So I finally bit the bullet and upgraded my LX head unit. Thought some of you might want to know how it went.

The upgrade path started last year, when I replaced all four door speakers with Hybrid Audio Technology: Imagine front, Mirus rear. That made a nice improvement in the sound, but I felt it was still lacking.

I knew going in I was going to lose the backup camera if I didn't get the Metra/Axxess HDCC-02 at $100. Not a problem, wasn't that reliant on it anyway. I also knew that I might lose the ability to control the dash clock, and the USB & Aux inputs below the climate controls would not be retained, no problem there either.

So in went a Sony XAV-712HD head unit. Pretty straightforward install, except for the fact that some of the plastic parts that came in the bag with the Metra dash kit were obviously meant for some other vehicle. Luckily, my installer had extra dash kits on hand and was able to cobble some together without calling the whole thing off.

So how's the sound? My goodness, if I thought the speaker upgrade was good, then this new head unit is profound. Working with the HATs, it's obvious that whatever EQ is used in the factory head unit (to compensate for the somewhat inefficient and bass-shy factory speakers) is not at play here. All I'm getting is clean, open sound, with a certain effortlessness that the factory head unit didn't have. I know the Sony has more power than the factory head unit, and together with my quite efficient HAT speakers (92db sensitivity), it works quite well. So if you're on the fence about whether or not it's worth it to upgrade, my simple answer is do your research first and then go for it.

Installer chose to route two USB cables though the circular cutout in the dash where the Start/Stop button resides on the EX rather than through the glove box. That was fine by me, as I like having my phone connected and in front of me on the console rather than sitting in the glove box.

And one more thing which really surprised me. Changing the clock on the Sony resulted in the dash clock syncing to the same time! Wasn't expecting that one. So no difference in time between the two displays. I didn't know how my OCD would handle it if they weren't synced, but turned out not to be an issue.

Sorry for the crappy pic from my dark garage, but at least you'll get an idea of how this looks in real life.