Alpine’s latest Hi-Fi audio system will take your in-car audio to another dimension

And it costs more than your car

Sambit Satpathy 30 May 2022 03:35 PM

There are audio systems that sound good, and then there are systems that will help achieve audio nirvana. Alpine aims to the do the latter with its flagship Hi-Fi car audio system, called the F#1 Status. 
This no-holds-barred audio system is built to offer full-spec high definition audio playback at 384kHz/32-bits. It is only available as a complete package, which consists of a retro-styled single DIN unit, a high-end 1GHz quad-core 64-bit audio processor, an amplifier, a sub-woofer, a portable digital audio player, and a host of carbon fibre-reinforced plastic speakers and tweeters. There’s also a Master Clock Management System, which ensures that the high-res audio output and playback are in perfect sync.

Needless to say, all this comes at a price, and a steep one at that. You can have this expansive system fitted into your car at an Alpine outlet for a whopping ₹30,00,000.   
For those of you who can’t afford such eye-watering prices, Alpine has also launched a slightly toned down version, simply called Alpine Status. This offers audio playback at 192kHz/24 bit, and is priced at ₹8,00,000. 
Unlike the F#1 Status, the Status components can be bought separately, and will also integrate with existing OEM and aftermarket head units. It uses a simpler crystal oscillator clock generator along with lower-spec amplifiers, and carbon fibre speakers and tweeters.