Sony have made some great stereo equipment over the years and with most in-car infotainment now focused on Apple CarPlay and Android Auto they are continuing to focus on their automobile lineup.
They have today announced the Australian availability of a new in-car media receiver, the XAV-AX8000. The XAV-AX8000 only takes up a single DIN of your car (assuming DINs are still a thing with your car dashboard) but includes a massive 8.95-inch anti-glare touchscreen display.
Other notable features include a 3-way adjustable display mount for flexible installation and added HDMI connectivity — at the front so you can hook up a source on the fly. It includes 3-pre-out connectivity as well to allow you to hook up a sub, monoblock amp and a 4-channel amp to the unit.
As mentioned above, infotainment in cars is now all about Android Auto and Apple CarPlay and the Sony XAV-AX8000 does not entirely disappoint here. There is support for wired Android Auto and wired Apple CarPlay which is a bit disappointing. Most new head units arriving on the scene at the moment are including wireless Android Auto and wireless Apple CarPlay so it is very surprising that Sony neglected to include it in this new head unit.
You would expect Sony to include decent sound processing as well and they have with the inclusion of Digital Sound Processing and a 10-band equaliser and support for FLAC audio files.
The Sony XAV-AX8000 will be available this month for a SRP of $1,049. If you are interested in a head unit which has a massive display and aren’t concerned about the lack of wireless Android Auto and wireless Apple CarPlay then this is one head unit you should be checking out.
