Sony claims high-end SD card offers 'Premium Sound'

The SR-64HXA micro SDXC memory card is due on sale in Japan next month for 18,500 yen, which translates as around £100. That makes it around five times more expensive than the average memory card.

Why would you spend the extra? Sony claims the card helps to "reduce electrical noise generated when the file [your digital music] is read". So if you store music on a memory card, this super-SD should help suppress electrical noise, which can affect sound quality. That's Sony's theory, at least...

The Sony Japan website suggests while the capacity and speed of cards can be the same, the parts and materials can be different - and, so Sony says, that can make a difference to the sound.

High-res audio is a big focus for Sony at the moment, with the launch of the £950 flagship NWZ-ZX2 Walkman at CES 2015.

But, with many people struggling to be convinced by high-res music, we can't help thinking a "Premium Sound" memory card might be an even harder sell...

MORE: High-res audio - everything you need to know

TOPICS
Joe Cox
Content Director

Joe is the Content Director for What Hi-Fi? and Future’s Product Testing, having previously been the Global Editor-in-Chief of What Hi-Fi?. He has worked on What Hi-Fi? across the print magazine and website for almost 20 years, writing news, reviews and features on everything from turntables to TVs, headphones to hi-fi separates. He has covered product launch events across the world, from Apple to Technics, Sony and Samsung; reported from CES, the Bristol Show, and Munich High End for many years; and written for sites such as the BBC, Stuff and The Guardian. In his spare time, he enjoys expanding his vinyl collection and cycling (not at the same time).

Read more
The Clearaudio Diamond Jubilee MC cartridge on a bed of diamonds.
This moving coil cartridge costs as much as a family hatchback
Magico S5
Magico's luxury floorstanders tease "awe-inspiring power" at a bank-busting price
Astell & Kern music player on a magazine next to earbuds
Best portable MP3 players 2025: top hi-res music players tested by our experts
Musical Fidelity M8x DAC
Music Fidelity's high-end M8x DAC wants to "transform digital signals into breathtaking analogue sound"
Chord Hugo 2
What is DSD audio? How the format works, where to download files, and more
Astell & Kern A&ultima SP3000 music player on a desktop
What is high-resolution audio? And is hi-res music worth it?
Latest in AV
Amazon Spring Deal Days 2025 promotional image with Amazon boxes
Amazon Big Spring Sale live: our TV and headphone experts’ real-time buying advice
A render of a couple watching TV in a living room with green beams used to illustrate the sound coming from the soundbar and various other speakers.
Eclipsa Audio: everything you need to know about Samsung’s new Dolby Atmos rival
Samsung QN990F 8K TV with Rewind logo
A sneak peek at Samsung’s futuristic projector, OLED TV’s next evolution, a new Audiolab stereo amp and more
Sony RGB arrangement with Rewind logo
A sneak peek at Sony's next-gen TV tech, our love letter to hi-fi shops, a high-end amp tested and more
LG C5 on stand with Rewind logo
The LG C5 OLED TV tested, a world first for headphones, new hi-fi speakers and more
Pick Of The Month March 2025 5-star products on grey background
WiiM strikes again, the B&W Zeppelin Pro impresses while Technics' latest turntable earns five-stars
Latest in News
Sony WH-1000XM4 on a table with a plant
Some of our favourite-ever five-star wireless headphones have plummeted to nearly half price – £172 off!
RCA Roku TV 24-inch (RK24HF1) small TV
My favourite kitchen TV has dropped to under £100 for Amazon Spring Deal Days
Sony XR-48A90K
Amazon has slashed the price of this five-star Sony OLED, but we have found an even better deal
Fiio FX17 in-ear headphones
Fiio's flagship in-ear headphones are packed full of drivers to put your music in pole position
Apple AirPods Max 2024 in blue finish on bookshelf
Lossless audio and wired listening finally comes to AirPods Max
iFi Valkyrie in gold with a laptop
iFi's flagship iDSD Valkyrie DAC/amp teases cutting-edge tech for a sound that's worthy of Valhalla