Customer Ratings & Reviews

High Power Single DIN Deck

Purchased the MEX-XB100BT after scoping out all head units under $600. The MEX-XB100BT is the ONLY head unit (as of Mar 15th 2015) officially rated 40Watts RMS that I can stick in the dash and effectively power my aftermarket speakers without an amplifier and me re-wiring the entire factory sound set-up. The 40Watts RMS produces amazingly sweet & precise sound from my upgraded speakers and without any sign of fatigue after hrs. of loud playing. The next highest rated head units have 22 watts RMS and you'll need an amp to get decent aftermarket speakers going and making sweet sounds. Setting up a 45watts RMS amp with a new H/U & labour will set you back roughly 3X+ the price of MEX-XB100BT.

The MEX-XB100BT has Bluetooth digital audio streaming, NFC, Sony’s Mega Bass sound shaping, Pandora, SiriusXM ready, voice control capability, 5-volt 6-channel preamp outputs, plays MP3, WMA, WAV, AAC and FLAC files, ClearAudio+ version of HD Radio with RDS capability and front USB input.

The MEX-XB100BT front panel is a bit tacky and most suitable for compact cars. Can Sony please re-design the front panel to be a bit more eye pleasing, streamlined and better looking? I've grown to dislike main volume knob after a day of use as it lacks a sense of crisp rotary feel and retards the build quality. The deck's volume knob is the MAIN touch point and Sony wrapped a LAME rubbery grip strip on the volume knob? In other words, you get a lot of great technology, functionality with the MEX-XB100BT and ugly design is included for free!

You'll need roughly 40-50watts RMS per channel to control decent aftermarket speakers and getting your music to feel lively and energetic. I believe the MEX-XB100BT offers the best combination of power, ease of installation, quality audio features and value for your dollars.

No need for an additional amp - just one for a nice sub

This unit is far the best I have ever heard for just a single deck unit (40rms per channel x 4) about double of any other single unit on the market. Sounds incredible with the new 6x9 and 6.5” Polk speakers in my 2008 Chevy Impala. Install was fairly simple (just need and additional power cable run to battery) I ran mine at the same time of running my sub wiring.
JUST BUY IT!!! You won’t be disappointed.

By Patrick on June 12, 2015 Verified purchase

Awesome power with no amp!

I was a bit skeptical of the hype. The site only has a few reviews, and I figures if it was such a great headunit, that it would have Tons of rave reviews. I guess No news is Good News!!!

This deck is AMAZING . It has all the convenient features one would expect from a modern headunit with the addition of crisp, clean and powerful sound.

I am no longer surprised that this guy has little reviews, because everything works as it is supposed to. Its a natural addition to any setup. I love it!!

AWESOME

This is an awesome unit and I love the power output. Very clear with great sound.

Best head unit I have ever bought :-)

I waited 4 months for this to come over to the UK and I have finally installed it (the proper way straight to the battery) I don't use song pal or bluetooth and if I want to speak to someone I still pull over and answer my phone, so cant really comment on all the ancillaries and no I am not 50 years old I'm only 25 but I hate it when I call my friends and they use it so I just do it the old fashioned way. I have lestened to music through bluetooth which was very easy to set up but the quality isnt as good, so I stick to USB. Anyway this system is AWESOME I had already upgraded all my speakers 2 x Kenwood Components + 2 x Vibe Coaxials (all 6.5") and had gone through 3 head units with these speakers and as soon as I plugged this in and turned it up it was as if someone had replaced my whole sound system and sneaked a sub somewhere! It really was that good all my friends keep asking me when I installed a sub! If your thinking of getting one and have aftermarket speakers just do it. I can play this on full volume with the Mega Bass button on and it only distorts a very tiny bit, it can play at vol 45/50 all day long and the sound quality is amazing, you can even set the unit to favour the driver/passenger/front or rear of the car which actually makes the audio sound better.

Sony MEX-XB100BT

I love this Receiver :) I have it hooked up to my pioneer 6x9 5 ways and two pairs of 6 1/2 in my G-Body Cutlass and they sound so clear and loud wow... I keep smh thanks again Sonic Electronix

Get it,,,, get it now!

Best car radio I've ever got, get the matching Sony speaker,,. Very happy with system.

By David on October 20, 2015 Verified purchase

It was getting a meslee 9-10 watts per channel so the bass sounds like junk. But I wasn't trying to win and ...

I had a stock Sony stereo in my pontoon boat. It was getting a meslee 9-10 watts per channel so the bass sounds like junk. But I wasn't trying to win and stereo comp ext. It was just a stereo that played music.
Well I saw the reviews and a video where they bench tested this unit and it put out out over 100 watts. Just having a head unit that put out out a little power made my system sound 100 times better.
Being able to adjust the sound the the EQ threw the phone is so much easier then learning all the functions on a new unit is frustrating.
Bluetooth is strong and is good for 50 foot away

I'm impressed and disappointed at the same time.

To begin this review, I would just like to point out that I am not very knowledge able when it comes to car audio. I did do research and ended up getting this head unit instead of running an amp in my car due to the ease of installation.

Pros:
The Sound Quality
The Size
The Customization Options
The Inputs

The quality of sound this head unit puts out is pretty impressive. I paired it with 4 Kenwood KFC-6965S and they sound amazing for what I paid for them. I am half tempted to add an amp and sub just to increase the quality even more.

The size of the head unit is pretty standard yet some of the buttons are (in my opinion) weirdly sized.

The ability to change almost everything about the head unit is great for people that want to find the perfect sound. This is a big plus for me. Also, when you don't want much base and you want a clean sound, the "Clear Audio" option is amazing.

If you are unable to get your device to connect to this head unit, you might want to rethink your future purchases. It has Bluetooth, USB, and AUX; what more could you need?

Cons:
The Interface
SONGPAL

The interface is a little confusing to use but after playing with it for a while you get used to it.

Songpal is the worst thing about this head unit. When you connect your phone, it always asks you to "Open App" which the app is self is buggy on my iPhone 6 and I would rather it just connect to my phone and play music automatically like my other cars.

All in all if you can get over the SONGPAL and the interface quirks, this head unit is a great purchase for anyone who doesn't want to rewire their whole car and still wants a loud, powerful, and crisp sound.

By David on October 20, 2015 Verified purchase

She says that the changing color display on the stereo "just adds to the cool factor. " We couldn't be happier with this ...

We bought this stereo to replace the original radio in my daughter's 2004 Kia. It didn't take my husband any time at all to install it, we didn't replace the car's original speakers, and my daughter loves it. She uses the bluetooth capabilities to stream music from her android phone. She says that the changing color display on the stereo "just adds to the cool factor." We couldn't be happier with this purchase!

Amazing!

I love this radio! With blutooth along with the amp of 100x4 max to each speaker. Makes the clearity so much stronger and more vibrant! A must for someone on a budget looking for the best out of their speakers and radio!

Poor Quality - Shuts off and won't consistently power usb

Although the SQ is good and so is the power, this deck has had trouble powering up on multiple occasions, freezes, continues to say NO USB DEVICE and then finally, 2 days ago (less than 60 days old) it wouldn't power up any longer. Not thrilled that I have to be without it and no tunes, while it's sent back for repairs or replacement. I've been a Kenwood user for years, thought I'd give Sony a try, not sure I will ever do that again.

By KevinH on April 24, 2016 Verified purchase

was expecting more

Very unhappy with this head unit, the built in 4ch amp thing is just like it seems. (too good to be true). It sounded just like any other unit with stock speakers but with any nice aftermarket the results are disappointing. That 40 rms or whatever it claims will give you some decent clarity but does not get nearly loud enough to satisfy most audio enthusiast. That was a bummer but the real let down was the sucker didn't even last 6 months, turned off one time and could never get it to turn back on... Plugged in a conventional head unit and away i went. Buy a 4ch amp if you really need one, skip this turd and get a regular deck.

By evan on April 10, 2016 Verified purchase

Great Radio for the price

This radio is awesome. Save you some money from buying a amp for your internal speakers. Installation went smooth. little tricky because you have to run the radio directly to battery. Sound quality is crisp and the clear audio option is a plus. Don't recommend using the mega bass, especially if you have some big subs in the back. It sounds better without it on. The speakers i installed in the inside of the car were the
Sony XS-XB160 6-1/2's
Sony XS-XB690 6x9's
2-12" Sony Xplods 1200w Subs
1200 watt Sony explod Amp 2 channel
These speakers go great with radio, very crisp, hard hitting, very impressed

By Brandon on March 24, 2016 Verified purchase

Simple

Happy with the deck. I would say that if you have the time; nothing matches a deck + good 4channel amp. But installation is simple. Good power output. Have it paired with 50wRMS cerwin vega. Great match.

great

This is the best unit for sound quality set up for cheap make sure your speakers can handle the power i have it running 4 crescendo pwx 6.5s and to ft1 super tweeters in my van but make sure u have a good 10 or8 guage amp kit

Amazing radio!

This radio transformed my truck into a jukebox on wheels!using my phone while I drive is a breeze and the sound output is killer! Highly recommend!

Best I have owned!

Bought this for my Harley Davidson. Loudest radio I ever owned without an amp connected. My wife is happy, you can here this loud and clear on Hwy. No distortion cranked all the way up.

Built in amp FTW

This deck has an astounding number of features considering the price point. In addition to all the usual bluetooth and eyes-free stuff, which works okay (more on that later), 40W RMS per channel is huge, 10 band EQ is great, time alignment is outstanding, and 5v preamps are amazing. If you're looking for something that's solid and doesn't need to get so loud it hurts the ears of the people in the car next to you, this unit is great. The sound quality is really good, too!

All of that being said, this won't be the solution for everyone. If you want to push your aftermarket speakers to the limit, you'll need more power. If you're looking for audiophile sound, you'll probably want a Pioneer DEH-80PRS or something of that caliber, which has super fine detail, 31 band EQ per channel, etc. Some won't like the look of this unit, though I think it achieves what the designers intended and looks pretty cool - I especially like the sliding cover for the USB port.

I do have a couple of issues that I can probably sort out with more fiddling, but they're definitely significant enough to mention. The Bluetooth phone connection is definitely a little buggy, and engaging Siri for voice commands takes several seconds, then the sound to let you know it's time to talk is very quiet, so it's easy to miss the window. When you use Siri for certain things it changes the mode you were in, for instance switching from the USB phone connection to Bluetooth audio for music - not a huge deal, but also not what I selected. When I'm talking on the phone and driving at highway speeds I have to have the volume maxed to hear my mom (not sure if she's just quiet, and I haven't tried it with other people yet), though it's possible I can turn this up on my phone or there's a boost somewhere in the phone settings, I just haven't run across it yet in either the unit or the manual.

I also have an intermittent pop (very frequent on phone conversations, pretty sparse when listening to music via USB from iPhone SE), and I can't tell if it's due to the wires being squished behind the head unit (there's not much room in the dash of a 2001 Civic), the fact that much of the audio is streaming rather than downloaded, or if it's just an issue with the USB connection. I may try an audio interconnect cable just to see if that changes anything. I haven't noticed it when using the CD player, but it's 2017 and I don't use CDs much anymore.

TL;DR is that apart from a couple of potentially significant nitpicks, this is a great unit and a monster value.



BTW, I've rated durability at 3 stars because I've only been using the unit a month or so and if it had durability problems at this point I would view that as a catastrophic failure. It's too early to tell, so it gets a middle of the road rating.

By Ian on September 16, 2017 Verified purchase

Good deck

It's a good deck don't get me wrong has every feature I can imagine (including very detailed tuning which I love) the only thing I could ask for is a pause/play button on the face itself. Also I was not blown away by the 160 watts. Keep in mind I'm still on stock 350z speakers which are not the best but I plan on upgrading soon and I'm sure I will be impressed with better speakers. I am overall very happy with this deck and would purchase again.

By Christian on July 26, 2017 Verified purchase

Sony Radio/Receiver

Took a little to install but works great along with the Sirius XM unit. Bought this as an upgrade from a previous Sony radio I installed in my jeep.

Great radio

This is the best radio I've ever owned. It's actually the second one I've bought. First time through sonicelectronix. I will never but another radio again. I have it pushing four Kicker 6x9s an two 6x8s an it plays them with no problems. Also have two Kicker 15s and a Hifonics BE351200.1D amp an this radio rocks!!! Probably could use a bigger amp but the radio makes up for it. Only thing I hate about it is the design of the faceplate an having to run wires to ground an battery other than that I would recommend this radio to anybody everybody!!!!

By Dre on May 25, 2017 Verified purchase

Awesome Stereo

my nephew is a professional audio installer and recommended this for my brother I went ahead and purchased 1 and I am very pleased with the product I have another sony stereo in another vehicle and am very pleased with what they are manufacturing excellent products

By G on January 18, 2017 Verified purchase

big big big power

i got this deck after reading about it. i cant say enough about it. good eq and hpf, 5v, does massive power. easy easy to use. i ran it to some 2 ohm jbl speaker i got from sonic. its loud and clear. this deck looks great and performs flawless so far. im very happy with it. most of all it makes big power. im not a fan of sony but this is like the current best budget deck they got.

By casey on October 10, 2016 Verified purchase

Unbelievable

Not a Sony fan when it comes to car audio until I saw the Sonic You Tube videos testing this Head unit. This thing is fricking awsome! Not only its puts out a solid/clean 42 rms per channel *64 @ 2ohms,* the 5v pre outs is really nice. It has built in LPF & HPF and even allows you to slope! I cant talk about all it can do please read or watch the Sonic videos on You Tube!

By TWP-Mentor on October 7, 2016 Verified purchase

Amazing product!

After i saw that ut had a built in amp i had to check it out. The difference was night and day in my car in speaker quality. Im proud to say both of my vehicles now have this stereo and ill never go back to one without a built in amplifier. Its so in depth with their 10 channels. That i literally can tune my speakers perfectly without any distortion and still able to crank the volume. Thank you sonic electronix and sony for this amazing product!

Great product

I purchased this in hopes of having the ability to have good clean mids and highs without adding a second amplifier and I couldn't be more impressed. The easy of use is great and the EQ does a great job fine tuning the sound.

By Kyle on July 13, 2016 Verified purchase

Nice and clean

No need to try and hide a 4 channel amp i can really tell the difference i would up grade the stock speakers because it would blow my 93 camry speakers i did not go that big on watts per speaker 40 rms each for the front 60 rms each for the rear and it really screams just make shure you hook the power up to the battery with at least 16 gauge power wire and groud to a good spot somewhere in the car with 16 gauge just wish i could turn off the low pass filter

Nice car stereo for the price

I've always liked Sony; and the same holds true for this product too. It does what it says; a clear and crisp sound, a nice bass and an excellent bluetooth streaming with the added capacity of a USB port. It has a lot of features and every thing works as promised. I installed it on my 2002 Camry (might need Scosche dash kit for 2002- up Toyota Camry, and a Metra 70-8113 wiring harness) . One thing that I want to mention; every time I tried to stream Music using bluetooth through the Songpal app for the iPhone; it asks for permission to use the app; it's like every single time. I hope it's a bug within the app, and I'm sure it will be fixed with an update. It's definitely worth it for the price, and is better than other after market car stereos available.

Great stereo

I love it, great for my amp for speakers and also sub hence the rca ports like it a lot, I wish the Bluetooth could connect faster but I don't think that would really be possible

Sony MEX-XB100BT

I installed 2 ohm speakers...you'll be pushing 72 to 78 watts per channel.
JBL GTO's
Sony says the 2 ohm speakers do no harm to the unit. The manual says not to run 2ohms...Contacted Sony and two techs gave me the green light to run 2 ohm. Killer Sound :)

Sounds good!

Very satisfied with unit. The only complaint is there are too many " functions" to deal with! Totally unnessesary extras to ADJUST! The sound is great so I'll just say " Great Sound" from Sony!

Not as good as expected.

Bought this hoping it would eliminate the need to run an amp on my Memphis m class sync components and its no better than the kenwood deck i had. Looks like i will still have to buy an amp. And every time i start my car it tells me to open the sony app on my phone...Which is annoying. Haven't bought a sony deck in a long time and now i remember why.

Lots of power and features!

Plenty of power! Every kind of input and output you could possibly need and a ton of settings for music and display.

Hi

I love this radio since I bought it and the sound is great and loud easy to operate.

Great Radio!!

Added this head unit to existing speakers in a pontoon boat and and the improvement in sound is incredible. I have read some great reviews and this unit lives up to all the positives people have said about it.

Very Happy

Great price and fast service. I received exactly what I ordered. I have not
used the product long enough to rate it`s durability.

Great sound quality

Great produt. The sound quality is amazing with endless power without distortion(with upgraded speakers). Great once you get it tuned in it has ample power and sound quality for all types of music. Only issue i have had is with the power to the unit. Once or twice it would just not come on. Other then that i wouldnt purchase any other unit. Hopefully they come out with qlan amplified dual din unit...hint hint

Best head unit I have ever owned

The last head unit I had in my car simply cannot compare this radio doesn't miss a feature it has amazing power and clarity even at high volumes is a bit pricey for some but compared to the price of some double din units it's more power for less money and still has great looks

Does what I want, mostly

Sony isn't one of the respected names in Car Audio. This is the type of product that could move them forward. Only current aftermarket radio that has this much power. Also has 5 volt preouts, 3 sets. The 3 sets of 5 volt is going to be hard to find for less money, so the built in amp is a bonus at the price. Bluetooth, USB, CD, Radio all work great. I ran some 8 gauge wire to make sure it was getting enough power.
Plenty of sound options, high pass and low pass filters.
Biggest pain, is getting the settings all put back after the power is disconnected for whatever reason.

By Nicholas on March 23, 2016 Verified purchase

So nice, I bought it twice.

I purchased this unit when it first came out because I wanted a simple system with something more than the typical aftermarket headunit. I've done some elaborate installs over they years...some with parts costs well over 2 grand and I wanted simple and modest this time. My goal was to use the rear subwoofer setting on a small sub and run a couple 6.5" comps up front.
Very simple to install. I did a little research for an efficient sub and ended up with an MB Quart 12" shallow mount sub. This Sony will move the sub with no effort. Really shocking to see that little 5" amp doing that much work.
Well, my son took my truck off to college so I bought a duplicate system and put it in my new truck....same excellent results. Highly recommend this unit. Now, someone come out with a double din nav unit with the same power supply....will out sell everything on the market.

LOVE THIS HEADUNIT!!!!!

Has a really good eq set-up.Love the 5 volt pro outs plus high power to highs and mids. So.So crystal clear sounding.I just love this unit really good unit .Can be a little hard to set up eq if you don't understand the different Hz and what they mean but a little playing with should be able to figure it out...

By James on March 11, 2016 Verified purchase

Something wrong with this device

I got this device on September 2015, The first impression (I don't really feel it's better sounds or better output power than any other device). Also sometimes I run the car engine and i find the device dead for no reason. So i have to unplug the device then plug it again to let it start. This is happening once or twice a month. Someone might say, you better re-check the wiring. Well, the device came with the OEM harness and everything installed properly.
If anyone know how to fix this please let me know. My email: diaaeldindaoud@gmail.com
Thank you

DavoBravo

Good sound hard to program, tons of features , looks factory fit with the dash, needs a wiring adapter dash mount kit and antenna kit. All these were included big bonus to the consumer, Amazon does not include the kits and no tech support. I would give total overall an 8.5 score the company I would give a 100% but the speakers we're not correct so I had the hassle of returning

best stereo evrr

ok let me start by saying this has to be the best single din stereo to date

i have kicker 6x9 and kicker 4x6 speakers and man it sounds like a have a 4 channel amp hooked up to them the highs sound so good i cant believe it all from this stereo so if you have all aftermarket speakers and dont feel like running a amp for them best believe this is there stereo for you i highly recommend this to anyone and last thing i have a 95 caprice police pakg so i have like a separate a box with power wires and fuses to power all that cop stuff they had back in the day and thats where i ran the power supply for the store and it has been good but instructions so to run it straight to the battery so if you dont have like what i have i would run it to the battery to make it work the way its supposed to

you have to get used to messing the everything though the faceplate is different for the older sonys

Great head unit, Sirius capable and love the blue tooth.

Great, above average at a good price that's affordable.I would recommend to anyone.

Exceptional HU

I am working on a complete overhaul of my car's factory system, as i commute 2 hours a day for work. This was phase 2 of 3 phases (1st was speaker upgrade, sound insulation and sub & amp).

I researched a lot of single and double din units but had very specific expectations and never included 2 din face as i use Android phone for all navigation etc. so it came down to potential for sound management and quality (and i wasn't prepared to go to full hi-rez yet).

The sound quality i get from this unit is very exceptional, from great sub-woofer management to time alignment to LPF and HPF you can really dial in the sound you want. I got exactly what i wanted from a HU.

It even makes Spotify (aka 320k mp3 sound exceptional) and also plays my 24 bit .flac files to great great sound.

Buy it and put a great big smile on your ears.

By Mike on August 1, 2016 Verified purchase

This deck really rocks

This would be the best if you had room for four 6/9's...this deck is a beast... Sony coulda gave individual cross over to the front and rear channels though.... the song Pal app is the best..
It sounds as if I have a 100 by 4 channel watt amp on my mids and highs

Best Head Unit Ever

This is by far the most impressive head unit I've ever owned, both because it really puts the power out like it claims and the controls it gives to fine tune the sound where you want it. The truck already had some cheap Jensen 5x7s (4) from a previous owner and it's using all the factory wiring and it really woke those speakers up. I have some much higher end units in other cars with amps running everything and this setup hangs right there with them, not quite as loud but amazing for what it is. Simple setup and installation, just do yourself a favor and power the unit like you would a 400w amp not through the wring harness like you normally would with a head unit.

By Ben on February 15, 2016 Verified purchase

sony headunit

Before purchasing this head unit, I had a alpine, but what an amazing difference the highs are much clearer and the bass more rich, and the mega bass function works great, and the 10 band equalizer when set correctly sounds incredible, overall very happy with the unit thanks sonic electronix.

Fantastic headunit!

I've had this in our 2008 Toyota Corolla for about three weeks now; My wife and I very satisfied. The options and customization are endless, but it isn't a PITA to use. In fact, this thing has some pretty "stupid-proof" settings for those that don't know what they're doing. The sliding-door USB - imo - is taken for granted, I sure didn't care for it. But after having used it MANY times , i realized that it really makes the stereo aesthetically pleasing, as opposed to having an ugly usb input sticking out like a sore thumb. If 'sore thumb' is your style though, the stereo has you covered with its endless colors schemes and options.
Now, to the important stuff, the Sound. Obviously you want this stereo because of its built-in amplifier, and It Does Not Disappoint. SE suggested that I upgrade my speakers - and I probably will - because the OEM ones aren't built to take the extra power but so far they are handling them just fine. I do think they aren't doing the overall sound quality of the stereo any justice, however. So I'm going to gradually save my money until these blow and get then get into some waaay better speakers instead of whatever I can afford now. Despite the obvious frequency limitations of the OEM speakers, the Stereo still does a pretty badass job of opening up the stage of whatever I'm listening too. The Equalizer does a pretty good job of making up for the deficiencies of the speakers, I think. To be fair , I won't know the full abilities of the stereo until I have some proper speakers in, but I would say most OEM speakers will take the stereo just fine, and sound better-ish .

Awesome product for the price

This product allowed me to run all of the door speakers close to their peak performance level without having to run an additional amp, thus minimizing space restraints.