Sony has announced its new XAV-AX8000 Apple CarPlay compatible receiver, yesterday to the press. This model and three others were announced, although the AX8000 brings a new direction for Sony head units – its display.
An 8.95-inch anti-glare display hovers seamlessly over the dashboard, whilst working in a single-DIN space. The screen can be mounted in three directions (forward/back tilt, verticle height and depth) to enable the desired installation and fit any vehicle it is installed into.
The receiver supports both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, although if you’re hoping for wireless modes, this isn’t a receiver for you. A wired cable connection is still required here.
The usual Sony feature-set comes with the XAV-AX8000, with 4-channel amp delivering 55 watts. Extra Bass functionality is also here, with Dynamic Stage Organizer and 10-band equaliser, FLAC support, quick wake-up, rear camera support and custom wallpaper functionality.
Our thoughts on the Sony XAV-AX8000
You could say Sony is going at the Alpine 9-inch HALO9 head unit with this particular receiver, and I would agree that you’d be right. The Sony will come in at a competitive $599.99 and it will release this December in the US.
Sadly we are still seeing receivers release a few years on since Apple CarPlay with some lacking desirable features on the AX8000. The first there is only one USB out, which is at the rear. Second, we’ve already mentioned there is no wireless CarPlay support. The third is the resolution. Why are we still seeing displays, and LARGE displays at that, which are pushing such a low resolution of 800×480. With tablets and smaller display smartphones pushing over 3x the pixel density, coming to a brand new 2019 receiver with such low-quality resolution is shocking in my opinion. If you are after a high-resolution display, you only have Kenwood to look at, and in 2019, this is shameful from every receiver manufacturer.
