Good video. It amazes me that manufacturers do not understand the value of a actual rotating knob. There will never be a time when a volume KNOB is not a superior control than ANYTHING else. Make your customers happy, bring back knobs!!! ;) They should at least offer a blue tooth knob. One you could mount anywhere you wanted and connected via blue tooth. This would be the perfect compromise.
I’m with you man, the knob is so much more practical than tiny little up and down buttons to find while you’re driving. I bought my last last kenwood doubledin in part just because it had a knob
it would mess with the pure screen factor of the screen but a wireless knob or using steering wheel controls from the wheel or even doing what the new mustang mach e does with the knob over the screen would be possible
@@trucavalier haha not that its funny but man i know you were heeaated. Especially when you first turn the car on and just starts blasting aw man. I wish they had a setting that automatically resets the volume to like 5 or something whenever you restart the car.
Nah man. 1300$ as is. A volume knob would make this like 2000$. We give you reason to upgrade next year. so JR can read another script. But seriously. Especially in a system where the unit is up top. How is someone going to reach those buttons? I'm 6'4" with long arms, and even I struggle with front buttons sometimes. Knob is quick. Having to keep tapping a button sucks. Not every single car has steering wheel controls.
This seems like the perfect radio for me so i picked it up. I own a 2020 Toyota Corolla with all aftermarket speakers, 2 very powerful skar ZVX-12s, and both a amp for the speakers and the subs, and 2 batteries. All i need is a strong signal and equalization of the audio. I’ll update after installation.
With his list of goodies he'll want a separate DSP. Audio Control or Rockford DSP's. What I'm wondering how much dynamat have you soaked in your car? Being 2020 it's tight now but, with Skars monster subs(if they are in a proper slot ported box) will create massive wavelengths. Doors, quarters and roof will all be flexing. Not to mention the deck lid. Every panel that vibrates your loosing SQ and DB's. One last thing 2 limitless lithium? How many hours? Did you upgrade your alternator as well that Toyota with an enormous amount of electronics help running the engine, all sensors, safety systems HD lights, that pulls a ton of amperage. Your handicapping your system and compromised your cars ability to run properly. I've been a auto collision body and painter for 31yrs also a car audio installer on the side since I was 18. I'm 50. Giving you knowledge I didn't have when I started. I currently have 2 -18" Skar EVL's in a custom built (by me) 8.2 cu.ft box in a Yukon Denali tuned to 32hz. Fosgate mids and highs front to rear. Sony 7" HD head unit. 152.89 on less than 3.5k total rms on subs. Custom panels melding everything together to make it look like it was supposed to be there. I love Sony, but to many no's for me on that head unit. There is Zero chance that floating screen will stay on when I get over the 149 mark. I'm like most people...still knobs. I use my steering controls.
I have the Xav-8000 and it was a good unit but this one is the way to go definitely, capacitive screen and usb-c + Bluetooth phone connection to android and iOS these are the main features of any car units in this time.
GREAT review! Always wanted a Sony ES something in my car since I heard it in a decked out Maxima in the 90's. I've NEVER heard sound quality like that so if I get the RAV4 daily driver, Crutchfield will be my next stop.
@@andrewjarvis7777 I didn’t say I’d want no bezels at all. Some EV car manufacturers already have screens with very slim bezels. It makes it look more attractive by 500% than a unit that has large unsightly bezels
@@grandcalifornia8410 stock yeah, as part of an expensive vehicle, but no stand alone aftermarket HU will have slim bezels yet it's just too expensive, they'd have to price them at a point no one would buy
I understand the quality of the audio in this product, and their emphasis for sound quality, but the fact this isn’t a multimedia unit is a bit disappointing. Considering this is Sony’s only maestro idatalink compatible head unit, the exclusion of an hdmi input and multimedia is a bummer.
the thing is, most of new cars don't even have the possibility of installing a aftermarket stereo like this because modern cars don't have the proper bay for the stereo. Simply car makers nowadays designs the dashboards with everything integrated and there is no option to buy the car without the factory infotainment system.
just got mine installed. test run, it works lol. man lemme tell you the screen is SO nice (responsiveness). 100% like ipad. plastic cover still on it and all my trim is still off gotta go get my amps and sub installed tomorrow
I agree, but there's a reason for it! This head unit has the latest High-End ESS Sabre DAC that is in the latest and greatest and VERY Expensive home audiophile DACs. It also has a Full Independent Left & Right DSP/PEQ. You would have to buy a separate standalone DSP to get this, and it's very important if you want to achieve audiophile sound with a truly lifelike Soundstage in a vehicle. No other head unit at any price has this yet! It also has a high-quality HD Bonded-Glass Capacitive Touch Display, not some generic $15 low quality resistive display taken off of some stockroom shelf that might die in 6th months! It also has High-End electrical audio components in the signal path. You CANNOT judge a book by its cover! SMDH If you don't want or need these advanced features or this level of quality, that's fine. But you're not going to get another head unit with this level of quality and features without paying for it!
I just looked up the price of my oem radio head unit for my 2022 rav4 trd. I was shocked it was over 3000 dollars and it’s kind of crap. It’s slow, small and while it has knobs, it doesn’t look like it would cost more than 1000 dollars. Well I ordered a new Sony 9500 es, got it for around 900 after taxes. Looking forward to replacing it.
This unit is so close for me but why doesn’t it also have wired Apple car play? Is there an attachment I can put on to get wired Apple car play? I want someone in the passenger seat to be able to play their music and use their Apple Maps from the getgo I just am nervous that the wireless CarPlay wouldn’t work always and potentially be a little slow
Hi Niko, there is no option to add wired Carplay to this model. We do have other models that do support both wired and wireless Apple CarPlay. What other features do you need? What is the year, make, and model of your vehicle?
@dentoish that will be for reverse camera....my android unit has a 2nd input for front camera....you come out of reverse and it shows the front camera for 5 seconds....very handy when parking in a tight spot 😉
@@crutchfield @what's dave done Yes, It does have 3 camera inputs. HOWEVER, they are still Composite Video inputs from 1980's, LOL. :-/ Hellooo SONY, it's 2021and there's this thing called HD video and even UHD video that works via an HDMI interface, Yo! And not that this is a "bad" screen, but our smartphones have higher resolutions than this display, AND they are much smaller, so there's that as well. Oh, the new Kenwood XR 10.1" has 4 Camera inputs.
I have this in my 2011 Chevy tahoe ltz, and when I make calls, the person I call their voice is so loud it clips and scratches, so it's hard to understand what they are saying any ideas
I just put in an android headunit. $345 with wireless apple carplay, 8gb ram, 128gb storage and android subsystem. Birdeye cameras, 4g lte, sorry but android Headunits rock
I don't understand much of how these systems work and I have a question. Hopefully someone more knowledgeable can help. My car has volume controls on the steering. If install this will those controls still be useful?
We actually carry installation kits that are car specific and we can retain the steering wheel controls in most cars. A wiring harness is required for that. What's the year, make, and model of your car? We can show you what's required to get that Sony installed!
@MI6 Rogue The separate iDataLink Maestro RR interface kit retains all of your OEM steering wheel controls and adds additional long press stereo control functions for each button if you want them. For instance, I assigned both the the up-and-down volume buttons to activate the MUTE function when they are long pressed. You can assign each steering wheel control button to activate any function that you want for both a short press and a long press of each button.
Nice informative video sir. Read my mind on the issues I wanted answering. A little annoyed that I cannot get it in the UK yet. However: can it handle right hand drive wheel controls? If so I could import one!
We recommend checking for steering wheel radio control interfaces that work with your vehicle and Sony radios. If you can find such an interface, then you should be able to keep those controls working with this radio
This Sony unit is a replacement radio for a vehicle. It does not have any built-in speakers. It does have a 4 channel amp built in as well as preamp outputs that allow amps to be used to power the speakers.
Hi Ankit. I'm sorry, we have not researched that vehicle. That means we have no fit info or installation items for it. The The included source unit fits in a standard 2" single-DIN opening Once the source unit is mounted in the dash, the 10.1" touchscreen monitor attaches to the front of the source unit using the included hardware.
Just buy a magnetic cd slot holder (for cars that still have a cd player) then attach a 10 inch or more tablet....l used an Amazon FireHD 10 paired with a bluetooth fm receiver. Then just transfer between cars.
My Joying 10.1" has built in DSP and way better features like built in 4G and can download any app I want incl RU-vid, all for $350, so I'll stick with that for now!
The monitor does not move after being installed. During the installation, it can tilt up/down(+/- 10 degrees, be moved forward/backward +/- 0.75" (changes how close the screen is to the dash), move vertically up/down +/- 2.375", and lateral left/right +/- 1.0" to help find the optimal installation location for the vehicle its going into.
Biggest problem here is that a Teyes CC3 blows this thing out of existance in more or less every category, the sound quality might not be as good (hard to prove really) but still very decent, and all for around 500 dollars... having watched alot of different reviews on the Teyes, i would without a doubt consider it way more than this Sony with its 1300 Dollar price point...
I’ve seriously been thinking of purchasing the Teyes CC3 for my car since it has all the goodies for a fraction of the cost of the offerings from Kenwood or Sony.
The Teyes at the end of the day is a cheap android unit with virtually no customer support. I'm in the process of attempting to return mine because the replacement dash panels they supplied me don't fit my vehicle at all. There's no way they even tried test fitting these things before putting them up for sale. The lack of physical buttons also turned out to be more annoying than I was anticipating while rolling around with my loose replacement panels. You get what you pay for.
@@murffly sad to hear! In my case I finaly went with a Xtrons model that suits my car. I'm happy with it but it is a bit laggy for the price I paid... but I still think that the Sony is way overpriced.
Hi Dmitry! This unit does not have digital outputs for connection to an external DAC, so the audio connections would be made with the 6-channel pre-amp outputs. The DAC used internally is a 24-bit/192kHz chip from ESS. Since prices can fluctuate, you can check the latest price on our website here: www.crutchfield.com/I-rYTVc313/p_158XAV9500/Sony-XAV-9500ES.html
Sorry, as of right now, we don't have any fit info or installation items for installing a radio in your 2021 MX5. You may want to consult a professional installer for options. If/when we do have more information available, we will post it via our online selector: www.crutchfield.com/car/carselector.aspx?lp=%2fcar%2foutfitmycar%2fmycar.aspx
I'm pretty sure LDAC is not "better" than bluetooth since it uses bluetooth to communicate they both aren't the same thing. Think of LDAC as a "mode" that bluetooth can operates in. I'm kind of surprised this came out of an official youtube channel of Crutchfield tbh. That is at least if I am correct...
LDAC is bluetooth but it transfers WAYY more data in the same period of time therefore it can send lossless signals without compressing audio unlike normal bluetooth signals.
Hi there! Without a data plan on the phone, you are able to use the AM/FM radio, SiriusXM, and play previously downloaded files that are compatible from a USB thumbdrive or the phone. You wouldn't be able to use streaming music services, but some of those services will allow you to download/save playlists over Wi-Fi while at home for use without the internet while in the vehicle. If you have other questions, feel free to reach out any time!
This unit cannot be used to display movies. We offer others that can. What is the year, make, and model of the vehicle this is going into? Also, what are all the abilities you want in a new radio?
Do people still buy aftermarket radios? I loved my Alpine and Pioneer headsets back in the day but seems like auto manufacturers have made them obsolete outside of the of special cases
There are some vehicles that the manufacturer has designed the dash in such a way that it is impossible to install an aftermarket radio. However, not all are like that and we still sell a lot of radios. Selling so many that right now, we are having a hard time keeping them in stock. You can check your vehicle using our online vehicle fit guide: www.crutchfield.com/I-rYALc227/car/carselector.aspx
We do have a 7" screen option with the XAV-9000ES below. Were you looking for something larger than 7", but maybe not quite as big as 10.1"? www.crutchfield.com/I-rYALc166/p_158XAV9000/Sony-XAV-9000ES.html
We do not have the information on or experience with the Atoto S8 unit to offer a good comparison between them. Hopefully someone else does and will chime in here!
You cannot install apps onto the Sony XAV-9500ES radio. Using your compatible Android or Apple phone you can use Carplay or Android Auto (wirelessly) and listen to Tidal, with the app displayed on the Sony's touchscreen.
Hello! Can you help me with a solution for fitting a head unit into a Volvo V40 2014 dashboard? Could be a Sony XAVAX 8150 or XAV 9500ES, or similar product. Thank you,
Hi Petru, thanks for reaching out. Sorry, we have not researched your vehicle, so we have no fit info or installation items for it. Checking with a local installer would be a good way to find out about replacing the radio.
@@crutchfieldSure. I'm looking for a double din car stereo,. Top Priority is toward high sound quality; volume knob; and bare a minimum of hard buttons to skip songs up and down OR radio station presets up and down. (I'm driving so can't mess around with a touch screen; need tactile buttons!) 2nd priority is for a touch screen for backup camera and a built in navigation system. I loved the sony rsx-gs9. Great sound quality; volume knob... but not many hard buttons. If it had more hard buttons and slightly better display I could do without the touch screen, back up camera, and GPS.
That Sony sure was nice!!! Right now, there is an Alpine head unit that has plays the Hi-Res audio using a better DAC and having more buttons than the Sony. Here it is: www.crutchfield.com/I-rYALc227/p_500HDS990/item.html
Hi, Kirk, and thanks for reaching out! The microphone for that Sony unit is external and is included in the box. It has a 12' cable for routing. If we can help with other questions, feel free to reach out any time!
Is this plague with display wash out issues while in Apple CarPlay and Android Auto? The 5xxx series is still dealing with this with ZERO support from Sony.
Refuse to buy anything without a volume knob. Had an infotainment system with no knobs in my 2015 civic (yes, I had the steering wheel control) the three years I owned that car I never got used to it. Refuse to buy anything without one.
This unit is capable of playing back certain video files from USB when your vehicle is stopped and the parking brake is engaged. Some good news there! :-)
Two things. FIrst, the screen doesn't rotate TOWARD the driver. That's a big problem since im the one that's using it and it NEEDS to face me. Second, there is no vol knob. The Boss BE10 is a great design, trash quality but even they managed to get the fact that you should be able to aim the screen and you got a nice vol knob. $1400 and it misses so much. Lastly, does the radio provide enough current to actually charge the phone while you're using android auto?
@@crutchfield 2008 Chevy cobalt. Has 50k miles on it and has been garaged for a long time(no rust).Great starter car, and for the most part it’s easy to mod :)
We could make the wiring work! But, we do not have a way to mount this radio in the dash. Our kit does not have a way to hold onto the chassis of this radio so it stays in place. We could wire it in, but cannot mount it in place. You might check with a custom installer to see if they could make a mounting kit for it.
@@crutchfield Gotcha! Thanks for responding! I’m actually amazed you guys take the time to respond to comments! Is there a more affordable radio that you would recommend for my car? I’m looking for something that has wireless CarPlay. An elevated screen is really cool, but I know those are definitely more expensive.
It looks like there are eight versions of the audio system in the 2008 Cobalt, but fit doesn't appear to be a major issue. To make sure we're working with the correct audio system and the right installation gear, I recommend reaching out to an Advisor by phone or chat to discuss the vehicle's details. We can get a nice option for you! Check us out here: www.crutchfield.com/I-rYTVc313/support/ContactUs.aspx
It sure will work in your 2011 Ford Fiesta! Our online vehicle fit guide can help with getting the correct installation parts to make it work and that fit guide can be found here: www.crutchfield.com/I-rYALc227/car/carselector.aspx
Hi there! The wireless Android Auto interface uses a Wi-Fi connection between the phone and head unit to transfer data. The phone itself needs to have Wi-Fi to work for that transfer, but you do not need to be connected to a separate Wi-Fi network. The phone can pull the data it needs to send to the head unit using the cell connection. If you have other questions, feel free to let us know!
