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Sony SR-64HXA
Sony has released a high-end memory card aimed at hardcore audiophiles.
The Sony SR-64HXA is a 64GB microSD memory card that apparently reduces electrical noise when reading data. This should, in theory, make for a purer sound when listening to music stored on the card.
As you might expect, there's a hefty price to pay for such hardcore audiophile technology. When the Sony SR-64HXA launches in Japan next month, it will do so with an 18,500 yen price tag - that's around £100, or five times the cost of a regular 64GB microSD card.
"We aren’t that sure about the product’s potential demand," a Sony spokesperson told the Wall Street Journal, "but we thought some among people who are committed to great sound quality would want it."
The kind of people who would spend the cost of a 13-inch MacBook Pro on a portable audio player, in other words. The Sony SR-64HXA is intended for use with the new Sony Walkman ZX2, which was announced at CES 2015 in early January.
Read More: What is Hi-Res audio?
The Sony Walkman ZX2 is a seriously high-end media player, designed with premium components throughout with the purpose of outputting 24-bit, 192KHz Hi-Res audio. That's better than CD quality.
When it launches this spring, the Sony Walkman ZX2 will cost $1,199.99, which works out to somewhere shy of £800. When you're spending that much on a piece of audio equipment, the last thing you want is for a lousy microSD card to add an element of hiss to proceedings - no matter how slight.