Hi-Res Audio Streaming in the Car

Hi-Res audio streaming in the car is a reality thanks to the B-CON from Audison. It was always likely to happen over wires, but the B-CON will even stream from mobile devices over Bluetooth.

High definition or Hi-Res audio has quietly enjoyed a mini revolution over the last few years. Many cars sold now have Hi-Res audio flying around MOST busses and now ethernet busses. All we need to do, is unscramble the vehicle manufacturer’s software protocols and filter the audio from all other data zooming around on the same busses.

This does not apply to all vehicles by any means, but the B-Con offers a route to Hi-Res where none exists in the vehicle. B-CON is a compact box that is easy to hide away in any car. B-CON has TOSLink optical SPDIF input and output as well as high quality analogue audio outputs. Connecting digitally to an Audison Forza, Prima or bit product is the very best way to achieve the greatest result. The truly ground-breaking feature is the Bluetooth codec on board. This is called LDAC and when coupled over Bluetooth to a similarly equipped source unit, can receive 24bit 96kHz digital audio signals.

It is worth noting at this point that Apple products do not use LDAC. B-CON will still process audio from an iPhone, and it will sound much better than streaming to your OEM head unit but, it will only render to the capability of the onboard codec. For this reason, it falls outside of the optimum parameters for Japan Audio Society (JAS) Hi-Res certification.

To get a more detailed explanation of how the B-CON handles different codecs, there is a highly informative video on YouTube prepared by Audison which we would strongly advise you to find the time to watch. Just head here to see it: https://youtu.be/ykvue4I_5dI

The B-CON is tiny, much smaller than the age old benchmark of a “fag packet” however, this should not deceive you. its capabilities are huge. We have trialled with different phones and portable Hi-Res streaming devices, and are happy to report that the resulting reproduction of Hi-Res files is practically flawless.

If you are yet to jump aboard the good ship Hi-Res, there are some good resources that will help to explain what it is. Driving Sounds Magazine first spoke about it in Issue V. You can download the article for free here: https://www.drivingsounds.co.uk/articles/archive/issue-5/dc-vs-hd-audio

There is also a much deeper and more technical explanation written by the owner of a car we will feature in our next issue, Issue XI, George Johnson. George is an audio enthusiast both in his home and in his Aston Martin and having come from a scientific background, is able to write on highly technical subjects with absolute accuracy. He has Donated his article to FOUR MASTER Enhance Car Audio and Security who installed the equipment in his excellent Aston Martin. You can read his explanation here: https://caraudiokent.co.uk/case-study/in-car-high-resolution-music/

A solid, pure source is the best way to improve the fidelity in any audio system and B-Con facilitates this perfectly in a car audio system.