Sony demos new car speakers, amps, subwoofer
updated 01:10 pm EDT, Tue October 30, 2007
New Sony car audio
Presenting at the SEMA tradeshow, Sony has announced several new car audio products. At the fore are three speakers in the new GTX series, comprised of the XS-GTX1620S, GTX6930 and GTX1640. The 1620S produces 260W of peak power (60W RMS), and comes with a highly-oriented polyolefine (HOP) cone woofer for better bass, along with a 0.75-inch tweeter that can be mounted separately to fit a car's dynamics. Two-way passive crossovers guide frequencies for clearer response.
The 6930 and 1640 also have HOP woofers, but the 6930 is a three-way setup, and the 1640 is four-way. The speakers technically better the 1620S, though, with 400W peak/100W RMS power in the case of the 6930, and 300W/75W power in the 1640. The latter speakers will retail for $120, the 1620S raising to $150. All three are expected in January.
New amplifiers include the XM-GTR6001, a mono class-D unit with active thermal control to stop overheating, and a dynamic distortion suppressor to control output near maximum volume. It produces 900W with 2 ohms of resistance, but can hit 1,300W at top levels. The GTR2022 (pictured right) is a 2.1-channel amp that falls back to 200Wx2 at 2 ohms with a 1,200W maximum, while the ZR1252 is limited to 125Wx2 at 4 ohms, or 340Wx1. Also launching in January, the amplifiers should cost $280, $200 and $150 in order.
Last is the new "entry-level" subwoofer, the 12-inch XS-L120PSA. It is built around a pentagonal-shaped polypropylene cone, and uses a 4-ohm single-voice coil with 1,000W peak and 300W RMS power. It should be out in January for $80.
