Sony Reveals Its First CarPlay-Supported Audio System, Coming in November

Friday August 19, 2016 6:56 AM PDT by Mitchel Broussard
Sony today announced its first CarPlay-supported in-car audio system, the XAV-AX100, which the company touts as offering "everything you need" for long car journeys, including smartphone connectivity, a high-quality sound system, and voice command features. Following Alpine, Kenwood, JVC, JBL, and Pioneer, Sony is the newest company to manufacture aftermarket CarPlay systems.

Thanks to the inclusion of CarPlay, Apple's in-car software platform, users with Sony's new system installed can access Apple Maps, Apple Music, make phone calls, send text messages, and control various functions with the help of Siri. The XAV-AX100 system is also compatible with Android's CarPlay alternative, Android Auto.

sony carplay In its announcement, Sony focuses on its new system's sound quality, which it says can "overcome engine noise and reproduce clear sound at any volume with deep and punchy bass." Users can even expand the system with other external amplifiers to get a more customized listening experience in their vehicle.
High power sound comes full throttle with the XAV-AX100 in-car audio system. 55 watts x 4 Dynamic Reality Amp 2 and EXTRA BASS™ low boost circuitry overcome engine noise and reproduce clear sound at any volume level with deep and punchy bass.

The 10-band graphic equalizer gives an astonishing variety of sound, perfectly complementing EXTRA BASS™ for an enjoyable drive. 3-pre out connectivity allows system expandability to connect external amplifiers with a wide range of speaker connections, allowing sound enthusiasts to build their own bespoke system
Users will be able to purchase Sony's XAV-AX100 in-car audio system with included CarPlay support for $499.99 when it goes on the market sometime in late November. The company listed a full roster of the system's technical specifications in its press release.

Tag: CarPlay
36 comments


Top Rated Comments

(View all)
Avatar
lunarworks
22 months ago
Wow, a company managed to put out a touchscreen car stereo with an interface that doesn't look like it was designed by someone on a caffeine-fuelled '90s Photoshop filter binge. I never thought I'd see the day.

Plus, an actual knob for controlling the volume.
Rating: 7 Votes
Avatar
ike1707
22 months ago

..an actual knob for controlling the volume.

This. It's a good looking unit, but that physical volume buttons would be the most relevant selling point to me. For the sake of safe operation while driving, I think a physical volume button is a no-brainer.
Rating: 2 Votes
Avatar
lunarworks
22 months ago

Does it say anywhere about the car models it can fit into?

Aftermarket car stereos are pretty universal, there's two standardized sizes: Single DIN and double DIN. This one would be double.

If your car doesn't have all kinds of integrated entertainment system ****ery, it should pop right in. Might need a bracket, though.
Rating: 2 Votes
Avatar
SandboxGeneral
22 months ago

Users will be able to purchase Sony's XAV-AX100 in-car audio system with included CarPlay support for $499.99 when it goes on the market sometime in late November.

Not too bad of a price for what you get. It feels like its in line with other moderately high-end car stereo's.

I have to say that I really love the Sony stereo that came with my Ford Focus; it sounds fantastic. Plus I should be getting an update to CarPlay this year when Ford pushes it out to the Sync 3 cars, like mine, already out there.
Rating: 1 Votes
Avatar
jmh600cbr
22 months ago
nice price!
Rating: 1 Votes
Avatar
adamneer
22 months ago
Awesome, another double DIN option for the 10 cars on the road that still use DIN mounted stereos...

Rating: 1 Votes
Avatar
macs4nw
22 months ago

.....Sony are great with sound quality too. Brilliant headphones, brilliant speakers, and brilliant car audio systems.

OK, Kazuo Hirai, no need to convert me :D, I'm a big life-long fan of their TVs, and hope they don't pull out of that market in light of their staggering losses in that business segment. (past TV division losses totaling $7.8 billion over a decade)
Rating: 1 Votes
Avatar
yg17
22 months ago

How many cars don't? My work recently replaced my 8 year old base model Vauxhall Corsavan, which had an integrated stereo, with a brand new base model Vauxhall Corsavan, which has an integrated stereo. At least the new one has DAB, Bluetooth, and USB - the old one didn't even have aux in, and the CD meant I couldn't even use one of those endless tapes. I found myself listening to Radio 1!

My 2015 WRX stereo isn't integrated and I was able to swap it with a Pioneer unit, but it is a rarity on newer cars. I'm not sure how much longer aftermarket car stereos are going to be around.
Rating: 1 Votes
Avatar
rolsskk
22 months ago



Well, there aren't many standard WRXs, so they probably made it easy to change since a large proportion of the drivers would anyway - they need a loud stereo so they can hear it over the aftermarket exhaust! ;)

Aftermarket....nooooo, it came from the factory like that. :cool: (sarcasm)

Aside from changing out the swaybars/endlinks and the shifter, I'd say that changing the stereo is the biggest night and day difference in a WRX.
Rating: 1 Votes
Avatar
afd
22 months ago
I'm not sure there are many new cars that are able to accept aftermarket stereos. The radios in our cars, a fiesta and Mini, both have fairly basic radios but they are tied into the trip computer. I'm sure I could fit the Sony into both cars and have it working but am not so sure how easy the trip computer etc. would be to work.
Car manufacturers use radios like Apple uses flash storage, you need to pay over the odds to get what you want.
Better off buying an older car and putting in anew stereo...
Rating: 1 Votes
[ Read All Comments ]