Scions are aggressively marketed to a young, style-conscious audience. With that in mind, the 2008 Scion xB pays very careful attention to that audience, and offers nearly endless customization of the sound coming from its stereo. The above screen shows several options for sound style. A mere button press on the touchscreen, and your sound can have more bass in the club setting or the boomy characteristics of a high-ceilinged cathedral...
Also included is the option to alter how the sound resonates and bounces through the car, and there are different settings for front and back speakers. The options list is quite comprehensive, with several different menus and touchscreens. Scion knows where its audience is coming from, and it wants to make absolutely sure that it caters to their needs. Good attention to detail. And the sound itself: very nice.
Doug Lloyd, Senior Copy Editor, @ 6,916 miles
willin58 says:
06:37 PM, 09/20/07
Seems like a nice gimmick, but in the end, that's all it is. Just like DSPs in home theater AVRs, I doubt these features will receive wide usage. But who knows...
estreka says:
07:11 PM, 09/20/07
I think it's a great idea. I often see ppl buy aftermarket decks with little added performance, but the interface is really nice. Not to sound sexist, but girls dig cool-looking head units.
comp386 says:
05:19 AM, 09/21/07
Cool idea, but if it's not EAX then I'm not interested.
cowbell says:
05:26 AM, 09/21/07
This seems like a massive control overkill on a sound system that's only 160 Watts and six speakers. Sort of like a laser-sight on a sling shot.
I can see it being usefully if it's easily integrated with an after market sound system, but they usually don't work that way.
toyota_f1 says:
08:50 AM, 09/21/07
Willin58 is right on. DSPs are not necessary but add an interesting feature. In the dozen years I've had a full-on home theater setup I've never used a built in DSP. Better to EQ yourself and go with more natural tone. The amusement of listening to something in a "cathedral" gets old. If it was that cool people would be rocking their IPods through a PA in church.
Admittedly though the unit does sound pretty good on its own and the added features may get some buyers who were on the cusp but are drawn in by extras. The lack of DTS makes me sad though.
stovt001 says:
09:29 AM, 09/21/07
I agree, preset EQs seem cool at first, but after a while you realize there is one good setting for pretty much everything for your sound system and you just leave it there.
texases says:
10:17 AM, 09/21/07
I'm sure the sound system's nice, but is it $1,995 nice? That's quite a bump in price for a car like this. I know, Edmunds foots the bill...
toyota_f1 says:
10:27 AM, 09/21/07
Gotta remember that $1995 is also Nav. The nav itself is great. I'm a fan of Toyota nav units and had no issues with this one. Well, besides the usual nanny state (no changes while driving).
ateixeira says:
01:00 PM, 09/21/07
I think the novelty would wear off as soon as you simulated your favorite punk or heavy metal band playing in the cathedral.
But I'm sure they know Scion buyers better than we do. LOL
desmolicious says:
01:31 PM, 09/21/07
no nav changes while driving? dood, that is a deal killer for me. I've had my front seat passenger make numerous changes to the nav in my car while I'm driving. I'd skip it and get a portable Garmin if I didn't have that option.
p.s. I think the sound interface in the XB is dope.
toyota_f1 says:
01:36 PM, 09/21/07
Yep, the lawyers won out on Toyota navs and it's a complaint I hear about daily. Drove me nuts in my IS350, luckily for most of those there is a simple override that can be done, but you had to do it each time you started the car. I believe that's been removed for most of the 2007 and up models for Toyota/Lexus vehicles.
2003expo says:
08:05 PM, 09/22/07
REALLY?!?! Whats the override to the nav system in Toyota (and does it work in a Lexus??) and this is pretty off topic, but it there a way to change my name because my "2003 expo" was 2 vehicles ago??
toyota_f1 says:
01:21 PM, 09/24/07
Override is the same in both Toyota and Lexus and changed slightly from Gen4 to Gen5 systems. I'd recommend searching for it on an enthusiast site like clublexus.com in their specific forums for your model. It worked in a relatives Sienna, our fleet GX, ES, my IS, and the new Camry Hybrid. It's disappeared on 2007 and up IS models that I've tested but can still be worked around if you're technically minded.