The Sony XAV-W1 is its first stab at the aftermarket in-car ents game and it’s a beauty, dominated by a 7in 800×480 touchscreen.

The oversized head unit is designed to slot neatly into newer double DIN bays that are twice the height of your standard car stereo – hence the large screen.

• Plays most popular music and video formats. CD, DVD, SACD, Windows Media Audio, mp3 and JPEG
• Supports Dolby Digital surround sound and DTS Digital Surround Processing playback
• iPod ready. Just plug it in to enjoy your personal audio collection on the road
• Supports satellite radio and connects to Sony’s HD Radio tuner to deliver additional HD radio channels and rich information like artist, song name and more
• Command your digital music from behind the wheel or the back seat with the supplied remote card
• Customisable display and sound settings. Set your favourite photo as the background wallpaper
• Delivers 52 watts across 4 channels ensuring rich, clear sound. Zone by Zone capability allows you to set separate audio zones for the front and rear seats
• Camera input connects with a rear-monitor camera and displays the image on the player’s screen - makes parking a breeze!

It’ll play your DVDs, DivX movies, WMAs, MP3s and CDs, as well as your doubtless huge collection of SACDs. 5.1-channel surround sound is supported with Dolby Digital Surround and DTS Digital Surround Processing.

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Do more with Pioneer “uBus” USB Control - not just iPod® direct control*, “uBus” also controls many MP3 players** and USB memory devices (”Jump Drives”) as well. Access, control and high-resolution playback are supremely fast and straightforward. Simply plug in USB-compatible equipment (such as an iPod® nano, iPod® Video, or another portable digital player or USB memory device) into the included USB connector. This direct, high-speed (USB 2.0), adapter-free connection plus built-in 24-bit Delta Sigma D/A Converter assures extraordinary sound quality as well as convenience.

Control and operation is extremely intuitive and responsive with the 7-Way Rotary Commander, which works similar in all respects to an actual iPod. You can easily select from Artists, Albums, Genres, Playlists and more, and then quickly use the rotary action to sort through the selections. MP3 CD’s, MP3 portable players and USB memory devices are all also very similar and easy to use.

Pioneer “uBus” USB Direct Control is available on the following models:

Pioneer DEH-P6900UB, Pioneer DEH-P690UB, Add-on USB capability to many additional headunits using the CD-UB100 USB Adapter. Compatible with the following 2007 models: Pioneer DEH-P4900IB, Premier DEH-P490IB, Pioneer DEH-P5900IB, Premier DEH-P590IB, DEH-P7900BT, and Premier DEH-P790BT.

More information: PioneerElectronics.com

Developed by NextGen Venturi, the Venturi Mini is specifically designed to work with music phones and Bluetooth-equipped MP3 players. Boasting full support for Bluetooth 2.0+EDR and A2DP, the Venturi Mini can relay this sound information - both in terms of voice calls and streaming music - through its integrated digital FM transmitter. The transmitter also has RDBS technology for displaying information on your car’s radio screen, including contacts, device menus, and other pertinent data.

The Venturi Mini is a new and unique product combining Bluetooth® Music streaming with Hands-Free calling and USB style charging. The integrated FM RDS Transmitter streams stereo audio through the in-car sound system for music playback and hands-free. The Venturi Mini requires ZERO INSTALL and simply connects to the cigarette lighter socket in the vehicle making it easily transportable.

The integrated OLED display and high performance microphone enables high quality crystal clear hands-free with the received audio coming through the in car speakers.

• Music Streaming

Music can be streamed from a mobile phone using the Bluetooth A2DP profile or a portable music player can be connected via Bluetooth A2DP or directly through the audio in stereo jack.

• Hands-Free Bluetooth Audio and Phonebook

Providing high quality audio via the car speakers and crystal clear voice via built-in microphone as well as remote control of your phonebook with dialing activation from the smart interface on the Venturi Mini.

• Bluetooth® Wireless Technology

Featuring Bluetooth v2.0 & state of the art DSP technology for clear hands-free audio and advanced music streaming from your Bluetooth enabled phone or portable music player via smart interface on the Venturi Mini…

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One of the best things you can do for your car audio system is to properly tune it. There are several variables to consider when doing this, and I am going to walk to through the most important ones so you will have a good understanding of how to get the most “bang” for the buck from you system.

Assuming you have an amplified system with one or more subwoofers, you can dial in your system to give you the best sound and have the durability you want from it. It starts at the head unit. You want a head unit with a good, strong output signal, between 4 and 5 volts on its pre-outs. Audiophiles tell us that 2-3 volts of good clean signal is good too, but that will require a little more amplifier power to get the decibels we’re looking for.

You also want a head unit with an adjustable subwoofer level. Start by tuning the stereo without the subs on. Add your bass and treble until you get the desired sound with minimal distortion at the loudest volume setting you will listen to it at. This is generally about 2/3 max volume…

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Car audio has moved a long way from the old standard AM/FM Radio/Tape Deck combo. Today, in-vehicle multimedia systems include DVD video, television and navigation systems with local hotspot news. Common to all systems is the sound quality.

The quality of sound in a car audio system depends upon a number of factors - the type and quality of the media player system, the type of speakers used, the acoustics of the vehicle and interference from other devices.

Type and Quality of Media Player System

Before we look at the different types of in-vehicle media players it pays to have a basic understanding of audio quality. When deciding what type of audio system to install, and also when comparing one make and model to another, there are two key specifications to consider:

Signal-to-noise ratio [SNR] - a measure of signal strength compared to background noise in the signal or equipment. Measured in decibels. The higher the dB, the better. A car CD player has an SNR of 90 or 100 dB.

Frequency response [FR] - a measure of how much of the audio spectrum, from bass to treble, gets reproduced. It’s measured as a range in Hertz, and the wider the range, the better. Look for a CD player with a range of at least 10-20k Hz.

An FM radio, cassette player, and CD player all have different measurements for these specs. To help understand these two specifications, let’s compare a car tape cassette player and a car CD player.

Cassette player has an SNR of 50-70 dB. This is much lower than a CD player, so the sound quality degrades at each end of the spectrum. The FR is around 30-18k Hz for a cassette player, so does not contribute as much to sound quality as the SNR.

That’s why overall, a car CD player gives a much better sound than a cassette tape player.

Media players in vehicles today are either radio tuner, CD player/changer, or Digital Audio player.

Car CD Players & CD Changers

There are a number of options when it comes to playing CD’s in a vehicle:

• An in-dash CD Player - often combined with radio tuner, WMA/MP3 player
• An in-dash CD Receiver - with a multiple CD cassette / changer located elsewhere in the vehicle
• Connect a portable CD player to an existing in-dash audio unit using either a cable and adapter or a bluetooth wireless connection.

When choosing a car CD player the first two things to consider are:

1. Will it physically fit into the vehicle?
2. Will it integrate cosmetically with the dash and other electronics?

Most decks have standardized form factors; so fit most cars, but there are exceptions, so make sure that the deck is suited for your car…

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Sony Debuts New Car Audio Systems at SEMA

Sony is providing quality mobile audio components with three new speakers, three new amplifiers and a new subwoofer here at the Specialty Equipment Market Association’s (SEMA) annual trade show.

The company unveiled its new GTX series speakers, which are the perfect complement to the GT series head units. Three new models - XS-GTX1620S, XS-GTX6930 and XS-GTX1640 - feature sleek designs and dynamic sound quality.

For improved sound imaging in the GTX design, the XS-GTX1620S two-way component speakers provide 260 watts peak power. They have a highly oriented polyolefine (HOP) cone woofer, which offers rich and solid bass as well as superb sound. The speakers offer a good option for factory replacement for newer vehicles with tweeters located in the A-pillar behind the side-view mirrors.

The separate .75-inch tweeters provide versatility in installation to optimize a vehicle’s soundstage, and can be surface or flush mounted. For better sound, the 2-way passive crossovers direct the appropriate frequencies to the tweeters for clear highs and better bass response from the woofers.

Both the XS-GTX6930 three-way speakers and the XS-GTX1640 4-way speakers offer an HOP woofer. The XS-GTX6930 has 400 watts peak power and offers powerful sound at a great price.

To get the best results when installing speakers, installers should match the power source level of RMS or continuous watts to the high end of the speaker’s range in RMS. The XS-GTX1640 has 300 watts peak power (75 RMS) and has a high density layered diaphragm (HDLD)…

Full story: ecoustics.com