I've been waiting to pickup a Sony headunit for a while.
I was expecting bigger Black Friday sales but it seems like there's a shortage of stock in Aus.
The Sony XAV-AX5000 is $530.87 inc shipping @ Ryda but it's on backorder
https://www.ryda.com.au/sony-xav-ax5000-apple-carplay-androi…
It could be $504.32 @ Supercheap Auto if they're willing to price match the backorder and you're using 5% off gift cards.
These are available for good reason. Sony headunits are clunky and slow. Had minor Bluetooth issues with pairing which forces you to reset the unit losing all settings. Overtime they just become extremely slow.
This morning Autobarn had the Kenwood 9020dabs at a couple of stores, Wagga Wagga and Craigieburn.
Extremely hard to get head units. A tiny shipment just landed into Australia. SSV had 11 the other day and sold out instantly. Bankstown audio got 3 units and mine was dispatched yesterday.
Head units are extremely hard to get due to the factory fire.
Wait lists of 35 people + on any decent head unit at the moment which is about a year wait haha.
You can find Alpine head units but Kenwood would be about $1000 vs $2500 with Alpine for the same features
These Kenwoods must be lightning quick and register your inputs before your finger has made contact with the display because the XAV5500 we put in our work van is pretty responsive and snappy.
I used to be big in to car audio and one of my employees actually worked as a car audio installer for Autobarn and for himself back in the day and both of us believe the XAV5500 is extremely well respected within the industry for what it offers at this price point.
Here's part of a review from Bankstown Sound (where we bought it from):
"The screen is of a quality that rivals the big -two (Kenwood and Pioneer), the features, although they’re not going to leave anyone speechless, they’re what you’d use and nothing wasted. The speed of the unit is something that you’ll write home about.
The boot time being the quickest in the market and there being little to no lag whilst using the UI and flicking between options and menus make this a seriously speedy unit. Tie this with the ease of installation and the price and you’ve got a unit that can go from the shelf to your car, real quick!"
We also had to wait for the XAV5500 back when we ordered it. I want to put one in my other work vehicle so might snap one up.
Speaking as someone who managed to snag a 9020DABS a few months back, the 720p panel really is fantastic compared to what's often offered in most head-units these days. I'm sure the 480p display in these Sony units are more than usable, but it boggles my mind that in 2021, head-units are still offering sub-720p resolution at ANY price point.
Any CU2 owner here? Wondering whether this fits?