Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #3325 in Car Audio or Theater
- Brand: Sony
- Model: XAV601BT
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 9.07" h x
9.50" w x
9.82" l,
- Display size: 6.1
Features
- Detachable Double DIN 6.1-inch WVGA Touch Screen Display
- MirrorLink enabled smartphone connectivity
- Pandora internet radio control
Sony XAV601BT A/V Receiver with Bluetooth and MirrorLink Technology
Product Description
Control smartphone features and apps directly from your receiver thanks to MirrorLink technology6,7, which brings command of select audio, video and navigation features directly to the receiver’s touchscreen display. Elevate your mobile experience with Bluetooth technology4, SiriusXM compatibility3,7, Pandora app control5, dual USB inputs and CD/DVD playback1.
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
52 of 57 people found the following review helpful.
By neAndrewthal
***NOTE: See update at the end of this review for my evaluation of MirrorLink with the Galaxy S3.***I have been eying the XAV-601BT for a while, but decided it was not worth its sticker price, considering that (as of the time of this review) its MirrorLink functionality only works with a few Nokia phone models.I finally bought this one reconditioned for $470, which I figured was a fair price for this stereo, to replace my flaky Alpine stereo that was having Bluetooth issues. The unit arrived a few days later - not bad, considering I opted for standard shipping - and was complete with all its parts and manuals, in new condition and full working order.The XAV-601BT installed fairly easily into my car, and the instructions were fairly clear (for those who are at least somewhat savvy at installing car audio). There was a speed sensor wire (presumably so the XAV-601BT knows how fast you are going during times when the optional USB GPS device can't see any satellites, such as driving through a tunnel). A few minutes on Google allowed me to figure out how to integrate that wire into my Toyota Camry.Right off the bat, I noticed the Bluetooth (once paired with my phone) was solidly reliable and connected quickly, with no issues. A small status bar at the top of the stereo's screen showed my phone's battery life and signal strength. The call audio was very clear in both directions.For Skype calls - I have Skype on my phone - the XAV-601BT's Bluetooth tried to work. It interrupted the radio and went into phone mode, as normal, but quickly got confused, going right back to playing the radio as soon as the call was established. (This is actually a problem with all Bluetooth-enabled stereos and headsets, and is caused by Skype's non-standard use of A2DP Bluetooth.) The work-around (for all Bluetooth audio-enabled stereos) is to put the stereo in Bluetooth audio mode, as if you were trying to play music from your phone via Bluetooth. Skype calls work well in that mode.The display is crisp and clear and has several fancy background effects to chose from, but my favorite is the plain no frills one (which is hard to find in high-end car stereos nowadays). One draw-back was that detaching the face-plate caused the stereo to forget the back-ground setting and the time. Incidentally, it took me a while to figure out how to completely detach the face-plate - you have to press the release button which partially releases the left side and then move the left side up. Once you detach the face plate, you'll find that it is almost two inches thick! (You'd better have good-sized cargo pockets or plenty of room in your pack.) A padded case for the face-plate is included in the box.Other gripes about the display include the fact that it is somewhat sluggish. In an age when smart-phone displays are quick, agile, and highly responsive, this stereo (along with most I have looked at) seems "turtlishly" slow by comparison. It takes a few seconds for different screens to come up, and about four seconds to show the back-up camera when you shift into reverse. (My old, flaky Alpine brought up the same back-up camera in about half a second.) The app-like touchscreen menu (which you see in the picture above) uses a fancy-looking, but frustratingly clumsy to use method of scrolling and pressing the virtual buttons from background to foreground. Accidentally press the volume knob and it takes you out of whatever input you were using and (after a few seconds) gives you another scrolling menu, which takes another couple of seconds to realize you're trying to press something (longer than I'm willing to take my eyes off the road). If I don't have a passenger in my car to rectify that situation, I wait until I can pull over before messing with it further, or just put up with silence until I get to my destination.NOTE: The screen is supposed to be simpler if you are driving, but I grounded the parking break wire (making the stereo think the parking break is on all the time) so that the stereo wouldn't lock out some functions if my wife or I (which ever one of us was the passenger) wanted access to them while the other was driving, so I can't speak to the "while driving" functionality of the XAV-601BT.Another annoyance is Sony's insistence in placing start-up and other splash-screens on their displays for way longer than they need to. (My Sony TV does this, too.) In addition to the several seconds it takes for the stereo to start up when you turn on your car, the couple of seconds it takes to press the "OK" button on their liability waiver screen (which sometimes appears, sometimes doesn't), and the four or so seconds it takes for it to realize you've shifted into reverse, you still have to wait a few more seconds for the Bluetooth splash-screen (which appears upon connection, right in the middle of the display, even when the back-up camera finally shows up) to go away so you can see what is immediately behind your car. (If you enabled both Bluetooth audio and Bluetooth hands-free, the splash-screen appears twice.) From the time I start the car, it takes about 16 seconds for me to get unobstructed back-up camera video, whereas it took my old Alpine stereo about 6 seconds.This stereo has two USB ports (one in the front panel and one in the back) for use with your choice of iPod, USB media, Sony-TomTom Navigation Module (XANV-100T) - (If that ever comes out onto the market), or MirrorLink-enabled smartphone. The XAV-601BT can only address one USB device per each of the two ports. (USB hubs won't work with this stereo.) So many USB options, only two USB ports. :(Don't hold your breath waiting for MirrorLink to work with your phone. As of the time of this updated review, it only works with a few models of Nokia phone and the Samsung Galaxy S3 (see update below). (Does anyone still have a Nokia?)Sony promises more brands will work with MirrorLink in the near future. Also, as one can see on Sony's demonstration videos on YouTube, there are only a few MirrorLink-savvy apps as of the time of this review (phonebook, messaging, navigation, calender (including your calender entries), and music. MirrorLink is getting popular in Europe and is starting to make an appearance in the U.S. Other stereo manufacturers are also starting to incorporate MirrorLink into their stereos. For these reasons, I recon there will likely be more MirrorLink functionality sometime soon, but it ain't here 'til it's here.Just for grins, I tried plugging my HTC phone into the front USB port and set the stereo to MirrorLink mode. The first thing that happened was the XAV-601BT warned me that MirrorLink could not be used while a Bluetooth connection was active. (So much for the idea of using two phones hands-free at a time - one with Bluetooth the other with MirrorLink - with this stereo.) The other thing was that the XAV-601BT, of course, found no compatible devices. The USB port did, however, charge my phone, even when set other audio sources.As with most stereos on the market today, the XAV-601BT does not have a built-in HD-Radio tuner. This is somewhat aggravating as HD radio has been out since 2002, and many U.S. radio stations broadcast in NRSC-5B HD (hybrid digital), along with their old analog signals. What's worse, there is no module you can add to this stereo to give it HD-Radio functionality. An XM/Sirius module is supposed to be available for this stereo, if you want a premium satellite radio subscription service.I connected my iPod to the back port of the XAV-601BT using a regular iPod USB cable - (not included). The iPod performed well with the XAV-601BT. Navigation to songs using the XAV-601BT screen was intuitive, but inconsistently quick/slow/frustrating, with intermittent sluggishness, unpredictable kinetic scrolling, and significant difficulty getting the list of songs, artists, or albums to stop right at the desired point. In spite of these intermittent frustrations, the XAV-601BT allowed me to get to my desired song much faster than my old "iPod-savvy" Alpine, but still required more attention than I am willing to give it while I am driving. Fortunately, the XAV-601BT gives you the option of "Passenger Mode" which allows you to use the iPod's controls to navigate the songs. (I have yet to see an iPod interface better than the iPod's own interface.) Album art showed up on the XAV-601BT display within a few seconds of starting a song. The audio quality was outstanding, partially due to the fact that the XAV-601BT is one of the few iPod compatible stereos that supports Digital to Analog Converter (DAC) bypass, which allows the XAV-601BT to directly access the digital audio from your iPod and use the stereo's own internal DAC, rather than getting an analog feed from the iPod through the USB cable, like most stereos do. I have heard this is a licensing thing with Apple.***UPDATE (8 Oct 2012): Using the XAV-601BT with Samsung Galaxy S3 via MirrorLink and the Samsung "Drive Link" app***What follows is a somewhat lengthy description of MirrorLink functionality (or lack thereof) and the functionality of Samsung's Drive Link app, necessary to use MirrorLink on Samsung's Galaxy S3.If you are not interested in the details, skip to "The bottom line for MirrorLink."When I originally got the XAV-601BT, its MirrorLink functionality only worked with a few Nokia phone models. In August I was finally eligible for a two-year upgrade with AT&T and traded in my old HTC phone for Samsung's new Galaxy S3. In September, Sony released a firmware update for the XAV-601BT on their support website, which added MirrorLink compatibility for the Samsung Galaxy S3.Samsung's app store recently released their "Drive Link" app (which adds MirrorLink functionality to the GS3) in several countries.The only problem is, as of the time of this updated review, Samsung's Drive Link app is not yet available in the U.S. A recent C|net article mentions Samsung intends to include the Drive Link app in the U.S. release of the Android 4.1 ("Jellybean") operating system for the GS3, expected to be released soon for U.S. versions of the GS3.After some searching, I found a copy of the Drive Link .apk on a developer website and installed it on my phone, and curiosity drove me to try out this unknown .apk from this unknown site.***I highly recommend only getting your apps and upgrades from trusted sources, such as Samsung, or your phone provider, and staying away from untrusted sites.***Once the "rogue" copy of the Drive Link .apk was installed on my phone using the CWM Installer - not a process for novice users - the Drive Link app showed up on my GS3's list of apps. The Drive Link app provides a simplified (landscape only) screen on your phone, which can be duplicated on MirrorLink enabled car stereos via USB.The Drive Link app can work standalone (without a car stereo) and, after pressing a "I agree" button on a safety disclaimer screen, displayed bright, pleasing, yet simple display of the time, date, and local weather, along with a brief, spoken description of the local weather. An up arrow on the bottom of the display opens up another simple screen, with three large tiles, labeled "Music," "Location," (navigation/maps) and "Phone." You can select which apps you wish to use for music and navigation. For navigation, I selected Google Navigator.There are also "Shortcuts" and "Settings" buttons below the three tiles. You can specify short-cuts for use the the "Shortcuts" screen, such as a song, artist, album, phone contact, or destination, although I had some difficulty adding anything beyond my home location as a shortcut. (I kept getting "no songs," "no location," and "no contacts" errors, even though I could access all of these with the Music, Location, and Phone tiles on the main screen. (I recon a few glitches are normal for an early release hack-installed from a rogue site.)Aside from my inability to create shortcuts, the Music tile opened the music app, with worked well; Google Navigation worked as it always does; and the Phone tile opened up a simplified phone function screen, which allowed selection of call history, contacts, a dial pad, and messages, which displays text messages and, when selected, reads messages aloud via text-to-speech.USING THE GS3 ON THE XAV-601BT WITH MIRRORhttp://amzn.com/dp/B0086V637Y/?tag={komponelektr-20}:It took quite a bit of trial-and-error to get the GS3 to interface with my Sony XAV-601BT stereo. I had to reset the stereo using the small pen-point button under the faceplate and find a compatible USB to micro-USB cable. The GS3 is quite picky about USB cables - the cable must be a DATA cable (not charge-only) and I found most retractable USB data cables don't work with the GS3.Once the GS3 (with the Samsung Drive Link app open) was connected via USB to the XAV-601BT (set to "MirrorLink" on the home screen), Samsung's Drive Link display was duplicated onto the XAV-601BT's screen and audio was sent to the car's speakers. The only new glitch was that the audio from phone calls routed to phone's own internal speaker (in speaker-phone mode), and not the car speakers (???!!). The XAV-601BT did, at least, pause music audio during phone calls. I recon this is another early-release/hack-installed from a rogue site glitch - or possibly the result of my custom (WanamLite) ROM on my GS3.It seams all MirrorLink really does is duplicate the GS3's Drive Link display onto the XAV-601BT's screen, but doesn't do anything else that Bluetooth can't do. (At least Bluetooth properly routed call audio to the car speakers and XAV-601BT's microphone.) Although it was cool to see the Google Navigation screen, (complete with traffic and satellite view) on the XAV-601BT's screen - quite a high "WOW!" factor - I found there was really no advantage to seeing an identical copy of what was on my GS3's Drive Link screen on the XAV-601BT's slightly-larger display. What's worse, it is not possible to listen the the XAV-601BT's radio in MirrorLink mode, meaning that MirrorLink actually results in less functionality.THE BOTTOM LINE FOR MIRRORhttp://amzn.com/dp/B0086V637Y/?tag={komponelektr-20}:While Samsung's Drive Link app has great potential for reducing driver distraction - (the gold standard is simply turning off your phone while driving) - Mirror Link adds no real functionality, and actually takes away useful functionality while activated, such as the ability to listen to the radio, iPod, or use Bluetooth while MirrorLink is in operation. Unless you are a technocrat who enjoys wowing your friends with a car stereo screen displaying Google Navigation - (and that is quite a wow factor) - or you really want to use your phone's navigation app without clipping your phone to your dashboard vent, MirrorLink is not worth adding to your "must have" list when selecting a stereo or phone.THE BOTTOM LINE FOR THE XAV-601BT:I gave the XAV-601BT four stars because, as car stereos go, it is a good Bluetooth-enabled, iPod-savvy car stereo with only minor shortcomings.PROS:+Clear, crisp display+straight-forward easy installation and set-up+Adjustable sight-lines can be displayed (or not displayed) with your back-up camera+Decent iPod usability, with option to control the iPod via the stereo or the iPod, itself+Front and back USB ports+USB ports can charge phones and other USB-chargeable devices+Bluetooth works well+Supports Bluetooth audio+Outstanding audio quality, with generous 5-volt preamp (RCA plug) output+iPod DAC bypass allows for better audio quality with iPods+Speed sensor wire allows the XAV-601BT to continue tracking speed while driving through tunnels, when using the optional TomTom GPS device.CONS:-Back-up camera takes four seconds to display (on top of everything else that happens upon starting up the stereo)-Bluetooth connection splash screen(s) stay on the display for several seconds upon connection, obstructing all displays, including back-up camera.-Touch-screen display is somewhat frustrating to use and a bit sluggish at bringing up some screens.-Difficult to scroll through iPod songs using stereo's touch-screen - (but you can use your iPod's interface, instead)-No HD-Radio support, and no HD-Radio module available (XM/Sirius module is supposedly available)-Sony-TomTom Navigation Module (XANV-100T) has not yet been released and does not appear to have a release date as of the time of this review.-Does not switch to European tuning (important for Military folks who might PCS to Europe).-Clock forgets the time setting when the face-plate is detached.-Face-plate is almost two inches thick.-Only two ports to plug USB devices into, and USB hubs won't work with this stereo-MirrorLink (as of the time of this review) does not yet support anything but a few models of Nokia phone and the Samsung Galaxy S3.-U.S. versions of the Galaxy S3 do not yet support MirrorLink (as of the time of this review).-MirrorLink and Bluetooth cannot be used at the same time.-Radio function cannot be used while in MirrorLink mode.-MirrorLink adds no real functionality you can't already get from your phone's display-You get better functionality without MirrorLink by using your phone in stand-alone mode with a Bluetooth connection to your stereo.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful.
By albert sims jr
this is only the second aftermarket stereo I have used but it is the best that I've owned. the sound quality is excellent and the changing lights are a nice visual addition My only gripe is due to the fact that at this time it is a new product. the mirror link function does not work with all smartphones (the list i found was really short) and the optional navigation is not for sale yet (model number listed by Sony does not exist on any online store). so at this time i can not use GPS on the unit through either of those functions. the only other thing is the volume knob is easy to push in. many times i have meant to adjust the volume but instead I ended up changing to another function. a small gripe considering i use volume controls on my steering wheel but it should still be noted.1 of my favorite functions so far has been the Bluetooth. music and calls come through crystal clear. and i haven't had any problems with disconnecting. my last radio had a problem when my phone connected to wifi, or any other extra signal. this radio has no such issues.there are multiple other functions that I haven't really used other than the first day test . i would recommend this product. i feel it can only get better with timeEdit: I would still rate this product 4 stars for what is there but due to broken promises with mirrorlink and the add-on GPS i would now rate the total experience 3 stars.Mirrorlinkmy original review was in July and now its 7 months later and only 1 other device has been added to the support list (galaxy S3). you would at least expect sony to support their own phones but several of those have been released with no support. It best to pretend Mirrorlink does not exist cause it is not a selling point now as they have seemingly dropped all support of itXANV100T tomtom GPS addonThis was on sell for maybe a month but I missed being an early buyer. I managed to find one from another seller on Amazon and they delayed my shipment until they could contact me to let me know that nearly every one that they sold had been returned due to it causing the receiver to freeze up and restart. I ended up canceling my order. I could not find any reports on this on the Internet but about a week later Sony put on their site it was discontinued.New ConclusionIf you want GPS for this unit then the best bet is the Iphone(i hear it's not good but I won't review something I have not experienced) otherwise I believe its still a great unit for the sound quality and video. if u have a large vehicle then the Zone X Zone video is great as well cause you can have a dvd playing on the rear monitors and still have the front play music or "gps". Unfourtunately I believe the #1 feature that made this a unique unit has failed meaning that you could look elsewhere for units with the same working features and most likely for less. If another firmware update or new addon device comes out the i will attempt to update my review again but since so much time has already passed I don't expect much more from the unit than what is already here
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful.
By randstarr
I've had this unit now for a few months, and I couldn't be happier with it. I was in the market to upgrade my stock bose system in my 08 mazda cx7, and a friend recommended this unit to me. I wanted a unit that had Ipod functionality, Pandora, USB ports and multimedia capabilities. This unit had everything I wanted, and much more.Pros:1. i'm no audiophile by any means, but I could tell almost instantly how different the sound was from the stock system. Sound was louder, fuller, crisper and the bass was deeper.2. i like the fact that it has a detachable faceplate and a neoprene carrying case3. touch screen is pretty intuitive, and you can customize screen from 2D graphics, to 3D4. bluetooth connectivity is quick and responsive, while the Ipod connectivity works really well5. dual usb ports allows for charging of my Iphone and a USB thumb drive6. dvds and movies on the usb drive work really well7. handsfree phone works really well, along with the voice recognition capabilities8. sirius xm ready, and you can also attach a rear view camera attachment9. sharp and clear wide screen displayCons:1. mirrorlink unfortunately, is only compatible with select phones (as of today, new firmware update has included the samsung galaxy s3 phone compatible)2. face plate attachment is a little cumbersome as its the size of a small tablet, but it does come with a carrying case to protect itI can't really see any other issues about this unit with the exception of the Mirrorlink functionality, but over time, I'm sure more and more phones will be compatible.I am in the process of installing a rear view camera so as soon as that is done, I'm do a full video review of this unit.
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