Showcasing the Best in the Mobile Enhancement Industry
It’s hard to imagine anyone thinking that having a high-quality subwoofer in their car or truck wouldn’t enhance the overall driving experience. There’s something undeniably fun about adding some serious bass to your music. Sony has steadily released new car audio products over the past few years. Among those exciting introductions is the Sony XS-W124GS 12-inch car audio Read more
As time goes on, everything seems to get bigger and better, doesn't it? Back in the '80s, I remember thinking that having a car with 15-inch wheels was pretty cool. Now, trucks and SUVs roll off the lot every day with 21- and 22-inch wheels. Having a 25-inch console TV in your living room used to be cool. Now, we’ve got screens over 100 inches available from discount stores. Read more
As we’ve mentioned many times, subwoofers are easily one of the best upgrades you can make to a car stereo system. We’ve had the chance to check out the 10- and 12-inch ES-Series subwoofers from Sony over the last few years. Their new GS-Series subwoofers are just hitting the streets, so it’s time to see what these more affordable solutions offer and, more importantly, how they Read more
The landscape of car audio head units has undergone a significant transformation over the past decade. The era of double-DIN source units has given way to the dominance of large floating-face radios. Sony, a leader in audio technology, introduced the groundbreaking 10.1-inch floating face XAV-9500ES a few years ago, which left us in awe of its features and performance. To Read more
There’s no doubt that auditioning high-end speakers, amplifiers and source units is one of the best parts of my job. That said, most of the business conducted by mobile electronics retailers is done at the opposite end of the price spectrum. Affordable audio upgrades or replacement products are the bread and butter that keeps the doors open and the lights on. The Sony car audio Read more
We had the opportunity to check out Sony’s Mobile ES monoblock XM-1ES, four-channel XM-4ES and five-channel XM-5ES amplifiers in 2022. All three amps performed well on the test bench and in our listening room. For 2023, Sony has introduced two new amplifiers: the eight-channel XM-8ES and the six-channel XM-6ES. Let’s dive into the XM-8ES in this BestCarAudio.com Test Drive Read more
As you may know, the product development team at Sony has been busy over the last few years creating an entirely new line of premium car audio products. Their efforts have rewarded the industry with the amazing XAV-9500ES multimedia receiver, as well as six speaker solutions, three amplifiers and three subwoofer offerings. In this Test Drive Review, we’ll inspect and evaluate Read more
A few months ago, I had the privilege of reviewing the Sony XAV-AX4000 multimedia receiver. I was impressed by the incredibly intuitive and responsive interface, complete feature set and snappy performance. However, Sony has a big brother to this radio called the XAV-AX6000. The basic platform is the same as the previous model, but Sony has included several sought-after Read more
When it comes to choosing a radio upgrade for your car or truck, you’ll find hundreds of options. At the bottom of the market are inexpensive radios of dubious reliability, with difficult-to-see displays and questionable performance. Then there are the name-brand products that go through years of design and months of testing to ensure that they do what you want, how you want Read more
When it to comes to value, five-channel car audio amplifiers are a great solution for upgrading the stereo system in your vehicle. Aside from reducing the time it takes to install, five-channel amplifiers minimize installation complexity and the cost associated with signal, power and ground connections compared to running multiple amplifiers. Sony’s Mobile ES Series XM-5ES Read more
If you’ve been paying attention to the car audio industry over the last two years, you know Sony has been steadily rolling out its new flagship-level Mobile ES equipment. I’ve already been blessed with the outstanding performance from the XAV-9500ES digital media receiver and the impressive XS-W104ES 10-inch subwoofer. Now it’s time to check out one of their new Mobile ES Read more
If it seems as though you’re seeing several Sony Mobile ES products crossing the BestCarAudio.com Test Drive Review bench, you aren’t mistaken. The Sony team is justifiably proud of what they have created, and we’re honored to get the chance to check out the fruits of their labor. We’ve reviewed their flagship source unit, subwoofers and monoblock amp, and now it’s time for a Read more
