Product Reviews

I bought it about a week ago. When I tested the unit I found backlight bleeding in corners of the lcd screen.

Its a great unit, I would say make the daylight screen visibility better for motorcycle applications. Its hard to see the screen

I had a guy come to my house Sunday install an entire stereo system in my 2006 Nissan Murano in Ludington a oair of Skar 12 inch subs powered by a Skar 1200 runs watt mono Amp, Alpine r series 6x9 compknent speakers in the front doors snd tweeters in the upper dash and ovals in the rear powered by a war 150 watts runs per channel, and all driven by the Sony XAV-AX5000 DDIN GEZD UNIT. IT SOUNDS INCREDIBLE AND I love the on board 10 band graphic eq which I use all of the time because of the varying sound quality of the different tines and record companies that recorded and produced the music I listen too. I need nothing else! I live the apple carplsy and the way it shows the song title, the group, and the album each track comes from. This unit is priced about 1/2 as much as Alpines and Pioneers with the sane features! I'm very happy the company that did the installation talked me into purchasing this unit off him! Thank you again Sony. I also have a pair of Bluetooth over theceR noise canceling headphones b especially znd a little Bluetooth speaker from Sony t b at sound fantastic ascwell!

Android Auto keeps disconnecting hasn't worked consistently since I purchased the unit

I purchased this unit because I couldn’t find aan Alpine unit that would fit my 2006 Nissan Murano that was in stock anywhere for under $500. I have had many sony products in the pastand nber had any negative issues or colplaimts. This XAV-AX5000 turned out to be a pleasant delight! I look forward to using my vehicle and plugging in my iphone 12 and listening to my music! I do wish the eq was 11 band or 13 band instead of 10 band, and I was also surprised that it only had one subwoofer pre-out. Other then that I am happy with this car stereo and I intend on taking it out of my car and putting it my next

Has to many software glitches. Low pass crossover doesn’t actually turn off.

We gave our daughter our old Nissan Leaf when she got her license. To help her avoid using her phone (for navigation, texting, calling), we wanted to upgrade her head unit to something reliable, with great sound and was CarPlay enabled. This promised all of that... until we installed it. Had to buy a bunch of different harnesses, but that was OK. Our eyes were on the prize. The process was pretty easy. Once done, we began experiencing the first of our problems: No CarPlay. Plugged in my iPhone and... nothing. Checked the forums and found out this was a known issue, sometimes resolved by using "the right cable." I tried all of the Apple cables we had in the house (5-7 of them) until I found ONE which worked... kind of. The unit recognized the iPhone, the iPhone recognized the radio, but CarPlay wouldn't really load all the way on the screen. You know how it "zooms in" when loading? Well, this zoomed in about half way and froze (as if the CarPlay UI was too big for the screen). Worse, you could click on anything. Totally unresponsive. Tried hitting the Home button, unplugging, replugging, restarting the phone, restarting the radio (unplugging it from power), tried other cables. Nothing. Read on the Sony website that there was a firmware upgrade available (1.04) that addresses some CarPlay issues. Decided to try that. Followed the complicated process of formating a USB thumb drive of a particular size in a particular way and ran the firmware update. This seemed to go through with no issues. Plugged in my iPhone and got CarPlay to load a bit further. Now it fit on the screen, but was so slow and laggy. I decided to run the update again... this time the update crash the unit. After completing, the unit tries to power on, but only shows a black screen with a one-inch white strip of jumbled pixels on the right. Tried resetting the unit (holding the Home button for 10+ seconds), but got nowhere. Spent an hour on a chat with Sony where I had to prove I followed all of their installation and upgrade processes (and had setup my iPhone properly) to be told it would need to be serviced. This was a gift to my daughter from friends who no longer have the receipt. I've spent over $100 on harnesses, wires, mounts and parts to install this. It only kind of worked for one day. Sony's own update to their head unit bricked their unit. For the price, this is very disappointing. I cannot recommend this unit.

I love everything about it ,Except that Android car play will randomly stop and start back or either say unsupported device. I even bought a new phone hoping to solve the issue, but that didn't help. I would appreciate it if you could do an update to the software to correct the issue.

Android Auto does not work reliably. Bluetooth works very poorly. Not able to update to latest firmware. Poor Customer support from Sony and Crutchfield.

Got this unit professionally installed/drive away and speedometer doesn’t work. I want to know if this is realated.

I watched several reviews from experts on the youtube channel, and the majority recommended the Sony XAV-AX5000. Before I make a purchase such as this one I regularly check the reviews on the item. After many views of the experts and those that had previously bought one, there was no doubt in my mine. I am very satisfied with this product, really livened up my speakers.

I don’t like it I love it !!!! I love the extra bass option that’s what catch my eyes and I said I got to get this unit and it works amazing so far keep up the good work and don’t let me start about CarPlay I love it it makes my 2012 Hyundai Veloster to a 2021 car

I just had the Sony installed in my dodge and the clock keeps going back to a different time and I set it and it keeps going back to something different other than that it’s a very good product.

We like the unit, installed in our 2003 Toyota Sequoia. We specifically asked if it would allow us to upload pics to use as wallpaper and were told “yes you can”. We looked forward to putting pics of our grandson on the unit. Alas, after purchasing and having installed, we find out it is not possible with this model. We are very unhappy about the situation. Come on, Sony, it’s a simple fix! Stop losing customers!

I purchased this unit because of some of the features - capacitive touch screen, volume control buttons on the bottom of the frame, not on the display, ease of large tough screen icons. The screen looks fantastic. Radio reception in my car has been better than the factory unit. Controls are intuitive. It was a real, and I mean real, pain to get the head unit to recognize my iPhone. I updated the firmware to the latest version but it took 4 different USB flash drives to find one that the Sony "liked" (would read). All were formatted with FAT32 partition and within the storage size required by Sony. After countless attempts I was able update the software. I still had issues with my phone connecting. In my case I tried different lightning cables and found that only a genuine Apple branded cable, and the shortest cable available, would work. For 3 weeks now the system has worked as designed. Carplay functions well although I have had a couple of glitches with the screen looking up - power off and back on rectified the issue. (Note: from my understanding this same issue is commonplace with receivers from other brands - not just Sony). Overall I love the appearance. I gave a 4 star review because at the moment all is well and I'm enjoying the unit.

Although we had previously installed a double-DIN navigation unit in our Highlander, it was out of date and the performance was deteriorating. Adding an Apple CarPlay capable head unit modernized the car and will likely lead to us keeping it for several more years. (The unit has Android Auto, but we all have iPhones.) We like the sleek design and the quick operation compared to the previous unit. For example, the back up camera turns on instantly rather than the 5-10 second wait with the old unit. I was able to use some adapters to place the USB ports in an accessible position at the bottom of the center console (see photos.)

Android car auto wont work properly !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I bought it a week ago. installed it myself. works great.

I honestly gave this product a chance, being a long time Sony enthusiast, since I was a kid in the 1970's, with the belief they make the best looking and designed products—this one really let me down, not only that it's hands free use of the phone produced too much static and noise for the recipient to be able hear me but the poor support I had in fixing it with no resolution. The constant firmware update that didn't fix the issue, to finally the firmware not even being able to update. I have the latest iPhone and have never been able to use it with this unit—the MAIN reason I bought it in the first place. This terrible experience has shaken my trust in Sony after decades of use.

Was happy at first. Sounds great and looks great. Have to plug in phone and unplug over and over to get Apple CarPlay to connect. Sometimes radio just freezes a blank screen. The thing that really ticks me off is the salesman that talked me in to this model told me that Sony just did a firmware that allows you to mirror your phone and put in a custom background. The problem is, the ax5000 was the only unit that didn’t get the update. Sony just put out the ax5500, which is the same model as the ax5000, but with those added features. They updated the other models in this line. I wasted my money!

I installed this unit a month ago and it looks beautiful in my car and the sound is excellent. I am a bit disappointed by the software though. It takes several steps to switch from, say FM to Sirius. The Sirius and FM interface is quite primitive -- just says channel numbers, not title for Sirius, and doesn't show RDS information. The 8 year old head unit I replaced had all these features, I don't understand why the Sony doesn't. The carplay is a bit wonky but I think this is more Apple than Sony. I do hope that Sony will make the effort to improve the software. This is a beautiful unit at a good price -- it is just hurt a bit by the software.

I thought this would’ve been a nice add on to my Toyota 4Runner. The Apple CarPlay features are very nice though By adding this unit I lost a bunch of FM and AM channels. The ones I do get are spotty. XM Sirius satellite does work, but I comes in and out, I regret removing my factory installed unit for this. I would not recommend this to anyone.

Tried several different phones, different sized cables and it will NOT hook up to Android Auto!! I called Sony techies and they walked me through an update on the stereo. I also called Samsung to see if it was an issue with my phone and the tech department troubleshot my phone and everything was absolutely fine with it! I "WASTED" $500 on this sorry hunk of junk for the "ONLY" reason that I originally bought it. NEVER, in a hundred years, would I ever recommend it to ANYONE!!!

I bought this unit like 4 weeks ago and I'm really disappointed. The radio design is very nice but overall is a piece of garbage. Nothing but troubles. Never recognize my Ipod touch, phone functions didn't work the way suppose the be. Never have a good conversation over the phone, the sound was terrible playing my mp3 files from the memory stick, well sometimes worked and sometimes well you can guess. I bought this unit because the brand name, and now I loose all my confidence in Sony. Bottom line returning the radio to vendor.

I installed this in my 2006 Honda CR-V in January 2019, and everything on it works fine, including the backup camera. The sound is great, so is the extra bass option. I mainly use this as an Apple CarPlay head unit, and I have no complaints. I’m also grateful that Sony keeps updating the firmware every now and then.

Very happy with this purchase. The sound is great and it's so much easier to use than my previous radio. I have found that the Android Auto issue is with the cable I was using. Once I spoke with my local Sony dealer and bought the 3' Anker USB cable, Android Auto has been great ever since. Highly recommend Sony products!

Lots of issues - doesn't recognize USB device when plugged in, issues with Android Auto and Pixel phones connecting to radio, the list goes on. $$$ spent with a tuner to show for it. Very disappointed.

The last firmware update after 8 months waiting for a unit shutdown fix failed again. Nobody from Cruthfield can figure out this issue either.

I installed this in my 2016 Jeep Wrangler and it is a huge upgrade. The sound settings are perfect and it has great sound. The one weak part is the SXM interface. I have had satellite radio in my cars for 15 years; a combination of factory and after market. All of them have been able to store song and artist alerts as well as direct tune capability...these two features do not exist on this radio. 

Worked great for my 2002 Z28. Glare does suck. But other then that 300$ for a double din with CarPlay! Awesome product.

This is my second head unit. First one was bought over a year ago. Had issues with Home and Option button not working. Customer service replaced without any issues. However, after professional installation and over the warranty period the issues has begun again. No issues with the touchscreen but no response when pressing the home and option button. Reached out to customer support and basically I was told there was nothing they could do. Since I cannot access the home button there is no way to locate the serial number to research issues online. Was in love with the unit now its just a complete nightmare where I am unable to obtain all the features the unit was actually purchased for. Any help or suggestions would be highly appreciated at this time.

A while ago I installed a AX1000 in a truck. I was actually surprised by the speed and simplicity of the unit. A couple of weeks ago, I decided to upgrade the radio in my old 2008 Volvo XC90 and picked another well known brand. I was so annoyed by the fact that the unit was sluggish and WAY too many options on the screen. Then I remembered about the AX1000 that I installed in the past. So I ordered the AX5000 because of its big screen, and installed it with success in my 2008 XC90. What a BOMB this unit is. First of all, it starts in NO time. Then you have ZERO useless option showing up on the screen (meaning nothing about AppleCarPlay until you plug an iPhone, and nothing about Android until you plug an Android phone): This allow the screen to be simple and clear. Settings, USB1 and 2, XM, and sound options. Frankly what else do you need? The sound is really great and that's a reminder for me that if someone ask me to install an upgraded unit in their Volvo, I will only work with SONY. No reason to try anything else and be disappointed. Just go to the best right away. For $350, it is absolutely worth it. Having showed in my install to some of my friends, they all regret (no exception)having chose another brand and are trying to send return whatever they have in order to install the same as mine. My favorite 3 things about the unit beside an awesome sound: Speed at which it starts, responsive, and SIMPLE INTERFACE

I was having major issues with android auto on this head unit. Like freezing, stopping, reloading every 2min. That became particularly dangerous when I was driving on mountain roads in WV and was constantly unplugging phone to get maps back. A bunch of turns and constant loss of nav on curvy roads is severely no-bueno. I had AINOPE USB-A to Type-C Charger cable connecting my Note 10+ to the external USB hub. While that cable is truly FAST charging, I believe it was the cause of the Android Auto malfunctioning. I switched to AmazonBasics USB Type-C to USB-A Male 3.1 Gen2 Adapter Charger Cable - 3 Feet and so far nav hasn't glitched at all!! Not once!!

Love the easy to use functions of this radio, I have been using the CarPlay feature on my Harley Davidson SGS, and so far it’s holding up without any issues, the only flaw is direct sunlight on the screen makes it difficult to see being out in the sunlight on a motorcycle but in a car would probably not be an issue. Love it

Wow. I love the display, and the simpleness but boy... It’s so flat and I can’t get any quality out of ANY song. it turned my stock speakers into muddled music with no range whatsoever. I would rather have no music than this. Awful product. I’m usually a huge fan of SONY but this was their chance to win me over cause I usually buy Pioneer. Guess not. You lost me like Android has every time they entice me. I’m even considering moving to XBOX. SONY has been very lackluster as of recently. I’m just disappointed cause I like Sony. I do...I really wanted to like this but I would rather have my stock radio with no features cause it doesn’t make my ears bleed.

Made it exactly 12 months with no issues. 2 weeks after warranty expires the USB input stops working. Go figure. Sony says “ too bad, buy another unit”.

Excellant Radio, easy to install, this radio outperformed my expedtations by far, I would buy it again if I sold my vehicle.

Need the ability to change wall paper, only because of this I should have chosen a different unit.

Came in the truck I bought. Was originally pretty excited to see a double din touch screen but became very disappointed when I discovered how little features it has. Not being able to add a custom wallpaper in 2019 is a joke. Much better with a pioneer or cheap tablet

I bought this head unit along with the Sony XM-S400D Amplifier and could not be more impressed. The system boots quick. The interface is immediate. CarPlay is fantastic. When connected with the amplifier the sound is crazy clear and loud.

Have had this radio about 2 or 3 weeks and am very happy with it.

I have a s10 plus phone all updates done and will connect to head unit for 2-10 minutes and then disconnect and say USB device not supported I reconnect couple minutes later same issue. Tried with my wife's phone and my work phone and same issues. Very disappointed I paid 1300 to have installed with camera and it's just a touch screen radio now.

Expectations were let down in almost every department other than screen size. Yes, the screen is large, and there is even an equalizer...but that's pretty much all you get with this unit. CarPlay rarely works as intended. Restarting unit, updating firmware, restarting phone, shorter cables...every "solution" exhausted and still nothing from Sony. I really wanted to like this unit, but I really don't. SONY, fix the problem and release firmware updates. Please stop pretending like resetting units is going to fix an across-the-board problem with your product.

I use this in my Jeep Wrangler & love the carplay feature. Over all it is a great unit

I have had this unit for six months now the capacitive touch screen over resistive, was the kicker for me It works so well I am afraid to upgrade the firmware ( if it ain't broke don't try to fix it) once every three months or so the the screen will glitch or go dark home and back fixes the glitch and restarting the car the dark. When installing I had the issue with the dropping of the phone I fixed that and haven't had a problem by routing the actual USB connection on the back of the unit to the key tray under the unit in front of the shifter and hooking my USB cable directly into the units USB connecter. Problem solved hope this helps somebody who is having issues. Works great with my Pixel 3 XL Only wish they would drop Sirius for maestro integration or just give us the ability to remove the Sirius icon

You don't buy a Sony for its software which is best described as 'simple' and a bit clunky or it's phone connectivity. You buy a Sony for its signal processor which everyone knows is the best. They don't make Walkmans that cost $3000 for no reason, but their $170 one sounds terrific. My AX5000 makes it very easy to get perfect sound with the bare minimum of adjustment.

I bought this 2 days ago and had it professionally installed, I am completely disappointed. I bought it SPECIFICALLY to work with my Android phone(Samsung S7 Edge). It works fine for about 3-10 minutes at a time then disconnects. I tried reviewing every setting on the phone and the Sony 5000. With no luck. Now on Sony forums I am reading that This Unit the 5000 has had this compatibility issue for a long time? Something that people are changing to a shorter USB cord out the back of the head unit? How the heck do I figure that out?

Most of these reviews complain about one little thing and bump the raiting down to 2 or 3. You should do research before spending hundreds on something. If it doesn't have the features you need don't buy it! This headunit is super responsive. It made my stock system sound better. Android Auto and Carplay work flawless (if it doesn't replace your usb cable).

I got this unit installed a week ago in 2013 Camry. I mainly bought this to use apple and android Car play. When I use the Waze app with android auto the top One-inch area is little blurry and it does't show the name of the road you are on as the Waze app shows on your phone.The second problem I encounter with my steering wheel controls. In my Camry I can not use the call button anymore instead I have to use voice to make a phone call. As a non-native English speaker it is not that easy to make Siri or google understand what you saying. I should be able to zoom in on maps and keep my desired settings as default but that option is not there. other than that its a good looking unit with a very responsive screen. I hope sony will consider addressing these issues in their next firmware update.

I have had this unit since 3/2019 and I love the look. People think it's OEM in my Jeep Grand Cherokee. Problem is the unit itself in regards to Android auto. Useless. I have updated the firmware, same issue, random disconnect, shutdown, I even went out and purchased a new Android phone, LG Stylo 4..same issue. I used the oem cable that came with the phone, same issue. Then tried it with a Note 10+...same issue. So not only can I not okay CD's, as this is a media player unit and it's what I wanted, but Android audio doesn't work with dropping. The car audio shop replaced the headunit...same issue. I give up. Sony I thought you were back esp after your amps and that nice hi-res headunit but now...I can't recommend your product. And 2v output? And lack of a decent xover section with some form of DSP is crazy considering what pioneer and Kenwood offer in their media only models. I would sell this radio but I don't wanna scam somebody else.

After reading all the issues with Apple CarPlay I wish I had seen these reviews before purchasing. I tried a couple things I read about for trouble shooting. Changing cables-didn't work. Reboot my phone - didn't work. Deleting "Sony" from Car play memory - worked twice. Then I had to reboot the phone again. Worked once, then no longer worked even though I was removing Sony from Car play EVERY SINGLE TIME I UNPLUGGED THE PHONE. I bought this for the Car play. Obviously the reviews I read were from people that had the product for a short time. Piece of carp and waste of money.

I bought this about six weeks ago, it was installed five weeks ago and now Apple CarPlay does not work. I have switched cables, using multiple cables. Sporadically it will work, maybe once every ten times yet it shows the phone is charging every single time. I have rebooted my phone- no luck. Reading the warranty it says I need to send the radio in. I didn't install it for a reason, Im certainly not going to try to remove it. I will call customer service tomorrow to see how frustrated they can make me.

So I have to admit, I was a bit reluctant after reading all of the reviews about this head unit, but I took the plunge anyways and couldn't be happier. What piqued my interest was the obvious, Android auto and Apple carplay after playing around with a few of my friends' cars that had these features. I had the unit professionally installed and have not had a single problem with it. The display is very responsive, Android auto works flawlessly and the power out of this thing is enough to make my rear view mirror vibrate with pretty much any song with the volume at 1/3 it's capacity. I'm convinced the negative reviews may be due to user error because I absolutely love this thing.

I am very disappointed by the quality of this stereo. Software crashes on apple car play and sometimes doesn't read the USB 1 port. I changed the cable but no improvements. I checked the software version and it is up to date. I would not buy this thing again.

Just purchased this unit. I like everything about it, except that CarPlay is unreliable. Sometimes it works, most of the time, not. I spent a lot of money to purchase the unit and get it installed with a backup camera. And the one feature I really wanted was CarPlay. Why is there no CarPlay icon on the screen to invoke it if the cable connection doesn't work? I've done all the troubleshooting steps, reset the unit, checked phone restrictions, swapped cables, etc. It just doesn't recognize the phone as being CarPlay enabled most of the time when it's plugged in. What a big disappointment. I'm taking it back and getting a competitive product.

Bought my first AX-5000 in May, had it professionally installed and had an issue of not being able to hear people on the other end of the phone call. Sony sent a replacement radio to try and solve the initial issue. When I had the second radio professionally installed the same issue arose where no sound would come out of the speakers when on a phone call. BT radio worked, but never on phone calls. When I contacted Sony about a refund due to fear of the 3rd radio not working as well, I was informed that they couldn’t guarantee a refund, only a replacement and they could not reimburse any money paid for either install. I will never purchase another Sony radio period.

I bought this specifically for Android Auto and it never works. I have tried different cables etc. Nope. Junk. I can't make it 5 miles without it shutting down, freezing, etc. Save your money and buy something better.

Love the apple car play and Sirius radio and it’s so easy to use. Brought my 2006 Tacoma back to life!

This unit is fantastic and I could say so many great things about it but there’s one glaring issue. Apple CarPlay does not work, I’ve tested several phones and several cables and nothing makes it work. I always get “usb device not supported”. Or it might actually connect for a second then it starts freezing and eventually stops entirely and disconnects. Sony please help me with Apple CarPlay. I’m not the only one on this issue. Several people on the forums have this issue. I’m on the latest firmware.

Excilent to use & touch panel but not supporting car play