donttellmywiferacing
Member
Just wanted to share this for anyone who may be considering upgrading to a floating style screen.
My buddy Tony has the Alpine Halo in his 2011, after doing some research I was ready to pull the trigger when I stumbled across the Sony 9500ES, like a lot of people I use Crutchfield as a great resource for all things car audio. They had a great review video on the unit and I have older XAV units in my Tacoma and Super Duty, plus with the factory sound equipment being Sony, I elected to keep everything on brand and order from Crutchfield for the following reasons:
1. Zero complains about Sony products I’ve used
2. Despite being cheaper elsewhere, you can’t beat Crutchfield customer service
3. The Sony was 1.1” bigger than the 9” Halo
4. It was around $500 cheaper with a 2 year longer warranty than Alpine offers.
I went ahead and ordered the unit with Crutchfield recommend install kit (maestro and the Sony adapter harness, plus mounting brackets and bezel)
One thing I’ll note is the mounting kit is vague and install videos are not geared around this particular unit, but you can make it work. I had to notch the mounting brackets with my bandsaw but one I did that I was golden and install was a breeze.
Here is the final product, I will admit I haven’t previously been a fan of the aesthetics of a floating screen but now that I’ve used it I really do like how much easier it is to see and it’s a super user friendly unit to operate.
Obviously the wireless CarPlay is a huge plus for many reasons including the ability to run my offroad GPS apps instead of having a Lowrance dedicated to that purpose.
This unit also offers dual climate control, engine monitoring, is compatible with the factory back up camera, and has the ability to add two additional cameras, including other features.
I strongly recommend taking a look at this unit if you’re looking for an upgrade.
My buddy Tony has the Alpine Halo in his 2011, after doing some research I was ready to pull the trigger when I stumbled across the Sony 9500ES, like a lot of people I use Crutchfield as a great resource for all things car audio. They had a great review video on the unit and I have older XAV units in my Tacoma and Super Duty, plus with the factory sound equipment being Sony, I elected to keep everything on brand and order from Crutchfield for the following reasons:
1. Zero complains about Sony products I’ve used
2. Despite being cheaper elsewhere, you can’t beat Crutchfield customer service
3. The Sony was 1.1” bigger than the 9” Halo
4. It was around $500 cheaper with a 2 year longer warranty than Alpine offers.
I went ahead and ordered the unit with Crutchfield recommend install kit (maestro and the Sony adapter harness, plus mounting brackets and bezel)
One thing I’ll note is the mounting kit is vague and install videos are not geared around this particular unit, but you can make it work. I had to notch the mounting brackets with my bandsaw but one I did that I was golden and install was a breeze.
Here is the final product, I will admit I haven’t previously been a fan of the aesthetics of a floating screen but now that I’ve used it I really do like how much easier it is to see and it’s a super user friendly unit to operate.
Obviously the wireless CarPlay is a huge plus for many reasons including the ability to run my offroad GPS apps instead of having a Lowrance dedicated to that purpose.
This unit also offers dual climate control, engine monitoring, is compatible with the factory back up camera, and has the ability to add two additional cameras, including other features.
I strongly recommend taking a look at this unit if you’re looking for an upgrade.
