Alpine Electronics iXA-W407 & NVE-M300

Building a Multimedia/Navigation System

The other day I was seriously considering paying someone cash money to take all my CDs and convert the tracks into different types of digital files, basically lossless and low bitrate AACs or MP3s (for throwing onto thumb drives). And never mind carrying DVDs in the car. You can store videos on your iPod as well. So who needs a slot for playing any discs? Maybe mom and dad. And of course those people in the business of manufacturing them (they'll have to develop a whole new line of products fast). Soon society will bypass discs altogether — and the tedious process of converting them into transferable files!



If you're one of these early adopter types who's already living in the near future, so to say, but you haven't updated your car audio system yet, then Alpine Electronics' iXA-W407 may be for you. There's no disc slot, it offers system expandability and is made for your iPod. It also meets the "works with your iPhone" specification; and it does except for a certain issue (on the Apple side, not Alpine). More on that later.

This Digital Media Station (DMS), as Alpine calls their multimedia products, offers dedicated control over your favorite Apple device. It has a 7" QVGA touchscreen, an easy-to-use menu system and built-in Bluetooth by Parrot for hands-free calling, as well as audio streaming. For this review we also connected the NVE-M300 GPS navigation drive. So for consumers on a budget you could first purchase the iXA and buy the NVE later. The former has an MSRP of $800; the latter is $300. Not bad for a total AVN package that you don't have to pay for all at once.

As this DMS is made for iPod you get great interface between the products. Basically accessing your files is as easy as using the iPod itself. You can search by the usual: Playlist, Artist, Album, Song, Genre, Podcast, or Composer. There's a Quick Search feature for quick access to your music or your videos. But best of all, in the menu you can choose the way you search for files by selecting by Page, Alphabet, or Percentage. This is particular important for those of you with massive amounts of data. Even with my mere eight gigs of music and videos it was a lot to go through so the search option was essential.



Alpine also gives you options for viewing the different windows. The multi-info mode allows you to select four panels from the following to show on the touchscreen: AV Info: Album Art plus abbreviated song and track information; AV Control: Fast forward, Rewind, Play/Pause from your screen; Sound Control: Adjust your treble, bass, and sub levels; Clock: View the current time and up to 4 more times in different time zones in the world; Calendar: View the current calendar date; and Calculator: Access to a handy calculator. Or you can select a single window, like the one for iPod that displays only that devices information.

The install on the DMS is simple. I had the double-DIN unit in my 2000 Volvo S40 in short order. The radio opening is low in this car; that is, it's at the bottom of the center stack and I noticed that the off access viewing was compromised because of this. A more direct view of the screen provided a much sharper picture. Most of the time it wasn't that noticeable, but once I connected the navigation drive it was more pronounced. You'll want to bear this in mind if your double-DIN opening isn't optimally positioned in your car.

I connected my iPhone via USB right away and started playing music files. The sound quality was fine and the search functions worked as advertised. The only reservation I had with this part of the system was the delay in information display when I was seeking tracks. Not a major issue but perhaps noting for those of you that are persnickety. Later I connected my iPhone for BT Audio playback. At first there was some static for a brief moment (which didn't happen again when I disconnected and reconnected various times later on), but then the song played clearly with no disruptions. Later I connected via USB and tried to switch back and forth between the BT Audio and USB, but found I couldn't. Also because the iPhone doesn't support AVRCP, you can only stream the audio; you can't control the device on the iXA. Like I said at the start of this story, it meets the "works with iPhone" spec and this is an issue on the Apple side. Another issue with using the iPhone has to do with the way the device prioritizes connections. Whatever is the most recent connection has priority and you can't switch back and forth. You have to disconnect and reconnect. Don't complain to Alpine. Send your emails to Apple!

Bluetooth for hands-free calling worked with no issues. Pairing the phone was simple and the iXA-W407 grabbed my phonebook info in less than half a minute (OK, maybe I don't know enough people). The quality of the audio on both sides was above average (using my old Motorola add-on kit as my reference). I probably could hear them slightly better than they could hear me, but it was never a problem, even with the significant road noise in my old Volvo.
As I mentioned before, the iXA-W407 is expandable so if you must have your CDs and DVDs, you can buy a disc changer. But who needs that, I say, you already have your iPod or files from your thumb drive and why not listen to something new on HD Radio or satellite radio. A nice feature with HD Radio is the ability for tagging songs for purchase on iTunes later. Don't you hate it when you listen to a great new song on the radio and the friggin' DJ doesn't tell you the artist name or song title, or says it so fast it doesn't register? Screw you DJ, I have HD Radio with iTunes tagging! Anyway, tag your songs on the iXA and when you connect your iPod to iTunes, you will be able to buy them from iTunes.



For the most part the NVE-M300 worked well enough, but it had some quirks. Although I live in an established area that has been digitized into all the mapping companies' databases (I've seen one of their cars measuring the neighborhood), the nav delivered me one street short of my house. In a routine Points of Interest test, I found a Home Depot in the POI bank and set it as a destination. The system had me drive further than was necessary. Instead of making a left turn into the plaza where the store is located I was directed to go down the street, make a u-turn and then make a right into shopping center. Now these kinds of misdirections happen with a lot of navigation products, but I wasn't expecting it for these locations. That being said, these were anomalies, as the rest of the time I had no other issues. Note: coverage includes the U.S., and Canada, including Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands, and 6 million (POIs).



The iXA-W407 is a great multimedia starter, especially for dedicated iPod users. It has everything you need and the ability to add everything else you may want later. For instance, it's also steering wheel remote ready, is compatible with the HCE-C107D rear view camera if you want that option and of course would serve you well as the center of a full entertainment system for your entire vehicle. You can built as much as you want on to the Digital Media Station, all according to your budget.