Sony XAV-W1- CD, DVD, SACD

At a time when many manufacturers are creating double-DIN source units that include navigation as a major function and selling point, it may puzzle some consumers that Sony decided to make their first double-DIN unit strictly a media player. The first thing people asked when they had a chance to experience the XAV-W1 in our test vehicle was: Where's the nav? Of course, I responded by telling them to get lost, forget navigation and enjoy the music! I loaded the vehicle with a box of CDs, DVDs and SACDs (thanks, Telarc) and for a month I drove around town with the volume high and without voice guidance. Needless to say, I did get lost now and then. But it was worth it.

The XAV-W1 should remind some of us older folks why we became fans of Sony all those years ago, even before the PlayStation game consoles, that is. Back then Sony was best known for its TVs. The picture quality always seemed to be better than their competitors and the design was easily much more attractive. The XAV-W1 has the look of mini flat-panel TV with a thin black frame that makes the 7-inch screen seem bigger. It's simple, sleek and elegant and is bound to make practically any car's dash appear more modern and technologically advanced. For those of you who've always wanted a Sony TV for the house AND one in your car, your wait is over. The picture quality is one of the best on the market, thus complementing the aesthetics of the product's design. Watching video off the supplied Sony demo disc, Sigur Ros' Heima DVD and some Bjork music videos, I was almost surprised at the sharpness of the picture and the vibrancy of the colors.

There isn't a myriad of hard buttons on the face of the XAV-W1. There are just five, aside from the Eject button; the rest of the controls for the unit's functions are found on the touchscreen. It wasn't as responsive as I would've liked, but since there is a supplied remote control as well (which I used frequently) I didn't find that to be a major issue. While the touchscreen may not have been the highest quality in terms of responsiveness, the on-screen pop-up menu design is superior to many I've experienced. When you need the controls, they appear from the top and bottom; otherwise they're out of the way. Just touch the screen anywhere to call them up. Another useful related feature is that you can, at a touch of the virtual button in the top right corner, turn the screen to black so that you don't have to be distracted by anything other than the sound of the music from the XAV-W1 playing through your speaker system. When you want the screen lit you can customize it by capturing an image and using it as wallpaper.

As great as the picture is, it's the audio that will make you appreciate what this source unit can do. With a multichannel decoder for Dolby Digital and DTS playback and six preamp outputs, the XAV-W1 is a great choice for surround sound speaker setups, especially as it also will play back your collection of SACDs. I switched back and forth, listening to different formats and I loved being able to play my entire collection of music and videos, choosing between Dolby and DTS and mixing in some SACDs and listening for the subtle differences. Of course, I played my CDs and movie discs as well. It was a little like being at home on the road; being able to enjoy whatever media I wanted at the moment.