If you thought the drive for digital audio fidelity had reached its apex with the Pono player, think again.
As The Wall Street Journal reports, Sony has just announced the SR-64HXA, the first memory card aimed chiefly at audiophiles.
It’s apparently designed to offer the highest audio quality possible in an SDXC card, which Sony claims is achieved by producing less electrical noise when reading data. It will come with a hefty price tag however – it’s slated to cost the equivalent of $160 in Japan, which translates as about five times the cost of a standard card with the same storage capacity.
If this sounds like a product to file alongside $1000 HDMI cables, you’re not alone – even Sony isn’t sure anyone will buy it. “We aren’t that sure about the product’s potential demand,” a Sony spokeswoman said, “but we thought some among people who are committed to great sound quality would want it.”
This isn’t the first time Sony has raised eyebrows with regards to its audio technology. Last year it announced a $1,200 version of its iconic Walkman, featuring a bespoke processor for the playback of high resolution audio.