Sony XAV AX100 First Impressions: C6 Bose
06-04-2018, 03:04 AM
#21
4th Gear
Member Since: May 2018
Location: Austin Tx
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I just swapped out the stock Navi HU on my 2005 C6 Corvette. I decided to keep the Bose as I'm probably in the minority here, as I really enjoyed the sound. I'm a fan of the boomy sound as I listen to mostly hiphop.
I was tired of burning MP3 CDs on the stock navi and having a bunch of coasters due to all restrictions it has on how CDs need to be burned. I read good reviews on the Sony XAV AX100 and thought it would be good enough upgrade for me. I mainly use Spotify for all my music needs and having the choice of both Android Auto or Apple Carplay was a plus.
Cost (all in Canadian):
Sony XAV AX100 - $640
RP5 GM11 Harness - $160
Installation + Dash Kit - $150
Total - $950
First, I love the HU. It's simple, clean and fast. The screen is bright. Bluetooth worked flawless with my phone. I like how I can crank up the volume of the input level from my phone right from the HU. I had no hiccups with Android Auto when hooked up to my Samsung S7 Edge.
The biggest issue I'm finding is the Bose system sounds worse with this unit. I find when I'm in park the unit sounds just as good as the stock navi unit. But once I start to drive, it loses the punchiness of the bass and the music just sounds flat. It's not very consistent either. Some songs the bass is too much and the music distorts. Other songs the bass is almost it completely missing. So far I've only tested music through Spotify (both through bluetooth and wired through usb).
The one thing I loved about the stock Navi is when I cranked the volume to max, I never had an issue with the speakers distorting. So I'm pretty disappointed with how it's performing. I'm going to test it out some more before thinking of other options (i.e. going back to stock or returning the HU and getting a different one).
Any suggestions?
I was tired of burning MP3 CDs on the stock navi and having a bunch of coasters due to all restrictions it has on how CDs need to be burned. I read good reviews on the Sony XAV AX100 and thought it would be good enough upgrade for me. I mainly use Spotify for all my music needs and having the choice of both Android Auto or Apple Carplay was a plus.
Cost (all in Canadian):
Sony XAV AX100 - $640
RP5 GM11 Harness - $160
Installation + Dash Kit - $150
Total - $950
First, I love the HU. It's simple, clean and fast. The screen is bright. Bluetooth worked flawless with my phone. I like how I can crank up the volume of the input level from my phone right from the HU. I had no hiccups with Android Auto when hooked up to my Samsung S7 Edge.
The biggest issue I'm finding is the Bose system sounds worse with this unit. I find when I'm in park the unit sounds just as good as the stock navi unit. But once I start to drive, it loses the punchiness of the bass and the music just sounds flat. It's not very consistent either. Some songs the bass is too much and the music distorts. Other songs the bass is almost it completely missing. So far I've only tested music through Spotify (both through bluetooth and wired through usb).
The one thing I loved about the stock Navi is when I cranked the volume to max, I never had an issue with the speakers distorting. So I'm pretty disappointed with how it's performing. I'm going to test it out some more before thinking of other options (i.e. going back to stock or returning the HU and getting a different one).
Any suggestions?
06-11-2018, 11:39 AM
#22
Instructor
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Member Since: Oct 2008
Location: Toronto Ontario
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06-15-2018, 01:07 AM
#23
Melting Slicks
It is as close to factory looking as I think you are going to find with only the small "Sony" on the bottom to indicate it might not be stock. Fits great.
10-05-2018, 01:49 PM
#24
Burning Brakes
