Sony RSX-GS9 Boombox Project Run Through (Dec 2021) 4K

Sony RSX-GS9 / Sony XS-GSW101 / Sony XS-GS4 / XS-GS1631C

Being an 80’s kid I’ve always liked the idea of building a serious “boombox”. The idea came about during “lockdown” last year where I was looking for a project to utilise Sony’s new Hires Component Car Deck and realising that most modern cars have custom fitted car radio’s where this deck wouldn’t fit.

It’s quite an unusual deck due to it’s minimalistic display with most features more easily available within the mobile app via a bluetooth connection.

You’ll notice on my channel that I have a fondness for Sony Electronics, probably something to do with the idea that they built the best Cassette Walkman’s of which I aspired to but could not afford when I was young. I’ve always admired their high-end ES Series Components and innovative products which were always beautifully designed and constructed.

I set about ordering the deck as a special import while the amp and speakers were available locally. I contacted an old friend who has been in the car audio industry for many years to discuss my idea.

I sent through some basic designs and dimensions to find out if it would work “sonically”, in other words would I achieve the desired bass output from the enclosure as well as stereo imaging. I decided to use 2 x 22ah 12 v lithium batteries wired in parallel, as a power source. I was trying to balance weight with power output delivery as these lithium batteries are significantly lighter than traditional lead acid alternatives.

All in all the enclosure comes in around 40kg’s all up. I’ve listed the components used in the video description. And now, time for a good listen……..