***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 MIRRORLINK:
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 MIRRORLINK:
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.
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