XAV-601BT
3
5
3
3
Love It
I installed this model in my Pajero 2004 a few days ago; I had to move the AC control unit to make room for this baby.
I love the sound quality, it can't even be compared to my old model CDX-R5610 and for the most part I have no complaints.
I live in Saudi Arabia so navigation isn't really that helpful since it's not very accurate. I am hoping that MirrorLink will be compatible with the upcoming Nokia phone with the windows 8 OS, since Nokia maps are (in my opinion) one of the best programs around.
This unit has everything you may need; it provides you with all the options available to listen to your music. Media organization is amazing it simplifies browsing the music on my Ipod when connected by the USB cable.
The new SensMe option is a clever way for organizing music and generating playlists although it has to be done through the MediaGo software before uploading it to a USB flashdrive. If there is a way to do it from the unit I haven't figured it out yet.
Handsfree calling is as clear as can get.
Navigating the OS can get tiresome but I'll get used to it eventually, the only real downside for me is the touch screen, it's not that bad but it's not as responsive as I would have like it to be.
Bottom line this is an excellent buy. KUDOS to SONY
August 30, 2012
No. No. No.
This looks like a good unit. I have had mine for about 45 days now and I am not very satisfied. The sound and the picture quality are both good, which is to be expected for a Sony device. The problem is in the functionality.
First, I bought the device (based on the pictures on the website and box) that show a cool GUI with the song display and the navigation. That screenshot DOES NOT EXIST. When you use Telenav (which, by the way was only available today via the Firmware update), you can do nothing else on the device except for play your iPhone music through Telenav (which is NOT user friendly). If you have a satellite radio installed, you will NOT be able to do both navigation AND music. Same with Pandora. The Telenav application is worthless and slow. If you are buying this for navigation -- DONT!
I am not sure about the add-on Tom Tom navigation unit, but that's an additional $300.00, so why wouldn't I just buy another device that has Navigation built in for under $800? Strange.
There is a 1-wire USB cable on the front, but it does NOT control the iPhone if you are trying to use it for Navigation or anything with video. For that, you need to use the complicated and strangely thick iPhone cable (which ONLY plugs in through the back of the unit).
The box says that it's iPhone compatible, but that just isn't very true. Sure...it plays music through the device with your iPhone, but forget about using ANY of the mirrorlink applications -- they only work on such a limited number of Android devices.
Technical support with Sony is a joke...the people they outsource their technical support to (I have called twice now) don't seem to care and are very blasé about helping you out.
I have had a number of Sony devices and can say that I truly believe that Sony released this device too quickly. I have friends who have purchased competitors' products (same type of equipment), which have done far more things and are VERY compatible with the iPhone. I just think Sony got in over their head with this one.
August 14, 2012
XAV-610BT
I installed this yesterday. I pulled out my Alpine CDA-117 and Alpine BT module so I could put this in.
This Sony is my first DVD HU, so a little of the excitement is from that. I had the deck installed and was nerding out to Firefly on DVD less than an hour later.
The screen and display are great. Very clear.
The setup was a total breeze, because the interface is super slick. I had my iPhone paired, speaker distance programmed, sound shaped the way I wanted it in just a few minutes. The firmware is mostly good (see below), everything is fast, intuitive, and the iTunes stuff displays album cover, etc.
Sound is very, very good, and has 5V preouts. Default the sub output sounded great.
The Bluetooth on this is way better than my Alpine as well. The mix is perfect and easier to control. I can talk softly and be heard clearly, which is great because my car is kinda loud.
So far there's only one negative: If you leave your iPhone attached and get out of the car for a minute to pump gas, drop off kids, etc, the music won't play everytime at restart and is muted without a way to fix it. Might be because of a lot of initializing with bluetooth, etc, but I noticed I have to pull and reconnect my phone. They need to fix this through an update, and it would be a 5 star review.
Thanks for the great head unit, Sony! It offers a ton of bang for the buck, and I'm loving it so far!
June 15, 2012
