Over the last few years, Sony’s multimedia receivers have become increasingly popular. As more units have sold, retailers have asked for iDatalink Maestro integration, USB-C support and powerful sound customization. With Sony’s new XAV-AX4000, those requests and more have been fulfilled. Let’s look at what this sleek and impressive car audio source unit offers.

Clean Cosmetics and Intuitive Technology

The first thing you’ll notice about the XAV-AX4000 is that it still looks great in the dash of your car or truck, and the user interface is as intuitive as it gets. Anyone can easily select source options or adjust settings without needing to read the owner’s manual. The icons on the screen can be expanded by selecting the “All Apps” icon on the screen and can be rearranged to create a layout that gives you quick access to the elements you choose on the home screen.

The 6.95-inch touchscreen display has a resolution of 800 by 480 pixels with a brightness of 600 Cd/m2. Four physical control buttons along the bottom of the screen make it easy to access the main menu, adjust the volume, change tracks or activate voice recognition features.

The radio includes wireless Apple CarPlay and wired and wireless Android Auto connectivity. Start your car, and the phone will connect automatically so you can make phone calls, send texts or get navigation directions from Google Maps or Waze. Of course, you can use your favorite streaming services like Pandora, Spotify, iHeartRadio or Apple Music to be entertained while you drive. A USB-C port on the rear of the chassis can be used with a USB mass storage device to play MP3, WMA, AAC, FLAC, WAV, ALAC, DSF or DSDIFF audio files.

You can also use the USB-C port to charge your phone with up to 3 amps of current. The XAV-AX4000 supports the LDAC codec with Android smartphones for those wanting excellent Bluetooth streaming audio quality. Of course, the radio includes an AM/FM receiver with RDS information display.

Audio Features Add Realism to Your Music

The XAV-AX4000 includes a 14-band graphic equalizer, front, rear and subwoofer signal delay setting adjustments and adjustable three-zone high- and low-pass crossovers so your installer can fine-tune your system to deliver excellent sound and detail. The preamp outputs are rated to provide up to 2 volts of output, and the built-in four-channel amp is good for 20 watts of power in compliance with the CTA-2006 standard.

iDatalink Maestro Integration

One of the most sought-after upgrades to the XAV-AX4000 is the inclusion of support for the iDatalink Maestro RR and RR2 integration modules. These interfaces will allow the radio to communicate with certain vehicles to provide steering wheel control, backup camera and auxiliary input connectivity. You can display vehicle information such as engine speed, vehicle speed, battery voltage or engine load on the dashboard display and check tire pressures and battery voltage on another. Many vehicles allow the Maestro interface to provide access to climate control adjustments. Your Sony retailer can let you know about the features that are compatible with your make, model and year of car or truck.

Installer- and User-Friendly Design

From an installation standpoint, the single-DIN chassis behind the double-DIN display dramatically simplifies installation. The radio includes an external Bluetooth microphone to deliver excellent outgoing audio quality. Another new feature is selectable and user-uploadable background wallpapers to match your vehicle interior or your mood.

The radio also includes a rear-view camera input with automatic reverse triggering, and the Maestro will include factory parking lines and sensor data in some vehicles. Finally, Sony has designed the XAV-AX4000 to wake up quickly, so your music starts playing when you are ready to go.

Experience the Sony XAV-AX4000 Today!

If it’s time to upgrade the technology in your car or truck, drop by an authorized Sony retailer today and ask for a demonstration of the new XAV-AX4000 multimedia receiver. We’re sure you’ll be impressed by its performance, features, appearance and intuitive interface. You can find a Sony retailer using the dealer locator on the Sony Car Audio website. Be sure to subscribe to Sony’s YouTube channel and follow them on Facebook and Instagram to be the first to learn about their latest car audio product releases.

This article is written and produced by the team at www.BestCarAudio.com. Reproduction or use of any kind is prohibited without the express written permission of 1sixty8 media.

The addition of amplifiers to Sony’s Mobile ES line means that every component in a premium car audio system can come from this prestigious series. Our second amplifier spotlight focuses on the compact and powerful XM-4ES four-channel amplifier. Let’s see what Sony’s development team has created!

Sony Mobile ES XM-4ES Amplifier Specifications

The XM-4ES can drive four 2- or 4-ohm loads in its stereo configuration. Each pair of channels can be bridged to drive a single 4-ohm speaker or subwoofer with significantly more power. This bridged configuration is common in systems with a pair of front component speakers and a single subwoofer in the trunk or cargo area.

By way of power specifications, Sony rates this amp as capable of producing a beefy 100 watts per channel with 4-ohm drivers. That power increases to 165 watts when driving 2-ohm loads. When a pair of channels are bridged, the amp will produce 330 watts into a single 4-ohm load. As we’ve come to expect from a no-nonsense company like Sony, all specifications are compliant with the CTA-2006-C standard for supply voltage, noise and distortion content. The power ratings contain less than 1% total harmonic distortion and noise and are measured with 14.4 volts supplied to the amplifier. The CTA-compliant signal-to-noise ratio is 77 dB, and harmonic distortion is rated as less than 0.05%. Finally, the frequency response is very wide at 10 Hz to 40 kHz. On paper, everything looks excellent.

XM-4ES Features and Design

The chassis of the XM-4ES is the same high-mass 10.63-inch wide, 8.46-inch deep, 2.36-inch tall cast-aluminum heatsink as used on the XM-1ES monoblock we spotlighted recently. All signal, power and speaker connections are made along the front edge of the amp, and all but one of the controls are concealed under a removable panel on top of the amp. It’s worth noting that the center trim panel on top of the amp can be rotated 180 degrees, so the Mobile ES logo is aligned with the amplifier’s orientation in your installation.

The front edge features three beefy terminal blocks with heavy-duty set screws accessible from the top of the amp. The right-hand block will accept four-AWG power and ground wires and the remote turn-on lead. The two center blocks are for the speaker output connections, and they will take 10-AWG speaker cables without fuss. A pair of 40-amp ATC fuses to the left of the power block protect the amp.

On the far left of the end panel is a switch that your installer can use to select between low- and high-input voltages. This indicates that the amp has differential inputs – a feature that should be on all car audio amplifiers. Three pair of RCA jacks are present. Two pair are inputs (one RCA for each amplification channel), and the third is an output that could feed a subwoofer amp.

On top of the amp, two groups of controls are mimicked for each pair of channels. These include input sensitivity, filter function, filter range and both high- and low-pass adjustments. Without getting into too much, it’s worth noting that each pair of channels can operate in full-range, high-pass, low-pass or bandpass filter configurations. The amp also includes remote or a signal sense turn-on detection that can be used in high-level input mode, which is crucial for integration with factory-installed source units. There are also switches for signal summing and line-out mode selections. We have a Test Drive Review planned for this amp in a few months. We’ll cover the details of each control then.

Chassis and Electronic Design

As mentioned in the XM-1ES spotlight, Sony has put extra attention into the design of the amplifier chassis to help reduce resonance and vibration that could deteriorate sound quality and accelerate wear and tear. That’s something I haven’t seen any other manufacturer focus on.

Internally, the amplifier is based on two circuit boards. The main board is home to the power supply and output stage. High-quality, high-tolerance surface-mount components are used wherever possible. The output filter chokes are shielded units that help to reduce electromagnetic interference. The second circuit board stands vertically and has all the signal processing controls and switches. In all, the design is modern and well-organized.

Check Out the Sony XM-4ES at Your Local Authorized Sony Retailer

We’re excited to get our hands on the XM-4ES to give it a listen and run it through its paces on the TestDriveReview bench. Until then, you can learn more about this amp and its monoblock and five-channel brethren by visiting the Sony Mobile ES website or a local authorized Mobile ES retailer. Be sure to subscribe to Sony’s YouTube channel and follow them on Facebook and Instagram to be the first to learn about their latest car audio product releases.

This article is written and produced by the team at www.BestCarAudio.com. Reproduction or use of any kind is prohibited without the express written permission of 1sixty8 media.