 10 tablet, load it up w/ dsd files, and use any ole windows high res player.
> 
> split the win 10 tablet's USB output (mini hub) to both the sony and the helix, thus enabling dsd playback and simultaneous tuning via the single tablet.


No kidding? Hmm there's an idea.. Tech that actually works. Wonder if there any reasonably sized (read as "not huge") Win10 tablets out there that would do the job well and not be a massive thing in dash.

But yeah, I pretty much just use the media on the iPhone 6 via Onkyo HF Player.. Haven't tried high-res or DSD with that yet. Meant to play with that but was working on the car this weekend and didn't get much PC time for that, plus getting demo disk/usb's together.


----------



## subterFUSE

Yeah SongPal sucks. Onkyo player is the way to go, at least until Sony improves the software.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## nineball76

Does the Sony do audio in thru any of the Usb? Since I can't seem to sell this other CarPC I'm considering using it to control the Sony.


----------



## Babs

nineball76 said:


> Does the Sony do audio in thru any of the Usb? Since I can't seem to sell this other CarPC I'm considering using it to control the Sony.


That'd be cool.. The USB ports are designed for either device (phones, ipods etc) or straight USB stick. I suppose you could do that maybe.


----------



## nineball76

Babs said:


> That'd be cool.. The USB ports are designed for either device (phones, ipods etc) or straight USB stick. I suppose you could do that maybe.


The more I think about the idea, it sounds like extreme overkill, using the Sony as basically just a dac. Back to the drawing board.


----------



## Babs

nineball76 said:


> The more I think about the idea, it sounds like extreme overkill, using the Sony as basically just a dac. Back to the drawing board.




Off topic but Helix DSP with HEC USB input maybe. Feed directly from car pc. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro


----------



## rton20s

Babs said:


> No kidding? Hmm there's an idea.. Tech that actually works. Wonder if there any reasonably sized (read as "not huge") Win10 tablets out there that would do the job well and not be a massive thing in dash.
> 
> But yeah, I pretty much just use the media on the iPhone 6 via Onkyo HF Player.. Haven't tried high-res or DSD with that yet. Meant to play with that but was working on the car this weekend and didn't get much PC time for that, plus getting demo disk/usb's together.


Pickings have become pretty slim for compact (<10") Windows tablets. I believe Dell and HP both used to have offerings that you could find pretty cheap. Now it seems like you either pick up a discontinued Win 8 Dell Venue or Asus Vivotab, or go with a NuVision tablet if you want Windows 10. 

I've not used any of them, but was keeping an eye on Windows tablets for similar reasons.


----------



## benny z

there's a refurb'd 10.8" surface 3 on amazon for $300.

tempted.

https://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Su...1244822&sr=8-2&keywords=surface+3+refurbished


----------



## nineball76

Babs said:


> Off topic but Helix DSP with HEC USB input maybe. Feed directly from car pc.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro


Using arc Ps8. Wanted the Sony for its dsd capabilities.


----------



## benny z

benny z said:


> there's a refurb'd 10.8" surface 3 on amazon for $300.
> 
> tempted.
> 
> https://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Su...1244822&sr=8-2&keywords=surface+3+refurbished


there's also this 4GB / 128GB model for $340:

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834735209


----------



## benny z

change in plans... decided smaller is better for my use.

found this 8" and pulled the trigger.

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA2225A36824

still has a full size usb port and additional mini usb for charging.


----------



## nineball76

benny z said:


> change in plans... decided smaller is better for my use.
> 
> found this 8" and pulled the trigger.
> 
> https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA2225A36824
> 
> still has a full size usb port and additional mini usb for charging.


Is there a Windows app that will control the Sony?


----------



## benny z

nineball76 said:


> Is there a Windows app that will control the Sony?




There would be nothing to control on the Sony. It would just be acting as the DAC for files being played from the Windows tablet. Just like if you connected your phone to the Sony to play music from. Which means I can leave the P99 in my dash and hide the Sony elsewhere lol.

That is until there's a USB input card for the Brax that is DSD capable. The Sony will be obsolete at that point IMO.


----------



## nineball76

benny z said:


> There would be nothing to control on the Sony. It would just be acting as the DAC for files being played from the Windows tablet. Just like if you connected your phone to the Sony to play music from. Which means I can leave the P99 in my dash and hide the Sony elsewhere lol.
> 
> That is until there's a USB input card for the Brax that is DSD capable. The Sony will be obsolete at that point IMO.


Selecting inputs? Volume?


----------



## benny z

The Director would be the master volume and input selector.


----------



## nineball76

I meant inputs on the Sony. Selecting between the different usb and maybe radio of you use it. Or are you only using 1 usb?


----------



## benny z

i have a p99 in the dash for cd/radio/iphone stuff.

the windows tablet would just be to play dsd files from a usb drive in the usb hub.


----------



## nineball76

And I thought CarPC > Sony was overkill.


----------



## bbfoto

Babs said:


> I think I've found a bit of info on my above question on why the iOS version at least is so bad. Sorry if it's covered in here already.. Apparently Sony is transitioning SongPal to an app called "Music Center".. You android guys have it already. iOS won't get it until May 2017 at the earliest.
> 
> Would love to know if you guys running Android have a pretty good app as far as solid connectivity, function and player section with the Music Center version. That'll be roughly what's coming to iOS as well. May sway me on the next phone swap.
> 
> iOS version: https://itunes.apple.com/en/app/songpal-bluetooth-wi-fideodio/id724406878?mt=8
> 
> Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sony.songpal&hl=en



Scott, I know this question was quite a while ago, but the newest version of the "SongPal" app for Android (updated on March 27, 2017 and now called "Music Center" as well) is just as bad if not worse than the iOS version.  All the reviews are down to 1-Star since the "update" and everyone is complaining about the horrible B&W UI/lack of themes or customization, broken connectivity/no longer working with their device, and the app crashing and/or freezing their smart device. I'm sorry to say, but Sony's software has always been piss-poor and I don't see that changing anytime soon, unfortunately. It's really a shame since the GS9 is such an awesome HU otherwise.

I hate to say it, but for those of you who want to stay in an iOS ecosystem and are using the Sony GS9, I would honestly ditch it and look into the $500 Auralic Aries Mini music server/DAC that is controlled by the iOS Auralic *Lightning DS* app with an iPhone, iPad or iPad Mini. Or some other high-quality DAC/Headphone amp or that can be interfaced with an iOS device. Info on the Auralic Aries Mini...

Auralic Aries Mini - A One-Box Audiophile Solution - Music Server Tips

AURALIC Home Page

You would just need to come up with a good, clean Power Supply or DC-DC Converter for it.

It has a built-in drive bay for an SSD drive, in addition to 2 USB 2.0 ports for adding a Thumb Drive or another HDD/SDD. It will also stream Tidal/Qobuz, etc. It has Digital Optical & Coaxial Outputs in addition to Unbalanced RCA Analog line-level outputs...basically all of the connections you could possibly want...










Review of the Auralic Aries Mini @ Computer Audiophile

One caveat is that you may have to create or use an "Ad-Hoc" network for it to work...I'm looking into that now.

For those of you that are going to Jason Bertholomey's Spring GTG, he is using that app with his Auralic Home Rig so you might pick his brain on how he likes it.

.


----------



## Babs

bbfoto said:


> Scott, I know this question was quite a while ago, but the newest version of the "SongPal" app for Android (updated on March 27, 2017 and now called "Music Center" as well) is just as bad if not worse than the iOS version.  All the reviews are down to 1-Star since the "update" and everyone is complaining about the horrible B&W UI/lack of themes or customization, broken connectivity/no longer working with their device, and the app crashing and/or freezing their smart device. I'm sorry to say, but Sony's software has always been piss-poor and I don't see that changing anytime soon, unfortunately. It's really a shame since the GS9 is such an awesome HU otherwise.
> 
> I hate to say it, but for those of you who want to stay in an iOS ecosystem and are using the Sony GS9, I would honestly ditch it and look into the $500 Auralic Aries Mini music server/DAC that is controlled by the iOS Auralic *Lightning DS* app with an iPhone, iPad or iPad Mini. Or some other high-quality DAC/Headphone amp or that can be interfaced with an iOS device. Info on the Auralic Aries Mini...
> 
> Auralic Aries Mini - A One-Box Audiophile Solution - Music Server Tips
> 
> AURALIC Home Page
> 
> You would just need to come up with a good, clean Power Supply or DC-DC Converter for it.
> 
> It has a built-in drive bay for an SSD drive, in addition to 2 USB 2.0 ports for adding a Thumb Drive or another HDD/SDD. It will also stream Tidal/Qobuz, etc. It has Digital Optical & Coaxial Outputs in addition to Unbalanced RCA Analog line-level outputs...basically all of the connections you could possibly want...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Review of the Auralic Aries Mini @ Computer Audiophile
> 
> One caveat is that you may have to create or use an "Ad-Hoc" network for it to work...I'm looking into that now.
> 
> For those of you that are going to Jason Bertholomey's Spring GTG, he is using that app with his Auralic Home Rig so you might pick his brain on how he likes it.
> 
> .


That's a pretty cool piece.. I got a bit of time on Jason's Auralic and headphone rig, which was mind-blowingly good. Yeah this is the type of product that if it's stable with wireless connections etc, could be a great non-head-unit solution for a tablet install. Had I not gone the GS9 route, I'd be looking hard at this solution or the USB HEC direct to DSP. This one would of course be the way to go for the guys with lots of juicy DSD material. 

Another option I'd like to hobble together if I can get a few panels popped between now and weekend or maybe even Friday at Jasons, is running some good coax cable I have so we can play with the Fiio X5ii I have direct SPDIF to the Helix Pro-2, in comparison to the GS9 running analog to Helix. Granted that wouldn't run DSD as well, but high-res at least via the coax output.


----------



## subterFUSE

Questions on the Aries Mini:

1. When it receives power, does it turn on automatically? Or do you have to push a button to turn on?

2. How fast does the Aries Mini boot ?

3. If you turn it off while it is playing a track from the internal hard drive, does it remember the place when you turn it back on and resume playing?

4. Does it support gapless playback?



I looked at the specs and it has the same DAC as the Sony GS9. An Ess Sabre ES9018K2M. Combine that with a much better interface app and gapless playback and it sounds like a winner. I would dump the Sony in a heartbeat for this thing if it works well in a car.


----------



## Babs

subterFUSE said:


> Questions on the Aries Mini:
> 
> 1. When it receives power, does it turn on automatically? Or do you have to push a button to turn on?
> 
> 2. How fast does the Aries Mini boot ?
> 
> 3. If you turn it off while it is playing a track from the internal hard drive, does it remember the place when you turn it back on and resume playing?
> 
> 4. Does it support gapless playback?
> 
> 
> 
> I looked at the specs and it has the same DAC as the Sony GS9. An Ess Sabre ES9018K2M. Combine that with a much better interface app and gapless playback and it sounds like a winner. I would dump the Sony in a heartbeat for this thing if it works well in a car.


Yep, thought of your project with this thing. Looks like the Specs and Support Center sections of their site have the most info on it.. Example: I found "The ARIES MINI powers on automatically when it is connected to a power source (plugged in.) There is no action required to power it on manually."

AURALIC LIMITED

Looks like it's always on, and goes to a sleep mode controlled by the software remotely if you wish. Makes me think, if it's designed for constant power, it might not go from zero-power to up and working all that easy, if it's setup to maintain a network connection in sleep or awake mode.


----------



## benny z

I have similar concerns with the new wave of wifi connected head units. Like, I want to get in my daily driver and immediately drive/hear music most of the time. If we are sending music via wifi how long is it going to take to switch from my home wifi to the car, does it do that automatically, and will it abruptly start/stop when I go in and out of my home/work/whatever wifi?


----------



## Babs

benny z said:


> I have similar concerns with the new wave of wifi connected head units. Like, I want to get in my daily driver and immediately drive/hear music most of the time. If we are sending music via wifi how long is it going to take to switch from my home wifi to the car, does it do that automatically, and will it abruptly start/stop when I go in and out of my home/work/whatever wifi?


Very legit concerns.. Even the Sony GS9 has a lag time at start up to unscrew itself, figure out the source it's playing from, talk to the source (phone or USB drive etc) and start making tunes. It's definitely not as zippy to acquire and make tunes as the typical head units we're used to from past, and it does some weird stuff I noticed when it does initially start up making sound, like cutting in/out a couple times before the figurative coffee kicks in. And that's all wired without wifi.


----------



## subterFUSE

benny z said:


> I have similar concerns with the new wave of wifi connected head units. Like, I want to get in my daily driver and immediately drive/hear music most of the time. If we are sending music via wifi how long is it going to take to switch from my home wifi to the car, does it do that automatically, and will it abruptly start/stop when I go in and out of my home/work/whatever wifi?


And if your device is connected to the WiFi to talk to the head unit, will the internet connection still work?


----------



## subterFUSE

Does the Sony GS9 resume play when you turn it off and back on?


----------



## subterFUSE

My Audi has a built in WiFi Hot Spot.

I could theoretically get an Apple Airport Express and put it into bridge mode and grab internet connection from the Audi MMI.

Then have my iPad and the Aries connect to WiFi from the Airport Express. That would be like having a home WiFi network with internet.

So I would be able to stream anything from the iPad to the Aries, including stuff like Tidal from the internet.


So the question remains how the Aries handles being turned off and on frequently? Quick boot time? Resume play?


----------



## captainobvious

subterFUSE said:


> Does the Sony GS9 resume play when you turn it off and back on?


Yes I believe it does John- assuming the media you are playing from hasn't been removed and re-inserted and that you have constant power to the Sony.
On my test rig in the listening room, it only goes back to the first track of the first album if I totally cut power to the device (no constant and no acc power) and then turn it back on, OR if I remove the usb stick and then re-insert it.

I will double check when I get back home this afternoon.


----------



## _booo

> Does the Sony GS9 resume play when you turn it off and back on?


It starts the played track from the beginning. (even if it was interrupted in the middle)


----------



## Babs

subterFUSE said:


> Does the Sony GS9 resume play when you turn it off and back on?


Fairly good, though admittedly, I've not tested it extensively to see how consistent it is.. I think the phone as source gets confused between music or onk player apps. Haven't tested it from USB, but will. I suspect USB may not.

Side note, they never "fixed" the Bit Play did they?


----------



## subterFUSE

_booo said:


> It starts the played track from the beginning. (even if it was interrupted in the middle)


Thanks for confirming.


Sony, this is absolutely unacceptable.

You can't fast forward within a track, and the player won't support gapless playback.

So that means if you have a live album, or any album that is mixed continuously then the only way the Sony will play back that file correctly is to rip that album as a single, long track. But the player won't fast forward within a single track so you would have no way to advance through the album.

So the only solution is to use a USB cable and a 3rd party media player app like Onkyo player. At least Onkyo will support gapless playback, just like any $100 media player should support.


----------



## subterFUSE

Babs said:


> Side note, they never "fixed" the Bit Play did they?


:laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh:

It's Audison. They don't update anything. They just promise it and leave the customers hanging and forgotten.


But the Bit Play is more functional than the Sony because it has fast forward within a track.


----------



## bbfoto

One quick note...I'll try to address the other questions when I have a bit more time.

Gapless Playback is really important to me as well...same reasons you have, John.

However, AFAIK from my research, for the devices and software that include it, Gapless Playback is always an Option in the Settings. This is because when you Enable Gapless Playback, you are DISABLING the Bit Perfect data stream through the DAC. The software or device must interrupt the currently playing bit stream to the DAC in order to "pre-buffer" the audio data from the next file or track. This is where the Clocking and jitter-reduction circuitry of the DAC come into play...regarding how accurately it can handle this shuffling of data. 

Depending on the DAC and It's firmware, you may or may not be able to perceive any difference. But particularly on Hi-Res PCM or DSD files where there is A LOT of data to process, you may experience ticks, dropouts, or glitches in the playback depending on the DAC and media playing software. This is the same reason that "scrobbing" or Fast-Forwarding or Re-Winding through a track can be difficult or impossible with some devices or software...this interrupts the bit stream and requires buffering, which again, can be problematic for the DAC.

This is just one reason why Apple's iOS and iPod devices are so "locked down" and the file handling is encapsulated within its own proprietary system. There are many parameters that need to remain consistent from A to Z to enable reliable, high quality playback when implementing Gapless Playback.

Chord Electronics also has something similar to the Aries (though much smaller and portable) that is called "Poly" and it attaches to its "Mojo" DAC/Headphone Amp. I think Jason also had a short stint recently with a Mojo that his buddy loaned to him. Just the "Poly" unit is fairly expensive at $630, and then $500 for the Mojo. But I haven't put any time in to research this option, so I don't know exactly how it would work out in our typical car audio systems? Scheduled to be released in June.

*Chord Electronics Poly*

There are also some very good responses by Chord Electronics in the "Comments" section of the following YouTube video that should answer a lot of your questions....







And check out the series of "Poly Lessons" videos on the Chord Electronics YouTube Channel. There are also several discussions on the various portable audio forums.
.


----------



## bbfoto

benny z said:


> I have similar concerns with the new wave of wifi connected head units. Like, I want to get in my daily driver and immediately drive/hear music most of the time. If we are sending music via wifi how long is it going to take to switch from my home wifi to the car, does it do that automatically, and will it abruptly start/stop when I go in and out of my home/work/whatever wifi?


Ideally, you should probably try one of the newer Hi-End DAP/PMP devices such as the $400 FiiO X5iii, then you can connect it directly to your DSP via Analog or DigItal connection. In this way you could almost seamlessly transition from home listening, or portable listening, to in-car listening and have nearly all of your library with you via the microSD memory card slots, and also have a nearly unlimited CD quality and Hi-Res quality library to listen to if you subscribe to Tidal and have a portable or in-car Wi-Fi hotspot.

I recently picked up the new iBasso DX200 DAP. It has the newest ESS Dual ES9028PRO Sabre 32bit 8 CH Pro DAC chip in it. SQ is absolutely amazing. Has a very strong Analog Line Output, plus Coaxial & Optical digital output. Includes WiFi & Bluetooth. Has balanced and single-ended Headphone Amp with up to 6w output to drive nearly any high-impedance/low-efficiency set of headphones with ease. The internal signal flow remains in a pure balanced mode from DAC to Analog outputs.

You can also use it as a standalone DAC via its USB Type-C charging & data port and Line Ouput. The USB-C is an X-mos type which means it doesn't use any of the device's internal processor power to operate. So you could connect your MacBook Pro or Windows PC via USB and use ANY available Media Playback Software that you desire. This could work from an iPad with the Camera Connection Kit 3, or from a Windows Tablet with USB.

The iBasso DX200 has a propriety "Mango Player" music app which runs via a separate and exclusive OS/Kernel. You can also switch to standard Android mode to install and use a plethora of other unique and feature-rich Android Music Player apps. At the moment it doesn't support the Android Google Play Store, so you need to download the app ".apk" separately to install each app via the iBasso's internal 64GB or up to 256GB microSD card storage, which really isn't too difficult.

There are also a few Android software developers who have created Custom ROMs for this device, that offer several different options, such as a stripped-down "Pure" ROM for the absolute best Audio Quality.

You can also control it remotely via another Android device such as any Android Smartphone or 7", 8", or 9.7" Android Tablet, etc. It is slightly laggy but completely usable. See the following video...






I'm going to be testing this out in the next few weeks to see how easily or seemlessly it handles connecting and disconnecting between the two devices.

iBasso has promised some fairly substantial Firmware Updates and IME they have been true to their word in this regard.

Anyway, it's just another option to consider. Each "best solution" will be different for each individual according to their unique use case scenario and personal preferences.

Scott, did you get your X5ii to connect to your DSP via Coaxial yet?


----------



## Babs

bbfoto said:


> Chord Electronics also has something similar to the Aries (though much smaller and portable) that is called "Poly" and it attaches to its "Mojo" DAC/Headphone Amp. I think Jason also had a short stint recently with a Mojo that his buddy loaned to him.


I got to hear that Chord Mojo DAC/amp.. Stellar, I thought. Very, very good.


----------



## srtchris

I run a Sony Hi Res DAP with my gs9 sound quality is awesome, but if you put the player in random mode you can't select folder, FF and Rew only. 

It starts the first song on the DAP EVERY SINGLE TIME!!!! When you start the car even for second.


----------



## Elektra

Check this out ....

https://pioneerelectronics.com/PUSA/Home/High-Resolution+Audio/XDP-300R-S


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## subterFUSE

Elektra said:


> Check this out ....
> 
> https://pioneerelectronics.com/PUSA/Home/High-Resolution+Audio/XDP-300R-S
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk




Nice. So now we need a DSP with balanced analog inputs. 


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## Elektra

subterFUSE said:


> Nice. So now we need a DSP with balanced analog inputs.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk




We actually need a DSP that can process all these formats... best is 32/192 which is the Helix PRO2...

Still no DSD... 

Strange that Sony never brought out a matching DSP to there Hu....

The new Brax DSP probably won't do higher res than the DSP PRO....

Strange because there are a lot of super HiRes portable players on the market...


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## Elektra

The need for a actual HU is quickly diminishing...


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## subterFUSE

Elektra said:


> We actually need a DSP that can process all these formats... best is 32/192 which is the Helix PRO2...
> 
> Still no DSD...
> 
> Strange that Sony never brought out a matching DSP to there Hu....
> 
> The new Brax DSP probably won't do higher res than the DSP PRO....
> 
> Strange because there are a lot of super HiRes portable players on the market...
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk



You can't "process" DSD in DSD format without converting it to something smaller. It's too much data.


----------



## Elektra

subterFUSE said:


> You can't "process" DSD in DSD format without converting it to something smaller. It's too much data.




Are the Helix DSPs MQA compatible? Since Tidal has this...


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## subterFUSE

I don't know what MQA is, and I have never used Tidal.

Streaming services are useless to me.


----------



## Elektra

subterFUSE said:


> I don't know what MQA is, and I have never used Tidal.
> 
> 
> 
> Streaming services are useless to me.




MQA - Master Quality Audio - its supposed to be master HiRes quality audio via Tidal... 


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----------



## srtchris

Elektra said:


> Check this out ....
> 
> https://pioneerelectronics.com/PUSA/Home/High-Resolution+Audio/XDP-300R-S
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I am using the the sony hi res ZX2 i like it so far.


----------



## bbfoto

Elektra said:


> We actually need a DSP that can process all these formats... best is 32/192 which is the Helix PRO2...
> 
> Still no DSD...
> 
> Strange that Sony never brought out a matching DSP to there HU....
> 
> The new Brax DSP probably won't do higher res than the DSP PRO....
> 
> Strange because there are a lot of super HiRes portable players on the market...



For all of you here that are fixated on the "superiority" of "Ultra Hi-Res" from your source or media player and through your DSP, I think you should take a step back to _understand_ Digital technology and how it actually works. I was obsessed with "Hi-Res" as well, but after discussing this with many recording engineers and a few mastering engineers, beyond 24/96 PCM any benefits or advantages are very questionable, especially for PLAYBACK of the music files.

This is why, still to this date, the majority of popular music is still RECORDED at no higher than 24/96 PCM. I haven't found anyone to explain this better and in more simplistic terms than our own _Andy Wehmeyer_ of JBL/Harmon and Audiofrog fame. Check out his post on this topic on the Audiofrog Forums...

*Audiofrog Forums TECH TIP - DIGITAL AUDIO BASICS*

You'll see that after a certain point, it's a bit ridiculous and definitely an area of diminishing returns.

Recording and Mixing Engineers want and _use_ the benefits of higher sample rates and bit depths because the main benefit they provide is better S/N ratio, or basically a lower noise floor for EACH Track. Say you record a track of a relatively soft acoustic guitar. When you raise the gain to an appropriate level for intelligibility, there might be a very low or slight level of background hiss or "noise floor", but it's completely acceptable for that single track and you really will not hear it unless you are listening at an unrealistic level, and only at breaks in the music or very soft/quiet sections.

Now take that single acoustic guitar track, and layer it with 24 or more individual tracks of various other instruments recorded at various levels. Along with the summation of the musical material, all of that low-level "background" noise or hiss also sums or combines resulting in much higher and noticeable overall level. So that little bit of extra S/N Ratio obtainable through using a higher sample rate and bit depth, along with proper gain staging, really matters to the engineer when CREATING the mix. But not so much when you playback the final music track!

Basically, there is so much extra Dynamic Range in a 24/96 track that there is no point in using a higher resolution or bit depth because the S/N and Resolution of the _system_ is maxed out to a point where you cannot EXTRACT the "better" performance in a usable or beneficial way.
.


----------



## Elektra

bbfoto said:


> For all of you here that are fixated on the "superiority" of "Ultra Hi-Res" from your source or media player and through your DSP, I think you should take a step back to _understand_ Digital technology and how it actually works. I was obsessed with "Hi-Res" as well, but after discussing this with many recording engineers and a few mastering engineers, beyond 24/96 PCM any benefits or advantages are very questionable, especially for PLAYBACK of the music files.
> 
> 
> 
> This is why, still to this date, the majority of popular music is still RECORDED at no higher than 24/96 PCM. I haven't found anyone to explain this better and in more simplistic terms than our own _Andy Wehmeyer_ of JBL/Harmon and Audiofrog fame. Check out his post on this topic on the Audiofrog Forums...
> 
> 
> 
> *Audiofrog Forums TECH TIP - DIGITAL AUDIO BASICS*
> 
> 
> 
> You'll see that after a certain point, it's a bit ridiculous and definitely an area of diminishing returns.
> 
> 
> 
> Recording and Mixing Engineers want and _use_ the benefits of higher sample rates and bit depths because the main benefit they provide is better S/N ratio, or basically a lower noise floor for EACH Track. Say you record a track of a relatively soft acoustic guitar. When you raise the gain to an appropriate level for intelligibility, there might be a very low or slight level of background hiss or "noise floor", but it's completely acceptable for that single track and you really will not hear it unless you are listening at an unrealistic level, and only at breaks in the music or very soft/quiet sections.
> 
> 
> 
> Now take that single acoustic guitar track, and layer it with 24 or more individual tracks of various other instruments recorded at various levels. Along with the summation of the musical material, all of that low-level "background" noise or hiss also sums or combines resulting in much higher and noticeable overall level. So that little bit of extra S/N Ratio obtainable through using a higher sample rate and bit depth, along with proper gain staging, really matters to the engineer when CREATING the mix. But not so much when you playback the final music track!
> 
> 
> 
> Basically, there is so much extra Dynamic Range in a 24/96 track that there is no point in using a higher resolution or bit depth because the S/N and Resolution of the _system_ is maxed out to a point where you cannot EXTRACT the "better" performance in a usable or beneficial way.
> 
> .




I dunno - I have heard 24/192 files side by side with normal 16/44 files - it's not even close imho...

Granted the 24/192 track was a dedicated recording - it just emphasizes how good HiRes is...

Although I do believe we will hit a wall with HiRes tracks as it probably won't get higher than 32/192 - DSD tracks are limited in choice 

And generally 24/96 will be a normal HiRes track going forward... 

Time will tell as new tech will always move forward... 

I do know MQA does higher than 24/96 so to be able to play all formats it doesn't hurt to have equipment that can decode everything - even though the difference between 24/96 and 32/192 my be too small to notice 


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----------



## _booo

> I run a Sony Hi Res DAP with my gs9 sound quality is awesome, but if you put the player in random mode you can't select folder, FF and Rew only.
> 
> It starts the first song on the DAP EVERY SINGLE TIME!!!! When you start the car even for second.


So if you select shuffle mode, it starts playing the Music folder from the beginning every time you start the car. So no way to shuffle some specific folder? only the whole Music folder on the USB?

If you have 2 USB devices connected each of them has its Music folder, how does the shuffle mode works? each USB device can be shuffled separately?

Does the order in shuffle mode always the same or after the first track the order is shuffled differently every time you stop/start the car?


----------



## _booo

> You can't fast forward within a track, and the player won't support gapless playback.


Regarding the gapless play back. that's what I found in the manual.

Notes
 Gapless playback is performed when the sampling
frequency and bit depth are identical to those of the
next or previous track.


----------



## subterFUSE

_booo said:


> Regarding the gapless play back. that's what I found in the manual.
> 
> 
> 
> Notes
> 
>  Gapless playback is performed when the sampling
> 
> frequency and bit depth are identical to those of the
> 
> next or previous track.




And they are wrong in that statement.

They need to update it to say the following:


Gapless playback is not supported by the Sony GS9 unless you use a 3rd party media player app that supports gapless, such as the Onkyo player or Apple Music player. This requires a USB cable connection from the iPhone, iPad or other media device to the Sony GS9. The music files themselves must be stored on the iPhone, iPad or media device and the format must be supported by both the 3rd party player app and the Sony GS9.


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## probillygun

Are users of the GS9's tuning your systems with DSEE HX turned on or off?


----------



## Babs

probillygun said:


> Are users of the GS9's tuning your systems with DSEE HX turned on or off?



I've tried it with lower res files and the difference is rather minimal. I just leave it off. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro


----------



## Rainstar

Any recommendations on which external Hard drive/Solid State drive to get with the RSX GS9

My current phone is a LG V20 but I am preety sure its like 256GB max.

Initially Was thinking getting an external SSD like the Samsung T3
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01AVF6UHK/ref=twister_B01BCWKBZI?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

Would that be compatible?

Has anyone here done like a Tesla style extra Large Tablet for their car?


----------



## subterFUSE

Just FYI but you can't get the best SQ possible from the Sony unless you use the micro USB port on front and a media player. The other USB ports do not feed audio directly to the USB DAC chip. If you use a hard drive and play DSD files, the Sony will down convert the DSD to PCM audio before playback.

The only way to play true DSD on the Sony is with the Micro USB port on front. And you can't run an external hard drive with that port.


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----------



## haakono

I think they have changed that with the latest firmware update? So that the rear usb has the same functionality as the front one?

Edit: yep, that is the case:



> his page provides instructions on how to update the firmware for RSX-GS9 to version 12.
> 
> Benefits of Update:
> 
> Added function:
> 
> Display song title from USB1 and USB2.
> Display caller name when calling via bluetooth hands free.
> Adjust brightness settings
> Native DSD 11.2MHz/1bit playback with Walkman (*) via USB-DAC
> *For native DSD 11.2MHz/1bit playback, a suitable walkman is needed and may not be available in your country or region.
> Compatible with Sony | Music Center app
> Toggle AUTO or OFF launch setting in menu of “Sony | Music Center” app
> Previous Benefits and Improvements:
> 
> Added function: DSD5.6MHz/1bit content is now playable on USB1 and USB2 ports.
> Resolve the symptom of low and high pass filter setting doesn’t retain previous settings when the car engine is turned on.
> Resolve the symptom where the time alignment display does not remain when the car engine is turned on.


----------



## subterFUSE

haakono said:


> I think they have changed that with the latest firmware update? So that the rear usb has the same functionality as the front one?
> 
> Edit: yep, that is the case:




False.


What they did was activate the other USB ports so that they would accept DSD files. However, what they don't tell you there is what is happening to the signal path.

When you play DSD files on the other USB ports, the Sony is actually down-converting the DSD data to standard PCM.


This has been confirmed by Sony engineers on a Facebook group dedicated to the GS9.


The ONLY way to actually play DSD files and have the music go directly to the DAC chip in true DSD format is to use the Micro USB port.

Doesn't matter what firmware you got.


----------



## bbfoto

subterFUSE said:


> False.
> 
> 
> What they did was activate the other USB ports so that they would accept DSD files. However, what they don't tell you there is what is happening to the signal path.
> 
> When you play DSD files on the other USB ports, the Sony is actually down-converting the DSD data to standard PCM.
> 
> 
> This has been confirmed by Sony engineers on a Facebook group dedicated to the GS9.
> 
> 
> The ONLY way to actually play DSD files and have the music go directly to the DAC chip in true DSD format is to use the Micro USB port.
> 
> Doesn't matter what firmware you got.



Absolutely correct.

This is something that you should always specifically check and confirm when purchasing any "DSD capable" DAC, home Media Player or DAP/PMP.

I know I'm going to sound like a broken record, but...

Sure, there are many DACs or Media Players available these days that will _play_ DSD files, BUT, the majority of them only achieve this by first converting the 1-bit DSD data stream to a multi-bit PCM format. This type of conversion and playback of DSD files is termed "DoP" or "DSD Over PCM". Luckily the GS9 is one of the units that actually does play native DSD files by sending the actual DSD Bit Sream directly to the DAC, but as previously mentioned, ONLY when using the micro-USB port on the front panel of the HU.

You must also consider the origin of the DSD music files that you've downlaoded and want to play. The available catalog and the available genres of true, native DSD titles make up an extremely small percentage of the market. The majority of these releases are still concentrated in the classical and jazz genres. How much of these you will actually listen to on a daily basis for enjoyment comes down to your personal preferences.

The majority of "popular music" titles are created and released with a focus on the end goal of _turning a profit_ (and there's nothing wrong with that). But recording, mixing, mastering, and distributing titles in DSD format takes a lot of extra time, expense, and special handling that most on the record business end of things don't see as beneficial or necessary to achieving that end goal.

So, they continue to stick with more traditional and efficient processes, with the industry standard for delivery of masters still being just 24/96 PCM, even in this age of "ultra high res". As a side note, based the Nyquist theorem, in the PCM digital format, 24/192 is the minimum digital bit depth and resolution required to match or exceed the capabilities of the human auditory system _in the time domain_.

There's a good chance that the DSD files that you actually paid for and downloaded might have originated or been recorded in and/or converted from 24/96 PCM masters...and maybe 24/192 PCM if you're lucky. The majority of recording studios at this point in time are still set up for this PCM workflow, while very, very few have the equipment and software to even handle or accommodate a DSD/DXD workflow.

Even if the music from your DSD download was originally recorded in actual 1-bit DSD format, the majority of releases are still converted to PCM in order to be edited and mixed, and then they are converted back to DSD again at the final stage. VERY few DSD releases have remained in their native DSD format and bit stream from the initial capture of the recording through to their final release in downloadable form due to the substantial limitations of editing and mixing in a pure DSD format, and the limited equipment and software that's available to do it.

IMO, DSD _can_ sound "better" and/or more lifelike, but a lot of research must be done regarding the actual source of the DSD file, and great care must be taken on the playback side of things to insure even the possibility of hearing those benefits. 

/End of Rant


----------



## BMW Alpina

Just tested and found out that if you connect iPad to USBDAC port, and pair/connect iPhone (or Android Phone) via BlueTooth, when a phone call come in (or you make call out from your phone), the Sony RSX-GS9 automatically connect with the phone for BlueTooth Phone function (and silent the iPad/USBDAC) !!!

This is perfect...

well... when the phone call end, you have to manually play the music on the iPad again though... it do not play back automatically...
but still that is ok...

because I was thinking of getting a WiFi Router on the car so I can have the iPhone automatically transfer the call to the iPad (Apple Continuity) but now I know about this, I no longer need a WiFi Router


----------



## rockytt

Very interested in this deck and I've read through the entire thread - now I think it's not the right one for me - was hoping to leverage the collective wisdom here.

Most of what I listen to is 24 bit flac files and it's a bit cumbersome with my (old) alpine HU as I have to convert/burn to DVD-A. (Yes - someone still does that!) I have one of the early Alpine DSP units with their IMPRINT setup that has worked out pretty well but it's time to change.

Question: I want the GS9 to work in my situation, but if I "have" to use an external DSP to properly time-align and adjust the EQ for my car - doesn't this just become a (really) expensive digital player with no sonic benefits over several other units out there? In a nutshell, unless I'm running RCA jacks to my amp(s) from the GS9 I'll just be bypassing the internal DACs - which is the justification for this beast?

If I read things correctly, an Alpine ilx-207 coupled with a PXA-H800 would sound better than a GS9 on its own due to the adjustments I can make to the sound - yes? And the adjustments possible with the GS9 flying solo won't be enough for my little car?

Really appreciate any insights - pretty basic stuff I know, but I've been out of the loop for a few years...


----------



## fcarpio

If you go digital to the processor you will be bypassing the DAC in the RSX-GS9, but you can always use RCAs to go form the RSX-GS9 to the processor. But then, some processors have excellent DACs and begs the question if this unit is worth it. Like many here know, I am extracting a digital signal from my phone from lossless files and going digital into my processor (PXA-H800), works well for me.


----------



## gumbeelee

gumbeelee said:


> If it only had a cd player, out the window for me!! It's still a sweet unit!!




Damn was I ever wrong when I made this statement. I absolutely love this unit!!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## quickaudi07

I dont see anything special about this unit. I run my ipad straight to my DSP... why would i need this device for? and i heard is slow as hell and buggy at the same time...

No win win for me...


----------



## gijoe

Some people seem to love it, but it's a no go for me. Since it processes digital audio you'd think the screen would be big enough to display more than one line of text. I'd take the P99RS over this for every single reason.


----------



## fcarpio

gijoe said:


> Some people seem to love it, but it's a no go for me. Since it processes digital audio you'd think the screen would be big enough to display more than one line of text. I'd take the P99RS over this for every single reason.


One line? I think you are being generous.


----------



## subterFUSE

Those who know, know.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## thehatedguy

I have one, and I too am struggling on what it's purpose and functionality exactly is.


----------



## locoface

quickaudi07 said:


> I dont see anything special about this unit. I run my ipad straight to my DSP... why would i need this device for? and i heard is slow as hell and buggy at the same time...
> 
> No win win for me...


What are you using to go directly to your DSP?


----------



## subterFUSE

quickaudi07 said:


> I dont see anything special about this unit. I run my ipad straight to my DSP... why would i need this device for? and i heard is slow as hell and buggy at the same time...
> 
> 
> 
> No win win for me...




1. It plays file types that your iPad to DSP connection can’t play.

2. It sounds better.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## quickaudi07

locoface said:


> What are you using to go directly to your DSP?


iPad pro 9.7". I have Helix DSP Pro with USB HiFi card 

Sent from my ONEPLUS A3000 using Tapatalk


----------



## quickaudi07

subterFUSE said:


> 1. It plays file types that your iPad to DSP connection can’t play.
> 
> 2. It sounds better.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I could play any file from iPad. I have done my homework before going this route. 

Sent from my ONEPLUS A3000 using Tapatalk


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## quickaudi07

I also stream my music from tidal and Spotify. I have mobile connection on iPad, also have GPS, face time, everything I need to make my head unit a complete multimedia. 

Mp3, wma, wave, flack .. videos, anything I throw at it, it does without a problem and it sounds. Great...  But there might be more to it about the unit than I may not know... 



Sent from my ONEPLUS A3000 using Tapatalk


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## gijoe

subterFUSE said:


> 1. It plays file types that your iPad to DSP connection can’t play.
> 
> 2. It sounds better.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Ipad to DSP can play lossless, but not hi-res, that's true.

It sounding better is a HUGE leap. It can POTENTIALLY sound better, but the equipment and tune need to be extremely good to hear any difference in a car, and once you start the motor and drive, you cannot hear the difference. 

Hi-res is excellent at home, in a car it's a gimmick (my opinion, of course, don't take offense).


----------



## subterFUSE

In competition, the GS9 is an advantage if used correctly.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Babs

GS9:
SQ score 10
Practicality score 3
Usability score 3

iDevice into USB HEC:
SQ Score I’d give it a 8-9
Practicality score I’d give it an 7. 
Usability score 9

Fiio DAP into Helix SPDIF:
SQ Score 9
Practicality score 7
Usability score 7-9 depending on the DAP



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro


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## rob feature

Stick me in the 'I don't get it' pile please. I also would be going for the P99 and for far cheaper. If the unit were $200, OK. Maybe. Err, naah, it would be an 80PRS at that price. More for everyone else I suppose.


----------



## D34dl1fter

While being pretty new to using the gs9 i will say im thoroughly enjoying it so far using it with a dsp pro mk2(analog) and director (pre-set storage) as well as an ipad mini 4 ...ive used both the song pal app (128gb flash drive) and onkyo app (micro usb)

I have experience with the following since 2010 (note in 2 different cars) 
-drz9255 (modded by clarion) paired with helix dsp (non pro)
-macintosh mx5000 paired with rane rpm88 (modded for car use)...this set up sounded the best to me but had some major quirks 
-Alpine 957hd paired with helix dsp pro mk1
-pioneer p99 (modded by MR) 

Like anything else they all have their own pluses and minuses but again for myself im really digging the gs9 set up right now 

Though i have been called a stage 5 swapper....so time will tell


----------



## WestCo

D34dl1fter said:


> While being pretty new to using the gs9 i will say im thoroughly enjoying it so far using it with a dsp pro mk2(analog) and director (pre-set storage) as well as an ipad mini 4 ...ive used both the song pal app (128gb flash drive) and onkyo app (micro usb)
> 
> I have experience with the following since 2010 (note in 2 different cars)
> -drz9255 (modded by clarion) paired with helix dsp (non pro)
> -macintosh mx5000 paired with rane rpm88 (modded for car use)...this set up sounded the best to me but had some major quirks
> -Alpine 957hd paired with helix dsp pro mk1
> -pioneer p99 (modded by MR)
> 
> Like anything else they all have their own pluses and minuses but again for myself im really digging the gs9 set up right now
> 
> Though i have been called a stage 5 swapper....so time will tell


The Mac unit is hard to beat... I run an MDA5000 for home theater, love it. The music sounds "alive" if that makes any sense. 

What are your thoughts on the GS9 vs the MX5000?

I am eyeballing the GS9 and might try one in the future.


----------



## D34dl1fter

WestCo said:


> The Mac unit is hard to beat... I run an MDA5000 for home theater, love it. The music sounds "alive" if that makes any sense.
> 
> What are your thoughts on the GS9 vs the MX5000?
> 
> I am eyeballing the GS9 and might try one in the future.


Joe 
Sadly they were different cars and different set ups entirely sail panel tweets and a pillar mids vs dash tweets and mids...this car and its current iteration are just very nice to listen to and it happens to have the gs9 in it...

Mark has a FS ad that includes a gs9 in it at a good price pick it up and try it out and if ya dont like it turn around and move it


----------



## WestCo

D34dl1fter said:


> Joe
> Sadly they were different cars and different set ups entirely sail panel tweets and a pillar mids vs dash tweets and mids...this car and its current iteration are just very nice to listen to and it happens to have the gs9 in it...


Thanks


----------



## rockytt

For me, the P99 sits at the top of the "don't get it pile" as it doesn't play flac files.

I guess this whole process would be easier and a whole lot less fun if someone made the "perfect" HU...

Related question - if I were to go analog from the GS9 to the PXA-H800, wouldn't the processor take the signal, convert to digital for processing and then back to analog when it goes out to the amps? Kinda defeats 1/2 the purpose of the HU IMHO


----------



## Babs

The GS9 isn’t for everyone 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro


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## D34dl1fter

Babs said:


> The GS9 isn’t for everyone
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro


agreed scott though this hobby in and of itself is its own little niche too


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## BMW Alpina

Sony RSX-GS9 will be perfect for someone who like:
a. The sound quality of the ESS 9018 DAC, the same chip used in (for example) *
McIntosh DA1 Digital Module (Upgradeable DAC module in McIntosh home audio equipment)* 
and *Yamaha CD-S3000*, which is Yamaha Flagship Home CD Player/DA Converter.

b. The analog output of the Sony also utilize High End Muse 8920E Op Amp.

Which mean to keep as much possible the sound signature (quality) of the Sony RSX-GS9, the only way is to stay analog output to the analog crossover and then to the analog power amplifier (or skip the analog crossover and use passive crossover instead).

If someone need to use time alignment function inside the Sony RSX-GS9 and want to go active (like me), it will be limited to 2 way active front plus a stereo sub 
(or mono sub) config.
What I did was, I use the Front Channel output of the Sony RSX-GS9 to be the source for the front tweeter,
the Rear Channel output of the Sony RSX-GS9 to be the source for the front midbass.
and the subwoofer output of the Sony RSX-GS9 to be the source for a stereo front underseat subwoofer. This config can be view as 3 way active front too... because I use stereo sub and the sub is located around the front area.

*The Sony RSX-GS9 had excellent Time Alignment features for each of the channel (Front L/R, Rear L/R, Sub). The Custom Adjustment is in 1cm increment, from as close as 1cm to as far as 350cm. (distance from the driver to your listening position), so there is no need for outside DSP processor just for the time alignment function.*

The Sony also have 10 band EQ which is NOT as powerful as a standalone DSP EQ function, but I don't really like to adjust EQ much anyway.
If I need simple adjustment, I can still adjust from this internal Sony RSX-GS9 10band EQ or adjust the active crossover level. The powered underseat sub also had some freq response adjustment, so I can individually adjust the powered underseat sub if I need too.

Please note, I don't plan to compete where they have RTA measuring your freq for scoring.
My scoring is how I ENJOY the highest quality sound possible without altering the sound signature of the Sony RSX-GS9 while I am driving everyday (with all the background noise from my tire, engine, other car, wind noise etc.)...

so if you fit all the above (like me), then Sony RSX-GS9 is perfect for you without any need of external DSP.
But of course, everybody is different, and most member of DIYmobileaudio prefer to use DSP.


----------



## gumbeelee

I ABSOLUTELY Love my Sony RSX-GS9. I thought when it came out I would not like it at all. I love running my ipad mini into the sony, then from the sony to the helix dsp pro. Its probably my favorite setup of all time!!



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## rockytt

> so if you fit all the above (like me), then Sony RSX-GS9 is perfect for you without any need of external DSP.


This is an awesome write-up - thanks for sharing your setup - scales are tipping back towards the GS9 again


----------



## gumbeelee

rockytt said:


> For me, the P99 sits at the top of the "don't get it pile" as it doesn't play flac files.
> 
> 
> 
> I guess this whole process would be easier and a whole lot less fun if someone made the "perfect" HU...
> 
> 
> 
> Related question - if I were to go analog from the GS9 to the PXA-H800, wouldn't the processor take the signal, convert to digital for processing and then back to analog when it goes out to the amps? Kinda defeats 1/2 the purpose of the HU IMHO




Just run u an optical cable from the gs9 to h800 and have digital all the way, expect for the final conversion to the amps


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## subterFUSE

gumbeelee said:


> Just run u an optical cable from the gs9 to h800 and have digital all the way, expect for the final conversion to the amps
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk




Can’t play hi Res files that way.

If you are using the optical out of the Sony GS9, then it’s being used wrong.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## SkizeR

BMW Alpina said:


> Please note, I don't plan to compete where they have RTA measuring your freq for scoring.
> .


Please note that almost all competition isn't done via rta. Only the rta format is, and hardly anyone competes in that. 

Sent from my SM-G950U1 using Tapatalk


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## quickaudi07

SkizeR said:


> Please note that almost all competition isn't done via rta. Only the rta format is, and hardly anyone competes in that.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G950U1 using Tapatalk


?

Sent from my ONEPLUS A3000 using Tapatalk


----------



## bbfoto

gumbeelee said:


> Just run u an optical cable from the gs9 to h800 and have digital all the way, expect for the final conversion to the amps.


_*subterFUSE*_ is right in that if you just use the Optical Digital Output from the GS9, you are bypassing just about everything that makes the GS9 so special (the aforementioned ESS Sabre DAC & Hi-End analog output section). You might as well use a DAP or another source that outputs optical or coaxial digital and is less expensive (and with less limitations) compared to the GS9.




subterFUSE said:


> *Can’t play hi Res files that way.*
> 
> If you are using the optical out of the Sony GS9, then it’s being used wrong.


The "Hi-Res" term is used too broadly here (and in many other instances). Saying that you "Can’t play hi Res files that way" is misleading and depends on your personal definition of exactly what constitutes a file as being "Hi-Res". IMO, the digital optical output of the GS9 is Hi-Res, albeit *only* in PCM format (although that is how 95% of all music is recorded, mixed, and mastered), and also it's *perhaps* somewhat limited in sample rate.

IMPO, any music file that was recorded and originated as a 24-bit file (even if it is just at a 44.1 or 48kHz sample rate), is "Hi-Res". Others may believe that "Hi-Res" must be at least 24-bit AND at a higher sample rate, such as 88.2, 96, 176.4, 192, or 352kHz, etc. Someone else might only consider 1-bit DSD or DXD to be truly "Hi-Res". And then there are the variations in DSD resolution of 64, 128, 256, etc.

Using the Analog Output from the Sony GS9 also ensures the minimization of jitter, because all digital conversion & processing is done internally, syncing only to the GS9's internal word clock oscillator.

Problems with jitter start to arise when you start inter-connecting multiple digital devices via S/PDIF optical or coaxial that each have their own internal digital oscillator clock source (such as connecting the GS9 via optical to a separate Digital DSP). So this *might* be one other reason that most people who own the GS9 feel that it is better to connect the GS9 via its Analog Outputs when connecting to an outboard DSP.

Also, regarding "FLAC", it is just a type of codec and "file type", just as MP3, AAC, ALAC and WAV are. Just saying that your file is in FLAC format does not automatically mean that it is a Hi-Res file. A FLAC file can still be just 16-bit/44.1khz.

In all of this, the only way for you to determine for yourself what sounds best, and/or if there is any difference, is to do a Double-Blind A/B/X test using the different sources and connection types, in YOUR system. That takes quite a bit of time and effort but it's the only way for YOU to know.

There is also the caveat that the rest of _Your Current Playback System_ isn't "Hi-Res" enough to allow you to discern any differences. This chit ain't easy and you could just be chasing your own tail.

Ideally, I prefer to perform these types of source equipment tests in what I think is my most acoustically-optimized setting, which is a home studio monitoring setup, and/or via high quality headphones. This eliminates a lot of the variables and compromises of the car audio environment. Then, if I can actually discern a difference for the better in my best playback system, at least I will know that the same is now at least *possible* if implemented in my car audio system.

And I agree with Scott (_Babs_) that the GS9 isn't for everyone. As good as it sounds (VERY, VERY GOOD!), I just don't like the UX. The unit itself also doesn't "fit in" aesthetically (and sometimes physically) with any of my vehicles. And mounting it remotely doesn't work for me.

In addition, my personal listening tests have revealed (to me) that my iBasso DX90 & DX200 sound just as good as the GS9 when using their analog line outputs. And I prefer the UI/UX of the DAPs, and also the fact that I can take my music player/source/music library with me everywhere I go. Sure, there are some cons with these devices as well...nothing's perfect. Ultimately everyone has different preferences and YMMV.


----------



## gumbeelee

subterFUSE said:


> Can’t play hi Res files that way.
> 
> If you are using the optical out of the Sony GS9, then it’s being used wrong.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk




I definately am not using it, I use analog to my helix dsp pro....i thought he was just acting how to keep the signal digital as far as possible, not about playing hi-res files. I use the usb-dac on the gs9 from ipad cam kit. I absolutely love my gs9!!!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## fcarpio

subterFUSE said:


> In competition, the GS9 is an advantage if used correctly.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk





subterFUSE said:


> 1. It plays file types that your iPad to DSP connection can’t play.
> 
> 2. It sounds better.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


You see, you can't just tell people random "facts" and expect us to take you seriously. OK, the GS9 has an advantage is competition, how? What file types are there that I cannot play on my device (Apple or Android) that the GS9 can play? OK, it sounds better, why? Not trying to pick on you (but I am) but your comments are incomplete. Please elaborate so we can have a discussion. We may learn something from your comments, but not as they are now.


----------



## thehatedguy

I thought the only thing that couldn't go via Toslink was the DSD files/format


----------



## benny z

I think the only way to use the USB-DAC (the good one) to its full potential (direct path) is via the analog outputs.


----------



## Klangston

I have a question I'm hoping someone can give me some help with,I just bought the rsx-gs9 this week,I had planned on using optical to an audison bit one,from what I think I'm understanding I don't need the dsp,I upgraded from a pioneer avic-f900bt, basically I just want to know if the Sony will perform as well as my old hu, thanks in advance


----------



## gumbeelee

Klangston said:


> I have a question I'm hoping someone can give me some help with,I just bought the rsx-gs9 this week,I had planned on using optical to an audison bit one,from what I think I'm understanding I don't need the dsp,I upgraded from a pioneer avic-f900bt, basically I just want to know if the Sony will perform as well as my old hu, thanks in advance




Yes the sony will blow away your pioneer in terms of SQ. U don’t have to use an external dsp, u can just use the sony if you wish. You have to have external amps though as the sony does not have any built in amplification.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## Klangston

I appreciate your input,Im working on a build, sundown zv5 12s and sundown scv 7500d,I just want a good sound but really don't want to mess with a dsp


----------



## SkizeR

Klangston said:


> I appreciate your input,Im working on a build, sundown zv5 12s and sundown scv 7500d,I just want a good sound but really don't want to mess with a dsp


It's very rare to have the former without the later. 

Sent from my SM-G950U1 using Tapatalk


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## gijoe

Klangston said:


> I appreciate your input,Im working on a build, sundown zv5 12s and sundown scv 7500d,I just want a good sound but really don't want to mess with a dsp


If you want the best sound, but no DSP, then you've made a very interesting choice in head unit. That head unit will give you a super clean signal, but a $100 head unit with some good DSP is going to be much more powerful with regard to sound quality.


----------



## Klangston

Thanks gijoe,I haven't messed with stereo equipment in years so I'm a little anxious,I think I'm going through a mid life crisis,lol but I always wanted a nice setup,but not something that I'm constantly going to be adjusting if that makes sense


----------



## gijoe

Klangston said:


> Thanks gijoe,I haven't messed with stereo equipment in years so I'm a little anxious,I think I'm going through a mid life crisis,lol but I always wanted a nice setup,but not something that I'm constantly going to be adjusting if that makes sense


In the car environment, DSP is absolutely king. The acoustics in a car are terrible, and you'll never get the most from your system without a DSP.


----------



## Klangston

Any thoughts on Rockford fosgate dsr1?


----------



## gumbeelee

gijoe said:


> If you want the best sound, but no DSP, then you've made a very interesting choice in head unit. That head unit will give you a super clean signal, but a $100 head unit with some good DSP is going to be much more powerful with regard to sound quality.




He is correct about the external dsp and a cheaper deck will yield more pricessing power. Having said that I have heard the sony rsx-gs9 without an external dsp and it sounds damn good, right with or better than the pioneer dex-p99rs imo. It does not have all sq features of the p99, but I believe someone that has been out of the game will love the sound of the sony without an external dsp. If u r really wanting to go to the next level thats when u add a dsp with the sony.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## gijoe

gumbeelee said:


> He is correct about the external dsp. Having said that I have heard the sony rsx-gs9 without an external dsp and it sounds damn good, right with or better than the pioneer dex-p99rs imo. It does not have all sq features of the p99, but I believe someone that has been out of the game will love the gs9 without an external dsp. If u r really wanting to go to the next level thats when u add a dsp with the sony.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


But, why have hi-res audio without any sound stage? I guess I just don't understand the value. Does it have enough DSP to be worthwhile?


----------



## gumbeelee

gijoe said:


> But, why have hi-res audio without any sound stage? I guess I just don't understand the value.




Believe me I undetstand your point exactly, thats why I run a helix dsp pro with mine


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Klangston

I was looking at the helix pro,maybe I should just try what I have out for now and go from there


----------



## Klangston

Hell if it sounds better than my old pioneer avic-f900bt I'll be extremely happy


----------



## JH1973

gijoe said:


> Klangston said:
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks gijoe,I haven't messed with stereo equipment in years so I'm a little anxious,I think I'm going through a mid life crisis,lol but I always wanted a nice setup,but not something that I'm constantly going to be adjusting if that makes sense
> 
> 
> 
> In the car environment, DSP is absolutely king. The acoustics in a car are terrible, and you'll never get the most from your system without a DSP.
Click to expand...

Agree 100%....so glad I finally went active.Will never go back.How could I once I heard the difference?


----------



## rockytt

So - this may be a dumb question and I may have already overlooked the answer here:

I've got some 4-track (quad) flac files - front/rear - that work great on my home system. Will this unit work the same way or does it only accept a 2-channel source? (And did I explain my question very well?)


----------



## ChaseUTB

Mitsu1grn said:


> For those of you who are suggesting its all about the DSD capability, let me clarify.
> 
> The unit will upsample any signal coming into the unit via the USBII input. So, if you have a rebook CD file in FLAC, if your iPad, phone, Android device, etc....has the ability to play back FLAC or AIFF or whatever, the unit will upsample to at least 24/192 resolution.
> 
> I demonstrated that capability at IASCA finals to a number of people going from standard 16/44.1 playback to up sampled playback and it wasn't even close. Pretty impressive in up sampling mode. Dynamic range was increased substantially, depth ,width, height was way better in up sampling mode.
> 
> Like I said, its not for everyone. I will comment on the "unsafe" driving aspect of the unit. I has no problem in using the unit changing tracks or changing inputs while driving. All you need to do is pick up the remote and change volume, track up or down, mute, go to tuner or bluetooth the unit. Its all very simple.
> 
> Granted, a bigger screen would make a lot of people happy, and I have no doubt that Sony is probably going to look into building one.
> 
> As to the lower priced units in the near future, I am not betting on that to happen anytime soon. The DAC chips in this unit that must be used for the up sampling ability are the famous SABRE DAC ES9018 chips along with using an Asynchronous USB input which is capable of transmission of up to 192 Khz. Looking into the unit, if I was looking at this correctly, I was looking at separate power transformers for digital and analog sections of the unit. The internals are designed for maximum signal transfer with the cleanest signal possible given the size constraints of the unit.
> 
> Again, this unit is not for everyone, nor was it intended to be!


Upsampling a file does not increase dynamic range, upsampling doesn’t add anything to a file except more storage space. Depth won’t change, heighth won’t change, and guess what .. If you phase invert the ulsampled file against the original they will null -> meaning they are the same file ... perception bias is so real, also nothing Apple outputs is higher than 16/44.1 analog via lightning connector..

The DAC chip is the ESS Sabre and for what this unit cost you could have 16 channels of Sabre DAC for conversion.. ( motu 16A interface ) Also this “ amazing “ DAC chip is a good standard in pro audio but paying this much for 2 channels is insanely expensive. Have a great day!


----------



## ChaseUTB

benny z said:


> I think the only way to use the USB-DAC (the good one) to its full potential (direct path) is via the analog outputs.


 Yes otherwise you are not using the Ess Sabre DAC. If one is using DSP the Ess sabre will not be the final conversion however. The analog outs feed dsp analog ins, dsp converts to digital to signal process then re converts back to analog for the amps rca inputs. 

This design still confuses me because someone spending this much $ on a Head unit will definitely have dsp. Also the less conversions from D to A and A to D the purer the original source audio stays.


----------



## Bnlcmbcar

ChaseUTB said:


> nothing Apple outputs is higher than 16/44.1 analog via lightning connector..


By using the Apple USB 3.0 lightening adapter, one is able to bypass the internal DAC and use an external DAC that is capable of higher bitrates like 24/192 as long as you use an app that is capable of playing such files.


----------



## ChaseUTB

Bnlcmbcar said:


> ChaseUTB said:
> 
> 
> 
> nothing Apple outputs is higher than 16/44.1 analog via lightning connector..
> 
> 
> 
> By using the Apple USB 3.0 lightening adapter, one is able to bypass the internal DAC and use an external DAC that is capable of higher bitrates like 24/192 as long as you use an app that is capable of playing such files.
Click to expand...

Interesting. Are you 100% sure this adapter is bypassing the converter and isn’t outputting analog audio? 

I did a quick search and can’t seem to find much info related to this other than ppl saying the same thing you are. No tests to prove the output from the device. If I am missing reviews/ infos Please post links, would love to learn!!!

If the file was not recorded originally in 24 bit 192 KHz sample rate there is no benefit of upsampling that audio file for playback.


----------



## Bnlcmbcar

ChaseUTB said:


> Interesting. Are you 100% sure this adapter is bypassing the converter and isn’t outputting analog audio?


Just to clarify by bypassing the converter I am referring to the iOS device’s internal DAC not the Sony Unit’s DAC. 

It’s hasnt been officially acknowledged by Apple probably due to politics with its own ALAC format (wanting consumers to believe an external DAC is not required due to the “audiophile” quality of 16/44 ALAC)...

But it’s been a known feature in the computure/mobile headphone audiophile scene since the introduction of iOS 7 in conjunction with newer iOS devices that they are able to support digital streaming via the Apple Camera Connection USB3.0 adapter.

With the adapter one can connect an external DAC with a USB input to achieve higher bitrate playback. The caveat is that the USB DAC has to be self powered and the standard Apple Music app itself won’t support these higher bitrate files, but something like the Onyo HF app or similare is able to output those signals to the External DAC. Correct me if I’m wrong but this is the way iOS devices are able to connect to the Helix digital USB HEC input.

I currently use the adapter method myself: IOS device > Apple USB 3.0 adapter > iFi iLink USB to Digital Coax converter > digital input of DSP.

Signal is definitely digital and not analog. As far as verifying if I’m playjng the higher bitrates than 16/44, suggest a way for me to test it out and I’ll give it a try for you.

So find a self powered USB DAC (with the same Sabre component found in the Sony unit) and you should be good to go.


----------



## nineball76

ChaseUTB said:


> Interesting. Are you 100% sure this adapter is bypassing the converter and isn’t outputting analog audio?


I can confirm. I used to run an iPad to usb 3.0 camera kit, into am external dac to a headphone amp via bapanced output from the Dac. Only way to input into the DAC is via digital, analog wouldn't do anything, there no ADC in the DAC. 

Sent from my LG-V20 using Tapatalk


----------



## bbfoto

ChaseUTB said:


> Upsampling a file does not increase dynamic range, upsampling doesn’t add anything to a file except more storage space. Depth won’t change, heighth won’t change, and guess what .. If you phase invert the ulsampled file against the original they will null -> meaning they are the same file ... perception bias is so real, also nothing Apple outputs is higher than 16/44.1 analog via lightning connector..
> 
> The DAC chip is the ESS Sabre and for what this unit cost you could have 16 channels of Sabre DAC for conversion.. ( motu 16A interface ) Also this “ amazing “ DAC chip is a good standard in pro audio but paying this much for 2 channels is insanely expensive. Have a great day!


Every DAC & ADC process includes a very steep, brick-wall type of anti-aliasing cut-off filter that is "engaged" just below 1/2 of the sample frequency (Nyquist frequency). These filters are sometimes referred to as "apodizing" or "interpolation" filters. There are many different types and implementations of these brick-wall cut-off filters depending on the particular ADC/DAC chips that are used and the manufacturer's choice or OEM's development of their own filters.

Some filters are better than others (usually trading better performance in one area for compromises in another area), but ALL of these brick-wall cut-off filters create some degree of time-smearing artifacts, negative pre- and post-ringing of the impulse response, and phase distortion.

At 16 bit depth/44.1kHz sample rates, these steep, brick-wall anti-aliasing filters are "engaged" very close to our upper hearing limit of 20kHz. But these anti-aliasing cut-off filters are not perfect, and this allows some negative artifacts to be present even in the lower audible frequency spectrum.

However, if you Upsample a 16/44.1 or 16/48 file to lets say 24/96, the brick-wall cut-off filter is now pushed up to where it engages around ~48kHz, which is well beyond our upper hearing limit. This helps to keep the negative artifacts resulting from the DAC's cut-off filters out of the Audible Band, and in doing so, you may experience a better sense of separation of instruments, better overall imaging, soundstage, depth, focus, and transients/dynamics...providing that you're using a good recording that contains this information in the first place.

Our ears and brain rely on extremely minute timing, amplitude, frequency, and phase information in order to identify and localize sound in the 3D space around us. The DAC's steep, brick wall cut-off filters which are employed when playing back "normal" CD quality 16/44 or 16/48 files can alter, smear, or mask the original information contained in the file.

So Yes, Upsampling CAN have a positive effect on overall sound quality when playing back 16/44 files, compared to a non-upsampled conversion and playback of that same file.

And Yes, both the standard and upsampled FILES are identical (except in their noise content/SNR) and will null to zero when inverted and analyzed. HOWEVER, it is the actual Conversion Process of the DAC itself that "changes" the sound. This can differ depending on the type of DAC it is, and what type of brick wall or anti-aliasing filters are used in the process. Many of the newer audiophile DAPs and DACs allow you to choose from several different types of anti-aliasing filters for the DA conversion process.

In fact, the very first CD players that were released to the public actually had just 14-bit DACs! True 16-bit DACs were much too expensive to produce at the time! It took several years to produce 16-bit DAC chips that were affordable enough to put into normal consumer devices. So nearly all of these early CD players used the upsampling "trick" to extend the perceived frequency response and to minimize the effects of the artifacts from the steep cut-off filters on the audible band.

The 14-bit DACs used in the early CD players are another reason why some early CD releases were mastered with *pre-emphasis* applied. 

[Stolen from _ErinH_'s *Remasters and Audiophoolery* thread]...
In short, some CDs through the late 80's/early 90's were made with a boosted top end, called "pre-emphasis". This was done basically to counteract the falling response of the limited resolution in the day. MJ's _Thriller_ CD was one of them. And a lot of the albums from Japan were apparently made with pre-emphasis as well. 

You can find a great article written about pre-emphasis here:
http://www.audioxpress.com/assets/upload/files/galo3025.pdf


Regarding an Apple iOS device's capability to output High-Res files (above 16/48), it *is* possible, providing you use one of the third party music playing apps (such as the Onkyo HF Player app that was previously mentioned) in conjunction with Apple's USB Camera Connection Kit 3 (CCK3).

I have confirmed that Hi-Res playback is possible using an Apple iOS device with the above setup connected to several of my home audio USB DACs. For instance, when connected to the Oppo HA-1 DAC/Preamp/Headphone Amp, it's front panel display shows the actual incoming Bit Depth and Sample Rate that it is receiving from the source.


----------



## t3sn4f2

ChaseUTB said:


> Upsampling a file does not increase dynamic range, upsampling doesn’t add anything to a file except more storage space. Depth won’t change, heighth won’t change, and guess what .. *If you phase invert the ulsampled file against the original they will null -> meaning they are the same file* ... perception bias is so real, also nothing Apple outputs is higher than 16/44.1 analog via lightning connector..
> 
> The DAC chip is the ESS Sabre and for what this unit cost you could have 16 channels of Sabre DAC for conversion.. ( motu 16A interface ) Also this “ amazing “ DAC chip is a good standard in pro audio but paying this much for 2 channels is insanely expensive. Have a great day!


Curious about this. Are you talking about decoding (ie playing back) both files over each other, on inverted, on a sound editor like Audacity? And having them cancel out to a very low level noise (-96dB at least)? Or some other way?


----------



## Klangston

How much difference is there between optical and low level when using a dsp?


----------



## richard_crl032

BMW Alpina said:


> Sony RSX-GS9 will be perfect for someone who like:
> a. The sound quality of the ESS 9018 DAC, the same chip used in (for example) *
> McIntosh DA1 Digital Module (Upgradeable DAC module in McIntosh home audio equipment)*
> and *Yamaha CD-S3000*, which is Yamaha Flagship Home CD Player/DA Converter.
> 
> b. The analog output of the Sony also utilize High End Muse 8920E Op Amp.
> 
> Which mean to keep as much possible the sound signature (quality) of the Sony RSX-GS9, the only way is to stay analog output to the analog crossover and then to the analog power amplifier (or skip the analog crossover and use passive crossover instead).
> 
> If someone need to use time alignment function inside the Sony RSX-GS9 and want to go active (like me), it will be limited to 2 way active front plus a stereo sub
> (or mono sub) config.
> What I did was, I use the Front Channel output of the Sony RSX-GS9 to be the source for the front tweeter,
> the Rear Channel output of the Sony RSX-GS9 to be the source for the front midbass.
> and the subwoofer output of the Sony RSX-GS9 to be the source for a stereo front underseat subwoofer. This config can be view as 3 way active front too... because I use stereo sub and the sub is located around the front area.
> 
> *The Sony RSX-GS9 had excellent Time Alignment features for each of the channel (Front L/R, Rear L/R, Sub). The Custom Adjustment is in 1cm increment, from as close as 1cm to as far as 350cm. (distance from the driver to your listening position), so there is no need for outside DSP processor just for the time alignment function.*
> 
> The Sony also have 10 band EQ which is NOT as powerful as a standalone DSP EQ function, but I don't really like to adjust EQ much anyway.
> If I need simple adjustment, I can still adjust from this internal Sony RSX-GS9 10band EQ or adjust the active crossover level. The powered underseat sub also had some freq response adjustment, so I can individually adjust the powered underseat sub if I need too.
> 
> Please note, I don't plan to compete where they have RTA measuring your freq for scoring.
> My scoring is how I ENJOY the highest quality sound possible without altering the sound signature of the Sony RSX-GS9 while I am driving everyday (with all the background noise from my tire, engine, other car, wind noise etc.)...
> 
> so if you fit all the above (like me), then Sony RSX-GS9 is perfect for you without any need of external DSP.
> But of course, everybody is different, and most member of DIYmobileaudio prefer to use DSP.


Hi All,

To avoid external dsp like Helix dsp pro and keep to dsd throughout but yet have 3 way set up, can I have a usb hub from my android headunit playing dsd files by say onkyo HF player to 2 units of the Sony to selected 8 main channels and 4 sub channels ? 
Hope to understand if this is possible and foreseeable issues.
Thanks in advance.
Richard


----------



## richard_crl032

Hi All,

Sorry for being not clear, I wish to have 3 way active and sub out with time alignment ... I believe we still can process Dsd On Pcm stream or DOP or have I made a fundamental erroneous assumption ?
Thanks again.
Richard


----------



## GMCtrk

What is the going rate for these from an authorized dealer? Anyone getting these cheaper than Cruthfield (1499$)?

Got an 80PRS on order but thinking of cancelling it and getting the GS9 instead. I absolutely love this HU.


----------



## Rainstar

GMCtrk said:


> What is the going rate for these from an authorized dealer? Anyone getting these cheaper than Cruthfield (1499$)?
> 
> Got an 80PRS on order but thinking of cancelling it and getting the GS9 instead. I absolutely love this HU.


on the used-like new the cheapest I saw were $675, $725

New $1498


----------



## richard_crl032

Hi All, basic question ... can we do time alignment playing dsd via front micro usb at all ? Seems time alignment can only be via pcm and not dsd ? Is DOP converting dsd to pcm before time alignment processing ? TIA. Cheers.


----------



## bewhitaker

Hi All,

This is a very interesting forum and I am enjoying all the dialouge. I would like to add some thoughts on the rsx-gs9. I could not resist purchasing and installing this unit. It is not for eveyone. This has been mentioned and I agree. However, this is a very nice unit and it sounds very nice. I am keeping it and will keep the tunes thumping. It is a quality piece that is no nonsense and its all about quality components and quality audio. I am trying several formats and scenerios to learn about this unit. I would recommed you install it and try it for yourself. Keep an open mind and think about high quality audio. You need high quality components all the way. I am running the Audison av 5.1k, 2 sets of Focal ES components and a pair of JL 8” shallow mounts sub. I also have the stinger 9000 series rca interconnects. No optical for me yet! No DSP for me yet! I have a very well insulated and sound deadened vehicle. I did all the install work myself. I have tried several usb media options and audio file formats. I have a hi res sony walkman on order and it will be tested next. Please keep the commentary going. This unit is not your everyday unit and we need to collaborate. By the Way! I am fine with the small screen and phone apps. This unit is smooth and provides excellent sound quality. 

Cheers
Brian


----------



## BMW Alpina

bewhitaker said:


> Hi All,
> 
> This is a very interesting forum and I am enjoying all the dialouge. I would like to add some thoughts on the rsx-gs9. I could not resist purchasing and installing this unit. It is not for eveyone. This has been mentioned and I agree. However, this is a very nice unit and it sounds very nice. I am keeping it and will keep the tunes thumping. It is a quality piece that is no nonsense and its all about quality components and quality audio. I am trying several formats and scenerios to learn about this unit. I would recommed you install it and try it for yourself. Keep an open mind and think about high quality audio. You need high quality components all the way. I am running the Audison av 5.1k, 2 sets of Focal ES components and a pair of JL 8” shallow mounts sub. I also have the stinger 9000 series rca interconnects. No opitical for me yet! No DSP for me yet! I have a very well insulated and sound deadened vehicle. I did all the install work myself. I have tried several usb media options and audio file formats. I have a hi res sony walkman on order and it will be tested next. Please keep the commentary going. This unit is not your everyday unit and we need to collaborate. By the Way! I am fine with the small screen and phone apps. This unit is smooth and provides excellent sound quality.
> 
> Cheers
> Brian


Congratulations, by the way, you might want to check the firmware on your unit, the latest firmware is version 13 and available to download from Sony support webpage.


----------



## GMCtrk

Is this unit compatible with the iphone 8/X?


----------



## bewhitaker

GMCtrk said:


> Is this unit compatible with the iphone 8/X?


The short answer is yes. However, audio quality options around the way you use that iphone make it a complicated answer.


----------



## GMCtrk

bewhitaker said:


> The short answer is yes. However, audio quality options around the way you use that iphone make it a complicated answer.


Could you expand further? I would presume BT streaming should be fine. More specifically interested in the USB/micro inputs.


----------



## richard_crl032

Hi,

Different from Brian, I am admittedly hung up on using dsp for tuning for the usual audiophile wants of imaging, depth, height etc. and also wants it as a daily music source.

I am currently with my 5 yrs old 4 ways MicroPrecision Z series including their 10" sub, cool android headunit with digital output from smarty trend, 2x steg masterstroke class A + 2x steg masterstroke msk1500, alpine F1 H900 processor and are wired up with premium tchernov cables. 

Installation was professionally done with fiberglass A pillar, boxed midbass in doors and boxed sub into rear D pillar location. Sound proofing is various combination of 3 layers of felt, open cell foam and stp bomb through floor, doors, wheel arch, boot, roof etc.

This android HU thingy was pursue many years ago when Singapore stopped our dab transmission and fm in built up city is bad ... internet radio via android was the only way to go. I also laugh a bit when passengers asked when brand of headunit can receive such clear fm radio channelz at 5th level of basement carpark at malls .. lol ! 

With android and my trial with even downsampled dsd musics to 44.1khz via onkyo hifi players, the sound quality of almost all my ripped sacd was simply amazing ... width, depth, details etc. that is not often achieved via redbook 44.1khz music. In addition, onkyo hf player can upsample std definition music to dsd !!

As such, owners of rsx-9gs please advise if native dsd can be processed .. time alignment, crossover selection, phase selection, eq etc. before I take the plunge ... will likely not do so if otherwise and only pcm.

Thanks in advance.

Richard


----------



## bewhitaker

richard_crl032 said:


> Hi,
> 
> Different from Brian, I am admittedly hung up on using dsp for tuning for the usual audiophile wants of imaging, depth, height etc. and also wants it as a daily music source.
> 
> I am currently with my 5 yrs old 4 ways MicroPrecision Z series including their 10" sub, cool android headunit with digital output from smarty trend, 2x steg masterstroke class A + 2x steg masterstroke msk1500, alpine F1 H900 processor and are wired up with premium tchernov cables.
> 
> Installation was professionally done with fiberglass A pillar, boxed midbass in doors and boxed sub into rear D pillar location. Sound proofing is various combination of 3 layers of felt, open cell foam and stp bomb through floor, doors, wheel arch, boot, roof etc.
> 
> This android HU thingy was pursue many years ago when Singapore stopped our dab transmission and fm in built up city is bad ... internet radio via android was the only way to go. I also laugh a bit when passengers asked when brand of headunit can receive such clear fm radio channelz at 5th level of basement carpark at malls .. lol !
> 
> With android and my trial with even downsampled dsd musics to 44.1khz via onkyo hifi players, the sound quality of almost all my ripped sacd was simply amazing ... width, depth, details etc. that is not often achieved via redbook 44.1khz music. In addition, onkyo hf player can upsample std definition music to dsd !!
> 
> As such, owners of rsx-9gs please advise if native dsd can be processed .. time alignment, crossover selection, phase selection, eq etc. before I take the plunge ... will likely not do so if otherwise and only pcm.
> 
> Thanks in advance.
> 
> Richard






I am not opposed to a DSP. My plan is it be flexible and open minded. I will keep tweeking and tuning the system. So far everything sounds good. I did get a new hi res Sony walkman for sourcing audio files. I need to get the right cable to connect the walkman to the rsx-gs9. I welcome any suggestion and feedback.

Thanks


----------



## richard_crl032

bewhitaker said:


> I am not opposed to a DSP. My plan is it be flexible and open minded. I will keep tweeking and tuning the system. So far everything sounds good. I did get a new hi res Sony walkman for sourcing audio files. I need to get the right cable to connect the walkman to the rsx-gs9. I welcome any suggestion and feedback.
> 
> Thanks


Hi Bwhitaker, For my case, I do not wish to have external player or mobile phone for sources or hotspotting or navigation or getting phone calls....

Control is complicated, need cockpit management and often dangerous to meddle when driving ... believe we had been guilty of this sometime in our life.

As such, an open source android headunit which fully integrated or "integrateable" is the only for me including a portable wifi with 2nd sim card ... and with endless options.

For this Sony headunit, my interest is only for it to be a processor via front microusb input for native dsd playback but disappointingly, no teaching from owners here including after several PMs if it does processing i.e. time alignment, hi/low pass etc. which I can only gather so far from reading that it does not. If possible, I would get 2 units of the Sony to handled the 4 ways or 8 channels via their 2X4 main outputs and ditch the suboutputs.

Still hope some owners running this Sony without further dsp if mentioned processing can be applied.

Cheers.

Richard


----------



## bbfoto

richard_crl032 said:


> ...For my case, I do not wish to have external player or mobile phone for sources or hotspotting or navigation or getting phone calls....
> ...
> For this Sony headunit, my interest is only for it to be a *processor via front microusb input for native dsd playback* but disappointingly, no teaching from owners here including after several PMs if it does processing i.e. time alignment, hi/low pass etc. which I can only gather so far from reading that it does not. If possible, I would get 2 units of the Sony to handled the 4 ways or 8 channels via their 2X4 main outputs and ditch the suboutputs.
> 
> Still hope some owners running this Sony without further dsp if mentioned processing can be applied.
> 
> Cheers.
> 
> Richard



Richard,

Unfortunately, you would not be able to use TWO of the Sony GS9 units simultaneously for the setup that you want to implement. There is no way for BOTH GS9 front panel micro-USB inputs (or any of its USB inputs) to communicate simultaneously and in sync with a Single USB audio playback device. Basically, you can't connect a single USB audio playback source to 2 separate USB DACs at the same time, even if you had a USB "Y" cable. The USB DAC in the Sony RSX-GS9 can only communicate with One USB audio source at a time.

In addition, I'm sorry to inform you that any DSP or processing can only be done in PCM mode when using the RSX-GS9. I'll try to find and post a "flow chart" of the ESS Sabre DAC that the Sony uses. The Flow Chart is available as a PDF on the ESS web site and it shows how the audio is "processed" as it moves through the DAC. It uses a process called "Multi-Bit" rather than using a true 1-Bit DSD DAC. So it's actually using a group of separate 5-Bit processes to convert the digital audio to analog. 

If you are really interested in learning more about DSD and DACs, search YouTube for "Paul McGowan, PS Audio DirectStream DAC, Ted Smith". Over the course of a few videos, Paul McGowan and Ted Smith (the DAC's designer & engineer) explains what DSD is and how it is converted to Analog. They are using a FPGA to do the D-A-C, much like Chord's Hugo/Hugo 2 and Dave DACs.

If you were using a MacBook/Mac OSX computer as your Playback Source via USB, there IS a way to connect 2 separate USB or Thunderbolt Audio Interfaces (which have both a DAC & ADC) simultaneously to your Mac if you have DAW studio recording software, such as Apple's Logic X or Avid's Pro Tools, etc. For example, you could connect two separate _Focusrite Scarlett 6i6_ USB audio interfaces to your computer at the same time.

In the Mac "Audio" settings you go to "Audio MIDI Setup" and "Create an Aggregate Device". You have to assign all of your inputs and outputs in this setup procedure and choose your word length/bit depth and sample rate, and choose which device to use as the master clock. After this setup procedure you can record or playback multiple tracks from 2 separate USB Audio devices simultaneously.

With this setup you could use a multitude of Plug-ins within the DAW software to do just about any type of DSP/Processing imaginable.

However, it is very resource intensive, even at just 24/48, and it only works in PCM mode. You are also highly likely to have different latencies/out of sync audio between the two USB Devices. And the potential for jitter is high. It is also possible to do this in Windows OS, bit it's much more involved and frustrating to setup.

Regarding DSD:

Native, bit-perfect DSD is a CONTINUOUS, UNINTERUPTED BIT STREAM, and even studio recording & mixing engineers have to use a highly specialized software audio editing program called *SONOMA* to record and edit in DSD. And even then the editing/processing capabilities are quite limited compared to a conventional PCM-based DAW. There are one or two other DSD recording DAWs, but they have the same or even more limitations.

QUITE A BIT of the DSD files that you download or rip from SACD were actually converted to PCM in order to be Mixed & Processed, then the file was converted back to DSD for final release.

You might look into Korg's tiny *Korg DS DAC 10R* DSD DAC which can be DC powered, and it also includes a powerful media player software and Excellent Upsampling/Conversion Tool called "Audio Gate 4". But I believe this software is only available for Windows PC and Mac OSX, but it allows you to upsample PCM files or Convert them to DSD. This CAN have a beneficial effect. The iOS & Android *Onkyo HF Player* app also allows you to do this, though Korg's Audio Gate PCM & DSD algorithms have proven to be one of the best at this.

.


----------



## richard_crl032

bbfoto said:


> richard_crl032 said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...For my case, I do not wish to have external player or mobile phone for sources or hotspotting or navigation or getting phone calls....
> ...
> For this Sony headunit, my interest is only for it to be a *processor via front microusb input for native dsd playback* but disappointingly, no teaching from owners here including after several PMs if it does processing i.e. time alignment, hi/low pass etc. which I can only gather so far from reading that it does not. If possible, I would get 2 units of the Sony to handled the 4 ways or 8 channels via their 2X4 main outputs and ditch the suboutputs.
> 
> Still hope some owners running this Sony without further dsp if mentioned processing can be applied.
> 
> Cheers.
> 
> Richard
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Richard,
> 
> Unfortunately, you would not be able to use TWO of the Sony GS9 units simultaneously for the setup that you want to implement. There is no way for BOTH GS9 front panel micro-USB inputs (or any of its USB inputs) to communicate simultaneously and in sync with a Single USB audio playback device. Basically, you can't connect a single USB audio playback source to 2 separate USB DACs at the same time, even if you had a USB "Y" cable. The USB DAC in the Sony RSX-GS9 can only communicate with One USB audio source at a time.
> 
> In addition, I'm sorry to inform you that any DSP or processing can only be done in PCM mode when using the RSX-GS9. I'll try to find and post a "flow chart" of the ESS Sabre DAC that the Sony uses. The Flow Chart is available as a PDF on the ESS web site and it shows how the audio is "processed" as it moves through the DAC. It uses a process called "Multi-Bit" rather than using a true 1-Bit DSD DAC. So it's actually using a group of separate 5-Bit processes to convert the digital audio to analog.
> 
> If you are really interested in learning more about DSD and DACs, search YouTube for "Paul McGowan, PS Audio DirectStream DAC, Ted Smith". Over the course of a few videos, Paul McGowan and Ted Smith (the DAC's designer & engineer) explains what DSD is and how it is converted to Analog. They are using a FPGA to do the D-A-C, much like Chord's Hugo/Hugo 2 and Dave DACs.
> 
> If you were using a MacBook/Mac OSX computer as your Playback Source via USB, there IS a way to connect 2 separate USB or Thunderbolt Audio Interfaces (which have both a DAC & ADC) simultaneously to your Mac if you have DAW studio recording software, such as Apple's Logic X or Avid's Pro Tools, etc. For example, you could connect two separate _Focusrite Scarlett 6i6_ USB audio interfaces to your computer at the same time.
> 
> In the Mac "Audio" settings you go to "Audio MIDI Setup" and "Create an Aggregate Device". You have to assign all of your inputs and outputs in this setup procedure and choose your word length/bit depth and sample rate, and choose which device to use as the master clock. After this setup procedure you can record or playback multiple tracks from 2 separate USB Audio devices simultaneously.
> 
> With this setup you could use a multitude of Plug-ins within the DAW software to do just about any type of DSP/Processing imaginable.
> 
> However, it is very resource intensive, even at just 24/48, and it only works in PCM mode. You are also highly likely to have different latencies/out of sync audio between the two USB Devices. And the potential for jitter is high. It is also possible to do this in Windows OS, bit it's much more involved and frustrating to setup.
> 
> Regarding DSD:
> 
> Native, bit-perfect DSD is a CONTINUOUS, UNINTERUPTED BIT STREAM, and even studio recording & mixing engineers have to use a highly specialized software audio editing program called *SONOMA* to record and edit in DSD. And even then the editing/processing capabilities are quite limited compared to a conventional PCM-based DAW. There are one or two other DSD recording DAWs, but they have the same or even more limitations.
> 
> QUITE A BIT of the DSD files that you download or rip from SACD were actually converted to PCM in order to be Mixed & Processed, then the file was converted back to DSD for final release.
> 
> You might look into Korg's tiny *Korg DS DAC 10R* DSD DAC which can be DC powered, and it also includes a powerful media player software and Excellent Upsampling/Conversion Tool called "Audio Gate 4". But I believe this software is only available for Windows PC and Mac OSX, but it allows you to upsample PCM files or Convert them to DSD. This CAN have a beneficial effect. The iOS & Android *Onkyo HF Player* app also allows you to do this, though Korg's Audio Gate PCM & DSD algorithms have proven to be one of the best at this.
> 
> .
Click to expand...

Hey bbfoto, thanks a million for the advice and teaching !! 

This clears all doubts of mine that today's mobile car DSD playback with multi-channels DSP processing is but an impossible task with available hardware and technologies.

I will certainly view the recommended videos to learn more of DSD and while I certainly also appreciates alternative of Korg DAC and software, it will be too complicate in my car setup and will stick to Onkyo HF player since my other components are of highest quality that I can invest.

I may follow the advice of Jon from magicbus to stick to having the Sony's 2 channel analog DSD output into Helix's USB input for needed DSP processing like many here. 

Thanks again and have a great weekend.

Richard


----------



## Bnlcmbcar

bbfoto said:


> Unfortunately, you would not be able to use TWO of the Sony GS9 units simultaneously for the setup that you want to implement. There is no way for BOTH GS9 front panel micro-USB inputs (or any of its USB inputs) to communicate simultaneously and in sync with a Single USB audio playback device. Basically, you can't connect a single USB audio playback source to 2 separate USB DACs at the same time, even if you had a USB "Y" cable. The USB DAC in the Sony RSX-GS9 can only communicate with One USB audio source at a time.


It’s a bit pricey but a DC powered device called the ifi USB micro 3.0 will split a the signal from a single usb playback device into 2 separate but synced usb outputs that could in theory be inputted to the 2 separate RSX-GS9 units.

https://ifi-audio.com/portfolio-view/micro-iusb3-0/


----------



## richard_crl032

Bnlcmbcar said:


> bbfoto said:
> 
> 
> 
> Unfortunately, you would not be able to use TWO of the Sony GS9 units simultaneously for the setup that you want to implement. There is no way for BOTH GS9 front panel micro-USB inputs (or any of its USB inputs) to communicate simultaneously and in sync with a Single USB audio playback device. Basically, you can't connect a single USB audio playback source to 2 separate USB DACs at the same time, even if you had a USB "Y" cable. The USB DAC in the Sony RSX-GS9 can only communicate with One USB audio source at a time.
> 
> 
> 
> It’s a bit pricey but a DC powered device called the ifi USB micro 3.0 will split a the signal from a single usb playback device into 2 separate but synced usb outputs that could in theory be inputted to the 2 separate RSX-GS9 units.
> 
> https://ifi-audio.com/portfolio-view/micro-iusb3-0/
Click to expand...

Hi Bnlcmbcar,

Nice find on 1-2 synced usb splitter and thanks !

However without DSP for DSD via the Sony as realised, it seems then that it is futile attempt for my 4-way setup with time alignment ?

Cheers.

Richard


----------



## Elektra

bbfoto said:


> Richard,
> 
> 
> 
> Unfortunately, you would not be able to use TWO of the Sony GS9 units simultaneously for the setup that you want to implement. There is no way for BOTH GS9 front panel micro-USB inputs (or any of its USB inputs) to communicate simultaneously and in sync with a Single USB audio playback device. Basically, you can't connect a single USB audio playback source to 2 separate USB DACs at the same time, even if you had a USB "Y" cable. The USB DAC in the Sony RSX-GS9 can only communicate with One USB audio source at a time.
> 
> 
> 
> In addition, I'm sorry to inform you that any DSP or processing can only be done in PCM mode when using the RSX-GS9. I'll try to find and post a "flow chart" of the ESS Sabre DAC that the Sony uses. The Flow Chart is available as a PDF on the ESS web site and it shows how the audio is "processed" as it moves through the DAC. It uses a process called "Multi-Bit" rather than using a true 1-Bit DSD DAC. So it's actually using a group of separate 5-Bit processes to convert the digital audio to analog.
> 
> 
> 
> If you are really interested in learning more about DSD and DACs, search YouTube for "Paul McGowan, PS Audio DirectStream DAC, Ted Smith". Over the course of a few videos, Paul McGowan and Ted Smith (the DAC's designer & engineer) explains what DSD is and how it is converted to Analog. They are using a FPGA to do the D-A-C, much like Chord's Hugo/Hugo 2 and Dave DACs.
> 
> 
> 
> If you were using a MacBook/Mac OSX computer as your Playback Source via USB, there IS a way to connect 2 separate USB or Thunderbolt Audio Interfaces (which have both a DAC & ADC) simultaneously to your Mac if you have DAW studio recording software, such as Apple's Logic X or Avid's Pro Tools, etc. For example, you could connect two separate _Focusrite Scarlett 6i6_ USB audio interfaces to your computer at the same time.
> 
> 
> 
> In the Mac "Audio" settings you go to "Audio MIDI Setup" and "Create an Aggregate Device". You have to assign all of your inputs and outputs in this setup procedure and choose your word length/bit depth and sample rate, and choose which device to use as the master clock. After this setup procedure you can record or playback multiple tracks from 2 separate USB Audio devices simultaneously.
> 
> 
> 
> With this setup you could use a multitude of Plug-ins within the DAW software to do just about any type of DSP/Processing imaginable.
> 
> 
> 
> However, it is very resource intensive, even at just 24/48, and it only works in PCM mode. You are also highly likely to have different latencies/out of sync audio between the two USB Devices. And the potential for jitter is high. It is also possible to do this in Windows OS, bit it's much more involved and frustrating to setup.
> 
> 
> 
> Regarding DSD:
> 
> 
> 
> Native, bit-perfect DSD is a CONTINUOUS, UNINTERUPTED BIT STREAM, and even studio recording & mixing engineers have to use a highly specialized software audio editing program called *SONOMA* to record and edit in DSD. And even then the editing/processing capabilities are quite limited compared to a conventional PCM-based DAW. There are one or two other DSD recording DAWs, but they have the same or even more limitations.
> 
> 
> 
> QUITE A BIT of the DSD files that you download or rip from SACD were actually converted to PCM in order to be Mixed & Processed, then the file was converted back to DSD for final release.
> 
> 
> 
> You might look into Korg's tiny *Korg DS DAC 10R* DSD DAC which can be DC powered, and it also includes a powerful media player software and Excellent Upsampling/Conversion Tool called "Audio Gate 4". But I believe this software is only available for Windows PC and Mac OSX, but it allows you to upsample PCM files or Convert them to DSD. This CAN have a beneficial effect. The iOS & Android *Onkyo HF Player* app also allows you to do this, though Korg's Audio Gate PCM & DSD algorithms have proven to be one of the best at this.
> 
> 
> 
> .




Can you use this software alone to convert files to high res or must you also have the actual Korg device as well in order to play the music? 

So can you convert and use your IPhone to play the files through the Onkyo app into the Sony? 

Is that the idea? 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## richard_crl032

Can you use this software alone to convert files to high res or must you also have the actual Korg device as well in order to play the music? 

So can you convert and use your IPhone to play the files through the Onkyo app into the Sony? 

Is that the idea? 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk[/QUOTE]

Hi Electra,

You need the Korg DAC/ADC hardware that happens to have betta upsampling software than onkyo hf player as recommended by the nice gentleman, bbphoto.

I will just stay with Onkyo HF player in my Android Headunit for upsampling to keep thing simple in my car.

Cheers.

Richard


----------



## tripanazomi

Hi There , 
I have an Helix DSP Pro Mk2 with HEC USB input capability and 4 way active system. HAve tried different USB players ; 
- Iphone 7 camera kit with Neplayer app usb out
- Cayin N3 usb out
- Astell Kern KANN usb out 
- Astell KErn SP1000 usb out
The usb cabling to dsp unit is not a fancy one but works in all cases and get the same kind of output from each above 

Then I tried 
Sony GS-RS9 optical out to optical in 
Fii X5iii coax out to coax in of Helix DSP 
2 different units of BitplayHD optical out to optical in of Helix DSP 

Out of above bitplayHD output was changing from unit to unit and kind of boosting the sound , adding non existing noise and loudness to the sound which impresses you at the begining and then 10 minutes later you want to turn it off

Sony was really balanced in that sense , sound was like in a bigger room , stage is more present but kind a feeling that there is still a kind of loudness compared to USB 

Fioo X5 coax out to coax in ; 
I really liked this sound, had close power to optical whilist warmer and more controlled. 

I should add that all tests are done at the same car , same music file ( 24/96) 
All test are done without tuning just using the same setting of the USB tune


Now I am in the decision of getting a sony 
or a player (DAP ) ike; 

- xduoo X20 ( which has coax out and can be controlled via bluetooth from the phone and can be charged via usb and sit at the trunk besides the dsp) 
This DAP has most of the features that one can request in car ,it also has one of the best DACs which I will not use at all , however everything is on paper , 

Any one tried sony optical and coax output of any DAP comparison ? 

My complete system is below 

Helix DSP Pro mk2 HEC USB input, Helix Director 
Brax GX 2400 amp ( 2 x ) for the 4 way active
Micro Precision Z series ( Midbass, midragne tweeter at the front )
Scanspeak 30W discovery Subwoofer sealed at the trunk 
Tchernov Special mk2 RCA , 
inakustik silver coated excellence speaker cables 
Stinger pro infrastructure 
Brax IPC1000 X 2 capacitors , 1 for each amp
STP for sound isolation


----------



## Elektra

tripanazomi said:


> Hi There ,
> 
> I have an Helix DSP Pro Mk2 with HEC USB input capability and 4 way active system. HAve tried different USB players ;
> 
> - Iphone 7 camera kit with Neplayer app usb out
> 
> - Cayin N3 usb out
> 
> - Astell Kern KANN usb out
> 
> - Astell KErn SP1000 usb out
> 
> The usb cabling to dsp unit is not a fancy one but works in all cases and get the same kind of output from each above
> 
> 
> 
> Then I tried
> 
> Sony GS-RS9 optical out to optical in
> 
> Fii X5iii coax out to coax in of Helix DSP
> 
> 2 different units of BitplayHD optical out to optical in of Helix DSP
> 
> 
> 
> Out of above bitplayHD output was changing from unit to unit and kind of boosting the sound , adding non existing noise and loudness to the sound which impresses you at the begining and then 10 minutes later you want to turn it off
> 
> 
> 
> Sony was really balanced in that sense , sound was like in a bigger room , stage is more present but kind a feeling that there is still a kind of loudness compared to USB
> 
> 
> 
> Fioo X5 coax out to coax in ;
> 
> I really liked this sound, had close power to optical whilist warmer and more controlled.
> 
> 
> 
> I should add that all tests are done at the same car , same music file ( 24/96)
> 
> All test are done without tuning just using the same setting of the USB tune
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Now I am in the decision of getting a sony
> 
> or a player (DAP ) ike;
> 
> 
> 
> - xduoo X20 ( which has coax out and can be controlled via bluetooth from the phone and can be charged via usb and sit at the trunk besides the dsp)
> 
> This DAP has most of the features that one can request in car ,it also has one of the best DACs which I will not use at all , however everything is on paper ,
> 
> 
> 
> Any one tried sony optical and coax output of any DAP comparison ?
> 
> 
> 
> My complete system is below
> 
> 
> 
> Helix DSP Pro mk2 HEC USB input, Helix Director
> 
> Brax GX 2400 amp ( 2 x ) for the 4 way active
> 
> Micro Precision Z series ( Midbass, midragne tweeter at the front )
> 
> Scanspeak 30W discovery Subwoofer sealed at the trunk
> 
> Tchernov Special mk2 RCA ,
> 
> inakustik silver coated excellence speaker cables
> 
> Stinger pro infrastructure
> 
> Brax IPC1000 X 2 capacitors , 1 for each amp
> 
> STP for sound isolation




Try the Sony via RCA as that’s the preferred connection - personally I have only tried the Sony via the RCA (no DSP) but I have a MKii coming with HEC USB as well...

Car is in for a install and the installer is going to see if the Sony will fit in the car (2012 BMW X3) 

How do you like the Brax GX2400? How would you describe the way it sounds? 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## tripanazomi

Hi again,

I have a 4 way setup , as you may already know , If I try RCA with SONY , I will be limited to 3 Way and also the DSP tuning capabilities are not only very limited but also rather wierd as SONY is trying to use/recommend their Super Tweeters instead within a setup.

*Regarding the Brax GX 2400 Amp performance :*

First ; one can think that I really dont understand /feel the differance of this amp compared to other A/B class amps when they hear GX. But the reality is as below; 

The sound/stage performance you get when you start the car and after 30 minutes is a huge differance, they really need to get warm and warm to output better and better sound . one may think that they changed the amps after 30 minutes.

GX are obviously not as powerful as MX , MX can do more with the help of power while GX character is only dedicated to SQ , clean , natural (as it is), not more volumed at any specific frequency, dead silent when connected with USB / Coax / optical with the DSP, . You will get very close sound but some added controll as well with MX if you are not puting the volume up then a certain limit. MX is more controlling and puting its character forward rather then the letting the driver to act itself , the more volume up the more you can feel this effect ( due to damping maybe) . However GX lets the sound as its for the driver which don't need more power to run better.

The most valuable thing about the amplifier is : I can listen to music even at higher volumes untill something stops me ( phone / refuling ) even after long hours on the way and I dont feel disturbed nor my ears and vdont want to put the volume down at all 

I have listened a lot of cars sound amazing at the initial 3-4 minutes due to powerful and clean sound they have in details, but I wanted to turn the volume down after 6-7 minutes which I didnt have with the Brax GX at all.

*Regarding Sony and Xduoo X20 DAP coax out :*

I decided to go ahead with the ordering of Sony together with the DAP player Xduuo X20 ( DAP player will have aprox 250 USD landed price , nearly half the price of an fiio X5iii in order to get Coax benefit as well if my ears will request )

FYI ; we have tried the Cayin N3 with Hiby Music app via smartphone bluetooth connection ; We are trying the worst cases to see if the N3 will continue to connect and play even after retuning back to car next day etc 

*Regarding Helix input trials:*

Coax input seems to be the best connection for the sound quality where it gives a warm , controlled and a mid size roomier effect then the USB ; Whilist via Optical system says in capital letters I am here in all terms ( sound output improvement as well as stage, roomier , detailied but also controlled when connected with Sony only but loosing the warm attitude which coax had close to the RCA. 




Elektra said:


> Try the Sony via RCA as that’s the preferred connection - personally I have only tried the Sony via the RCA (no DSP) but I have a MKii coming with HEC USB as well...
> 
> Car is in for a install and the installer is going to see if the Sony will fit in the car (2012 BMW X3)
> 
> How do you like the Brax GX2400? How would you describe the way it sounds?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## richard_crl032

[/QUOTE]

Try the Sony via RCA as that’s the preferred connection - personally I have only tried the Sony via the RCA (no DSP) but I have a MKii coming with HEC USB as well...

Car is in for a install and the installer is going to see if the Sony will fit in the car (2012 BMW X3) 

How do you like the Brax GX2400? How would you describe the way it sounds? 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk[/QUOTE]

Hi, Looking forward to your comparison on the Sony with and with Helix dsp pro mk2 ! Cheers. Richard


----------



## richard_crl032

tripanazomi said:


> *Regarding Helix input trials:*
> 
> Coax input seems to be the best connection for the sound quality where it gives a warm , controlled and a mid size roomier effect then the USB ; Whilist via Optical system says in capital letters I am here in all terms ( sound output improvement as well as stage, roomier , detailied but also controlled when connected with Sony only but loosing the warm attitude which coax had close to the RCA.


Hi, had not heard the Brax GX but heard several cars with the MX which sounded great .. detailed, natural and dynamic without any fatigue after long listening sessions. Myself I am running my MPZ tweeters and midrange with 2x Steg Masterstroke Class A with Class A bias push to max with midbass and single sub fed by 2x MSK1500 ..notably slower but very natural sounding.

Believe how one's car audio system sounds depends a lot on tuning, installation and sure, equipment but to lesser extend or opportunities to be wrong. Even focal Be system can sound warm or my microP Z series can sound bright in the wrong hands.

On your sharing of difference between optical vs coaxial, believe your system must be well installed and tuned to be transparent and clean to hear the difference which I certainly do not doubt. For usual installed systems that I heard, it will be hard pressed to tell the difference and probably only discernible during late nite audition session. When I have the option, I do go via coaxial and hence imported Japan only pxa-h900 with coaxial input but in the new world of dsd and hires playback, this is less important with usb connectivity as with latest dsp like Helix etc.

No plan for DAP player with days of EMMA competition behind me ... into Android Headunit for integrated system without need to train family members to operate complicated auxilliary hard wares and controls.

Cheers.

Richard


----------



## GMCtrk

What volume setting are you guys setting the gains with? 48, 49 or 50? I had read somewhere that this units clips at 49. 

Also, the power and ground wire on this thing is big. The manual notes that the unit may not perform optimally off the car's power and ground connection which would require direct connection to the battery. I'm going to try the factory HU power and ground but how would I know if this unit is not functioning as it should?


----------



## BMW Alpina

I found a weakness of Sony RSX-GS9, especially if you don't want to use DSP but want to go active with analog active x-over but still utilize Sony Internal time alignment and internal EQ function.

Turn out the Sony RSX-GS9 only output the bluetooth phone call (through bluetooth) audio from the front channel only, 
and because I dedicated my front channel (combine with Sony RSX-GS9 internal time alignment function) to feed the signal for the front tweeter only, this made the phone call audio only came out from the tweeter but not the midbass...









So this is a problem because all I can hear from the phone call is anything above 2.5khz hahaha

I guess I had no choice but go to DSP setup when BRAX DSP came out... (hopefully soon)


----------



## richard_crl032

GMCtrk said:


> What volume setting are you guys setting the gains with? 48, 49 or 50? I had read somewhere that this units clips at 49.
> 
> Also, the power and ground wire on this thing is big. The manual notes that the unit may not perform optimally off the car's power and ground connection which would require direct connection to the battery. I'm going to try the factory HU power and ground but how would I know if this unit is not functioning as it should?


Hi GMCtrak, 

Jon of magicbus nicely advised that the Sony clips at 47 .. guess you should set it at 46 then. Cheers,

Richard


----------



## richard_crl032

BMW Alpina said:


> I found a weakness of Sony RSX-GS9, especially if you don't want to use DSP but want to go active with analog active x-over but still utilize Sony Internal time alignment and internal EQ function.
> 
> Turn out the Sony RSX-GS9 only output the bluetooth phone call (through bluetooth) audio from the front channel only,
> and because I dedicated my front channel (combine with Sony RSX-GS9 internal time alignment function) to feed the signal for the front tweeter only, this made the phone call audio only came out from the tweeter but not the midbass...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> So this is a problem because all I can hear from the phone call is anything above 2.5khz hahaha
> 
> I guess I had no choice but go to DSP setup when BRAX DSP came out... (hopefully soon)


Hi BMW Alpine, 

Indeed a big surprise as I though their recommended full digital system is with a pair of super tweeter and a pair of 6.75 woofer together with their 4 channel amplifiers .... the channels to output BT should be via the channels for the 6.75 woofer.

Should you recheck your connections since cannot imagine Sony to mess up to such extend and no other users reported the same ??

Cheers,

Richard


----------



## BMW Alpina

richard_crl032 said:


> Hi BMW Alpine,
> Indeed a big surprise as I though their recommended full digital system is with a pair of super tweeter and a pair of 6.75 woofer together with their 4 channel amplifiers .... the channels to output BT should be via the channels for the 6.75 woofer.
> Should you recheck your connections since cannot imagine Sony to mess up to such extend and no other users reported the same ??
> Cheers,
> Richard


If you check the Sony USA website: https://www.sony.com/electronics/car-speakers/xs-gs1

and look at the 2 recommended setup (standard and enhanced),
you will notice that their front speaker recommendation on both setup is NOT a pair of woofer plus a pair of super tweeter but
a pair of coaxial speaker (XS-GS1621) plus a pair of super tweeter (XS-GS1)

The enhanced setup add a rear coaxial speaker (XS-GS6921)

I don't have coaxial speaker for my front speaker, 

My front speakers setup are 2 way active setup consist of Zapco ASP-X4 electronic crossover,
midbass (Dynaudio Esotar 650) and tweeter (Dynaudio Esotar 110), so I can swap the front channel from Sony RSX-GS9 to feed the midbass instead of the tweeter like right now, 
but it will still only output the bluetooth phone call on the midbass freq range only so it's not going to sound great either  although it should sound a bit louder through the midbass which what I am going to do temporarilly...

The Zapco ASP-X4 electronic crossover have capability to accept both front and rear speaker signal from head unit and process them independently (not summed).
This is how I connect it. I could summed the signal or just use the front speaker input from Sony RSX-GS9 to feed the Zapco ASP-X4 but then I will lost the ability to use the time alignment function of the Sony RSX-GS9 to control each individual driver.

currently
(Front Left channel of Sony RSX-GS9 control front left tweeter time alignment)
(Rear Left channel Sony RSX-GS9 control FRONT left midbass time alignment) (same thing with the right channel)


----------



## richard_crl032

BMW Alpina said:


> richard_crl032 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Hi BMW Alpine,
> Indeed a big surprise as I though their recommended full digital system is with a pair of super tweeter and a pair of 6.75 woofer together with their 4 channel amplifiers .... the channels to output BT should be via the channels for the 6.75 woofer.
> Should you recheck your connections since cannot imagine Sony to mess up to such extend and no other users reported the same ??
> Cheers,
> Richard
> 
> 
> 
> If you check the Sony USA website: https://www.sony.com/electronics/car-speakers/xs-gs1
> 
> and look at the 2 recommended setup (standard and enhanced),
> you will notice that their front speaker recommendation on both setup is NOT a pair of woofer plus a pair of super tweeter but
> a pair of coaxial speaker (XS-GS1621) plus a pair of super tweeter (XS-GS1)
> 
> The enhanced setup add a rear coaxial speaker (XS-GS6921)
> 
> I don't have coaxial speaker for my front speaker,
> 
> My front speakers setup are 2 way active setup consist of Zapco ASP-X4 electronic crossover,
> midbass (Dynaudio Esotar 650) and tweeter (Dynaudio Esotar 110), so I can swap the front channel from Sony RSX-GS9 to feed the midbass instead of the tweeter like right now,
> but it will still only output the bluetooth phone call on the midbass freq range only so it's not going to sound great either <img src="http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum/images/smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0" alt="" title="Big Grin" class="inlineimg" /> although it should sound a bit louder through the midbass which what I am going to do temporarilly...
Click to expand...

Hi, 

Tks for the correction on door speakers being coaxial but yes, would be much betta this way since voice call should be more midrange and not tweeter typically 1.2khz upwards or even more so at 5khz in my 3 way MP Z to take advantage of big format midrange on A pillar.

Cheers.

Richard


----------



## tripanazomi

Hi all , 
now the unit is on its way ( hopefully will get though different customs) ; 

Regarding the RCA way of connection to Helix DSP pro mk2; 
how should we do the setting and connections ; 

1- will it be ok to feed the dsp from SONY via only 1 pair of RCA set ? or should we use 3 x RCA wire set to Helix DSP pro mk2 ?

2- How should be the setting from sony to assign the RCA outputs as 3 way or Front + REAR + sub ? ( without any other filter setting )

3- any recommandation of DAP model ( other then sony ) to get the best out of sony usb dac ?


----------



## richard_crl032

tripanazomi said:


> Hi all ,
> now the unit is on its way ( hopefully will get though different customs) ;
> 
> Regarding the RCA way of connection to Helix DSP pro mk2;
> how should we do the setting and connections ;
> 
> 1- will it be ok to feed the dsp from SONY via only 1 pair of RCA set ? or should we use 3 x RCA wire set to Helix DSP pro mk2 ?
> 
> 2- How should be the setting from sony to assign the RCA outputs as 3 way or Front + REAR + sub ? ( without any other filter setting )
> 
> 3- any recommandation of DAP model ( other then sony ) to get the best out of sony usb dac ?


Hi Tripan,

1. Only 1 pair RCA ... same for any dsp but I would recommend running a optical cable while you are doing the rca as backup or just for fun to compare between analog dsd output and optical .. not much more effort

2. Do not have the Sony RSX but again same as with any HU or source to Helix dsp pro that I do have, choose the connect output pair which is typically front and ensure full range i.e. disable bandpass of cross over, full gain, and disable time alignment i.e. 0 delay.

3. The best dsd capable dap?? Top of range A&K then ... but why connect to Sony since top of range A&K will also have dsd DAC that is way better as well as avoid the long way that cannot be good for sounf quality even if all else are the same? Just connect directly to usb of Helix and select input from control unit of Helix's Director but you need its usb interface input option:

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.com/ulk/itm/201866768440

Cheers.

Richard


----------



## GMCtrk

Does the bluetooth on this unit really always require me to open the silly app and accept it? It should connect automatically.


----------



## rockytt

> Does the bluetooth on this unit really always require me to open the silly app and accept it? It should connect automatically


Mine connects automatically - Android phone if that makes a difference. (And I don't think I did anything special to make it work)

As soon as the unit powers on, the app opens up and even displays song info from attached usb drive.


----------



## GMCtrk

Maybe it's an Apple deal. But it's quite annoying and I use the wired connection as a result.

I bought this unit because I despise head units with cheap plastic faces and crappy volume knobs. I loved the design of this unit.

The volume knob has an interesting feel to it. The first time I turn the knob when the unit is cold it has a pretty significant stiffness to it. Over time it seems to loosen up. 

Can't really assess the SQ of the unit as I don't have any direct comparison.

My real gripe with this unit is the app and unit controls. The app is downright awful. The manual is nearly useless. Changing any of the sound settings requires the unit to be in bluetooth mode. There's no indication if the settings stay intact once bluetooth mode is left. The app has 2 different "modes." In the basic with the phone selected it shows a 5 band EQ. When the GS9 is selected you get a crappy looking 10 band EQ. You can change that EQ and then go back in the main settings and find that the "Direct source (DIRECT)" is somehow selected. Does this mean the custom settings are void or are they active? Occasionally I find that the "DSEE HX" option has been turned on by itself despite me turning it off. 

I really thought I may be able to get by just using the adjustments on the HU, but now I don't think so. DSP needed.


----------



## rockytt

Understand the frustration as the setup is just so different from every other HU I've used in the past.
SQ is awesome however - w/o external DSP in my case.

I haven't dialed in the speaker timing/delays yet - but selected "rock" from the settings (BT), and tweaked from there over a few different types of music to get things close. Settings were stored and have remained.

As far as the unit auto-connecting - I've found that a) I shouldn't power off the GS9 from deck and b) it seems to help if my (android) phone is on/unlocked when I start the car. 

Still getting used to the deck, but it's 2 enthusiastic thumbs up from me so far and will not be using an external dsp.


----------



## emiliocb1

Hello,


I think it's important that everyone with the RSX-GS9 sony see the magicbus (.biz) page.

The project he did with the sony RSX-GS9 is incredible, and an excellent guide to follow (not to achieve which is impossible)


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## emiliocb1

There is a video from the Sony sound engineer explaining that the internal cables of the Sony Walkman are by Kimber. The same brand used by the Magicbus project to connect the Walkman with the Sony RSX-GS9. But ... this USB cable by Kimber costs $ 1000 !


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## Elektra

I noticed a slight sonic improvement when I connected the Helix DSP PRO MKii... strange that this would happen thought there would be a slight degradation in sonic bliss...

Must say my setup is sounding pretty awesome with no tuning whatsoever 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## rton20s

emiliocb1 said:


> Hello,
> 
> 
> I think it's important that everyone with the RSX-GS9 sony see the magicbus (.biz) page.
> 
> The project he did with the sony RSX-GS9 is incredible, and an excellent guide to follow (not to achieve which is impossible)


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## emiliocb1

Elektra said:


> I noticed a slight sonic improvement when I connected the Helix DSP PRO MKii... strange that this would happen thought there would be a slight degradation in sonic bliss...
> 
> Must say my setup is sounding pretty awesome with no tuning whatsoever
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk



Are you connecting via USB DAC? If yes, what are you connecting? the sony walkman NW-WM1Z? and DSD native music? 

Thanks in advance


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## GMCtrk

Since I couldn't get a response in the other thread, I've found out that getting rid of the "open app" auto connect requires firmware upgrade, version 13 is the latest to my knowledge. My unit came with version 11.


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## BMW Alpina

GMCtrk said:


> Since I couldn't get a response in the other thread, I've found out that getting rid of the "open app" auto connect requires firmware upgrade, version 13 is the latest to my knowledge. My unit came with version 11.



I installed Version 13 firmware few weeks ago, and because I use iPhone, I still experience the "open app" notification on my iPhone each time I start my car (turn on RSX-GS9).


May I know how did you solved the problem?


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## GMCtrk

BMW Alpina said:


> I installed Version 13 firmware few weeks ago, and because I use iPhone, I still experience the "open app" notification on my iPhone each time I start my car (turn on RSX-GS9).
> 
> 
> May I know how did you solved the problem?


I haven't personally solved it yet. I've yet to install the update. But supposedly with the update you can go under the settings and turn off auto connect.

It's just extremely frustrating because I cannot get my phone to connect to the bluetooth. It asks you to open the app, I do and nothing happens. It's utterly ridiculous for a unit of this cost when I don't want to fiddle with the USB cable. And I have been using an Iphone 6 plus which is listed as compatible in the manual. My iphone X does the same.


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## gumbeelee

GMCtrk said:


> I haven't personally solved it yet. I've yet to install the update. But supposedly with the update you can go under the settings and turn off auto connect.
> 
> 
> 
> It's just extremely frustrating because I cannot get my phone to connect to the bluetooth. It asks you to open the app, I do and nothing happens. It's utterly ridiculous for a unit of this cost when I don't want to fiddle with the USB cable. And I have been using an Iphone 6 plus which is listed as compatible in the manual. My iphone X does the same.




Wow, I must be lucky because my iphone x and ipad mini both connect to bluetooth and i dont have to open the app each time to do it. Only time I open the App is to switch sources on my ipad as I am using it as my source unit. The ipad is connected to the gs9 thru usb, but if i want to swich to iphone to stream something quickly it works flawlessly. 


Sent from my iPhone X using Tapatalk


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## Elektra

emiliocb1 said:


> Are you connecting via USB DAC? If yes, what are you connecting? the sony walkman NW-WM1Z? and DSD native music?
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks in advance




Actually no using the normal usb input... haven’t tried the USBDAC yet


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## GMCtrk

Just upgraded the firmware to v13 (from v11 from the factory). 

Seems to have fixed my bluetooth issue, mostly. My iphone X now connects automatically and I was able to turn off the stupid autoconnect feature for the app. However, for some reason I lost most of my controls on the app. I can only access the basic portion of the app and I can no longer turn on DSEE HX from the app. I don't have any of the advanced settings in the app anymore.

With the update I can now switch tracks using the buttons on the head unit. Previously, these buttons were not lit up and I could only change tracks via my phone. 

On the downside, when I turn my car on the bluetooth light flashes and the unit states PAUSE. I have to push the bluetooth button on the face and then it plays. Why wouldn't it just start playing automatically. Very frustrating. 

On a side note, just listening quickly I didn't hear a shocking difference between USB1 and BT just with iTunes music. 

I did purchase Hi Res music from Acoustic Sounds (Thriller DSD, Hotel California FLAC) and I am very curious to see if I will hear any difference from the iTunes stuff over USB1. Going to Hi Res is NOT cheap. I had to buy the Onkyo App for $10. $39 for the USB 3 camera cable and $22 for the downloads.


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## rockytt

OK - so not all roses - although I love the sound.
Wondering if it's just me, but the "shuffle" functionality leaves a lot to be desired.

I like to load up a USB drive and just leave it attached with the deck set to shuffle - (yes, I know that I get the same first song every time I turn on the car). Not a huge issue to skip to the next, but that one is (usually) not new either. Sometimes I have to skip ahead 20 or more times before I get a new song, which takes the shine off the deck for me. Not very random at all - anyone else experience this?


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## BMW Alpina

When you adjust the time alignment parameter of Sony RSX-GS9, make sure you measure it precisely, and perhaps ask for helping hand to hold the measurement tape.
Also take into account the offset from the grille to the center of the dust cap/cone...


Last weekend I asked my son to help me with the measuring tape, and adjust the time alignment number following the new correct measurement,...
HUGE improvement...


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## gumbeelee

Hey guys got a question, its kind of hard to explain so bear with me. I use to have the hec usb audio in my dsp pro but i removed it, I now have my ipad running into the gs9 with the same usb cam kit 3 that i used with the hec module. I have the cam kit usb going into the usb dac of the gs9. Here is my question i want to run a usb with two male ends from the output of cam kit into the usb 1 input on the gs9 and run my usb stick which is full of dsd files into the usb dac. So i would basically have usb out of camera kit into gs9 usb1 and my usb thumb drive full of dsd files into the usb dac of gs9. Has anyone setup the cam kit this way, and if so do u retain your steering wheel controls, that is what i want. I know i could remove the cam kit all together and then run my ipad straight into gs9 usb 1 and my usb drive in the usb dac. The problem is I have the cam kit glued in very well and my dash is perfect and dont want to modify dash again. Hope u all understand this


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## BMW Alpina

After watching (and listening) to this youtube video comparing MUSES8920 vs. MUSES01, I feel that the MUSES01 vocal sounds better (more depth,ambiance) and wider stage.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k82ox5oKSJQ


Because, I am going to order a bunch of MUSES01 soon for upgrading the OP275 op-amp inside my Zapco ASP-X4 Crossover,

I am thinking of replacing the MUSES8920 op-amp inside the RSX-GS9 with MUSES01 at the same time.



Problem is I never open the casing of the Sony RSX-GS9 so I do not know how many MUSES8920 op-amp are used on the PCB of the Sony RSX-GS9, and it's not that easy to take my RSX-GS9 out from the dashboard of my car.


If anybody here had a Sony RSX-GS9 not installed in a car, (so it will be easy to open the casing), can you please help and let me know how many MUSES8920 op-amp are in there? so I can order the MUSES01 in the exact quantity needed...
(a few pictures of the PCB and op amps would help even more, so I can see if there is enough space or not since the MUSES01 only available in DIP8 format )


Below are the only pictures of Sony RSX-GS9 PCB (overall pictures) that I can found on the internet, unfortunately they are not zoom/large enough to identify the op-amps...


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## BMW Alpina

Never mind my post (request for help) above, I found the answer :














11 pieces of Sony MUSES8920 Op-Amps !!!
I guess I need to buy more DIP8 to SOC8 socket adapter...






found more images:


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## BMW Alpina

Solved the inherent problem of Bluetooth phone call only came out from the FRONT RCA Channel of Sony RSX-GS9 Head Unit using simple distribution box, modified with relay circuit and trigger switch on the dashboard:



http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum...ynaudio-morel-maybe-jl-etc-6.html#post5562338


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## GMCtrk

well due to a mishap losing my iphone X I switched to the galaxy s9+. Initial impressions are that I prefer the Apple with the rsx-gs9. Not being able to use the Android thru the front USB port is a big bummer to me because I like being able to charge my phone while driving. 

On the plus side, the bluetooth on the Samsung is good thru the Sony, not noticeable difference from the apple. 

The Sony is annoying to say the least because while in bluetooth mode it does not remember the display setting (I always keep it showing the time) which is kept while using USB1. However on bluetooth it automatically defaults to BT AUDIO. Another annoyance is the unit's lack of automatic music play in bluetooth mode. Any normal HU starts playing automatically when starting the vehicle. The sony instead is in pause mode and you have to push a button to start playing.

The RSX-GS9 is a good HU, don't get me wrong. Great built quality, solid volume knob, good sound quality. But it has a TON of quirks that make you wonder if anyone at Sony even bothered using the unit.


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## BMW Alpina

Hello, anyone here have problem when using the Bluetooth function for phone call?
Specifically with iPhone, where you can hear the other person voice clearly, 

but they have problem hearing your voice? (your voice got cut off)?


When I use iPhone's earphone, the other party can hear my voice clearly... so it is not the iPhone nor the cellular signal...



I suspect the Microphone connected to my Sony RSX-GS9 is defective...


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## gumbeelee

BMW Alpina said:


> Hello, anyone here have problem when using the Bluetooth function for phone call?
> Specifically with iPhone, where you can hear the other person voice clearly,
> 
> but they have problem hearing your voice? (your voice got cut off)?
> 
> 
> When I use iPhone's earphone, the other party can hear my voice clearly... so it is not the iPhone nor the cellular signal...
> 
> 
> 
> I suspect the Microphone connected to my Sony RSX-GS9 is defective...




I’ve always had trouble with mine to the point i quit using it...


Sent from my iPhone X using Tapatalk


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## gumbeelee

GMCtrk said:


> well due to a mishap losing my iphone X I switched to the galaxy s9+. Initial impressions are that I prefer the Apple with the rsx-gs9. Not being able to use the Android thru the front USB port is a big bummer to me because I like being able to charge my phone while driving.
> 
> 
> 
> On the plus side, the bluetooth on the Samsung is good thru the Sony, not noticeable difference from the apple.
> 
> 
> 
> The Sony is annoying to say the least because while in bluetooth mode it does not remember the display setting (I always keep it showing the time) which is kept while using USB1. However on bluetooth it automatically defaults to BT AUDIO. Another annoyance is the unit's lack of automatic music play in bluetooth mode. Any normal HU starts playing automatically when starting the vehicle. The sony instead is in pause mode and you have to push a button to start playing.
> 
> 
> 
> The RSX-GS9 is a good HU, don't get me wrong. Great built quality, solid volume knob, good sound quality. But it has a TON of quirks that make you wonder if anyone at Sony even bothered using the unit.




So u can’t use android phones on usb1, is that what u r saying? That is absolutely dumb on sonys part if that is the case. Just another readon I love apple, I havn’t owned an android phone since the very first iphone came out


Sent from my iPhone X using Tapatalk


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## GMCtrk

supposedly you can if you modify some settings but it's not plug and play. I've tried 2 android phones on USB1 and they aren't recognized by the GS9. 

My galaxy S9 only connects through the micro USB. I don't like using the micro USB for 2 reasons. 1 it's a small flimsy connection. I've read of the port coming loose. 2, you can't control the music through the RS9. So I'm forced to use Bluetooth.

Now, BT on the GS9 is excellent. I can't hear any difference from the wired connection. BUT, I much preferred using my iphoneX through USB1 as it charged my phone (fast at that too). 

On a side note, I prefer the X overall to the Galaxy S9+. Samsung can spout all the BS they want about fastest phone ever, but the iphone is smoother and more seamless. The iphone never once lagged on me, which the Sammy has already done a couple times. Also, the face ID on the apple is nearly flawless. Samsung...well...I turned it off and am forced to use the outdated fingerprint scanner.


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## Mullings

I’ve been itching to pull the trigger on one of these but with all these complaints plus and incident that happened at svr when I plugged my thumb drive into a competitors radio and it froze. I was ****ting bricks till it came back to life 1/2 hour later. I just might only use it to compete and use my dnx995s for my daily use.


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## glidn

So with all these quirks everyone has now had with the Sony GS-9.

the question remains. If you were to buy an SQ unit again, would you choose the Sony or Pioneer p99RS?

or would you prefer a less expensive head unit and use a Mosconi 6to8 or Audison Bit One or similar?


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## GMCtrk

If anyone is curious I tested gs9 with the dd-1. Hit 1%thd with 40 hz tone at 50/50 and 49/50 with 1khz.


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## nyquistrate

glidn said:


> So with all these quirks everyone has now had with the Sony GS-9.
> 
> the question remains. If you were to buy an SQ unit again, would you choose the Sony or Pioneer p99RS?
> 
> or would you prefer a less expensive head unit ...


This


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## gumbeelee

glidn said:


> So with all these quirks everyone has now had with the Sony GS-9.
> 
> 
> 
> the question remains. If you were to buy an SQ unit again, would you choose the Sony or Pioneer p99RS?
> 
> 
> 
> or would you prefer a less expensive head unit and use a Mosconi 6to8 or Audison Bit One or similar?




There is not even up for debate in my opinion its the gs9 hands down!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## Elektra

gumbeelee said:


> There is not even up for debate in my opinion its the gs9 hands down!
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk




I dunno ... I had better success with the P99 the Sony never sounded right to me and I was always tuning..

Now I haven’t tuned my car in months since I changed over..

But.... if I bought the Brax DSP I would use the the Sony optically as as much as everyone harps on the Sony’s DAC it’s been tested as the bottleneck in that HU 

The Sony has been tested to be better through a external DAC optically....

Even locally we did a test with the F1 HU and the Sony - test was setup using Focal Diablo (I think) speakers - the ones that look like the Grande Utopia only smaller.. and a home preamp and amp and when it was connected optically via the preamp everyone agreed the Preamp/dac sounded better than running it analogue...

The Brax DSP I would assume is many levels better than the Sony - at least we assume if that price tag is anything to go by and A&K Dacs are the current top of the range ones...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## subterFUSE

They never tested native DSD on the Sony in that test. They also never tested another car audio head unit to see how the preamp compares. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## gumbeelee

I havnt seen those test results but i am just going on personal experience with the p99 and gs9. I currently have my gs9 for sale but i just dont think I can part with it i just believe its that great of an SQ deck


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## niadh0

Glad find this GS9 community finally. I did an install in my 2020 Toyota 4Runner a few weeks back. 2020 HU speakers out is going in the AUX2 high level in, USB2 is accessible from near the front of the dash, and the sony remote is mounted as you can see. GS4 amp to amp 4 speakers and GS100 to drive the sony 12 sub. all four speakers are hi-res rated from sony - with cross over and super tweeters. Now just need to calibrate the system.

questions. what Sony Hi-Res Walkman are compatible with RSX-GS9? I am thinking of ordering NW-XZ507, does anyone know if it works with USB DAC? 

any other tips are most welcome.


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## rton20s

niadh0 said:


> any other tips are most welcome.


DSP


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## Luften

I have recently installed a GS9 into my car, and while the audio quality is great, I'm having some issues with usability...

I have an SSD plugged in to the USB2 port (it's in the glove compartment), and on it I have my whole music library. I have one folder per album, and then I have a bunch of playlists (e.g. 5* Rock, 5* Hip Hop, etc.) which reference songs from albums across the music library.

I tried getting the GS9 to recognize playlists (.m3u files), but it doesn't, so I then created separate folders for each playlist and copied the referenced tracks into their corresponding folder. Note I copied them, not moved them, so there are duplicates on the SSD. It takes up a bit of space but that's fine.

Now I'd like to be able to listen to my playlists on random/shuffle play, but it doesn't seem to support this which seems insane. It will either shuffle all music on the SSD, or nothing at all. So if I'm listening to my 5* Rock playlist, it'll shuffle in all sorts of random songs from anywhere on the SSD.

Has anyone else run into this, and what's been the solution?

In general, browsing through music is awful. I don't understand why they don't have a normal audio system navigation whereby you can browse by artist, genre, have playlists, etc. What am I missing here, and how are people managing large music libraries with this device?

Thank you.


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