Today's Message Index:
----------------------
1. 08:28 PM - Re: Firmware for XDP-4000X ? (Roland M)
2. 09:47 PM - Re: Firmware for XDP-4000X ? (Scott Thibault)
3. 10:09 PM - XT-100DAB?? (Scott Thibault)
4. 11:42 PM - Re: Firmware for XDP-4000X ? (Paul Chambers)
Message 1
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| Subject: | Re: Firmware for XDP-4000X ? |
--> XDP4000X-List message posted by: "Roland M" <mdx400@hotmail.com>
>From: Scott Thibault <tbone7467@yahoo.com>
>Reply-To: xdp4000x-list@matronics.com
>To: xdp4000x-list@matronics.com
>Subject: Re: XDP4000X-List: Firmware for XDP-4000X ?
>Date: Tue, 29 Jul 2003 04:30:27 -0700 (PDT)
>
>--> XDP4000X-List message posted by: Scott Thibault <tbone7467@yahoo.com>
>
>the CDX-C90 has not been discontinued in japan it is still a option to
>consumers. just as the reference speakers are still avail in european
>countries. The decision to discontinue the CDX-C90 and the XDP-4000x in the
>US was most likely due to poor sales. The car audiophile market is most
>likely a small niche market at best. Most people would rather spend that
>kind of money on nice home system then put it into a car. here is the link
>to the C90 (scroll to the bottom) and a really cool navigation (on its own
>page) unit that sony has developed:
>
All true, but unfortunately Sony took this too far and ended up with very
cheaply made products (that they overprice of course) and the quality took a
steep decline. Recently they have tried to turn it around by getting
potentailly decent mobile products out there like the HUs with G-Protection.
However they are no longer consisdered to have any high-end products for
car audio any longer.
Just because the high-end is a niche market doesn't mean they can't have one
high end setup available and at the same time have higher quality products
overall. Look at Alpine--nearly all of their products are decent and they
come at all different price levels. Sony mobile gear comes at different
price points but it is mostly low-quality. This is unfortunate. Sure maybe
they don't make as much money as Sony but at least they have respectible
mobile products.
Sony should at least make another high-end C90 level deck and processor, but
I doubt it will happen.
Roland M.
Message 2
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| Subject: | Re: Firmware for XDP-4000X ? |
--> XDP4000X-List message posted by: Scott Thibault <tbone7467@yahoo.com>
I agree with you 100%. I think that all of the Xplod stuff even the stuff from
conception is crap. they have some cool stuff here and there but nothing really
great. Even the Xav-7w lacks that pazazz that the old ES line had. it seems
that in the car audio realm sony did not fall behind they took a step back words.
The tech to combing the XAV-7w with a DVD or a cd player is there otehr companies
do it sony choose not too. Bad move it would have gained wider exceptance
if the intergrated at least CD with it. As for the C90 what gets me is that
it sold fairly well in other countries (as I hear how hard it is to get) wouldnt
it have been better to give the deck a firmware upgrade. I mean this way
the production cost would have lowered and they would have still kept their reference
series deck at a price point that noone could have competed with. what
strikes me is the decision to move away from this realm when I read everything
about the deck and stereo review spouting about what a
great deck combo it was and that noone could have competed with it. I dont know,
it seems that the C90 does so many things like the TV tuner thing, that in
itself is kinda cool as Mobile video was not that big and still remains pretty
I dont know unpopular?? I dont want say that maybe not so main stream. I think
I have rambled on enough. hey you guys have a great weekend. I am going to be
enjoying some sun in my Cobra this weekend.
Roland M <mdx400@hotmail.com> wrote:--> XDP4000X-List message posted by: "Roland
M"
>From: Scott Thibault
>Reply-To: xdp4000x-list@matronics.com
>To: xdp4000x-list@matronics.com
>Subject: Re: XDP4000X-List: Firmware for XDP-4000X ?
>Date: Tue, 29 Jul 2003 04:30:27 -0700 (PDT)
>
>--> XDP4000X-List message posted by: Scott Thibault
>
>the CDX-C90 has not been discontinued in japan it is still a option to
>consumers. just as the reference speakers are still avail in european
>countries. The decision to discontinue the CDX-C90 and the XDP-4000x in the
>US was most likely due to poor sales. The car audiophile market is most
>likely a small niche market at best. Most people would rather spend that
>kind of money on nice home system then put it into a car. here is the link
>to the C90 (scroll to the bottom) and a really cool navigation (on its own
>page) unit that sony has developed:
>
All true, but unfortunately Sony took this too far and ended up with very
cheaply made products (that they overprice of course) and the quality took a
steep decline. Recently they have tried to turn it around by getting
potentailly decent mobile products out there like the HUs with G-Protection.
However they are no longer consisdered to have any high-end products for
car audio any longer.
Just because the high-end is a niche market doesn't mean they can't have one
high end setup available and at the same time have higher quality products
overall. Look at Alpine--nearly all of their products are decent and they
come at all different price levels. Sony mobile gear comes at different
price points but it is mostly low-quality. This is unfortunate. Sure maybe
they don't make as much money as Sony but at least they have respectible
mobile products.
Sony should at least make another high-end C90 level deck and processor, but
I doubt it will happen.
Roland M.
---------------------------------
Message 3
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--> XDP4000X-List message posted by: Scott Thibault <tbone7467@yahoo.com>
What is this and is it avail in the US and if not are they thinking about it. My
understanding of the tech is that it is the same as XM radio. is this true or
not.
---------------------------------
Message 4
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| Subject: | Firmware for XDP-4000X ? |
--> XDP4000X-List message posted by: "Paul Chambers" <xdp4000x-list@lists.bod.org>
While I've never actually worked at Sony, I have worked for Philips, and
from what I can tell, they have some of the same failings from a
corporate culture point-of-view. So here's a bit of an 'insider's
perspective'.
Probably what happened is that they lost someone key/senior in the
product planning area (lured away to a competitor, promoted to a more
'mainstream' group within Sony, etc). Often what happens next is that
they dig up some 'seasoned' manager from somewhere else in the
organization, that from the upper management's perspective has 'related
experience'. Trouble is, the upper management is pretty much totally
clueless about how 'related' that experience might be, and because
someone appears to have done well in, say, portable CD players, it
doesn't mean that they're a natural for a completely different market,
like car audio. In upper management's eyes, he has solid experience with
'playback of CDs' in the 'outside the home' market, so he's a perfect
candidate for the job.
They also seem to think that the individual in charge of a group is
largely responsible for the success of that group. So, if they pluck him
out of that group and put him in charge of a completely different group,
working on products for a different market, perhaps in a completely
different culture (multinationals relocate these guys around the world
all the time) and you're bound to see the success repeated, right?
(bzzzt - thank you for playing...)
What happens next is the poor hapless soul can't make any sense of his
new assignment - little is the same as the previous assignment where he
was successful. So he decides that the reason things 'aren't going so
well' (even if they are - if he can't understand it, then it can't be,
from his perspective) is that things are 'not being done the right way'
(i.e. the way he's familiar with, and had been successful with before).
So he starts making changes, usually instituting the methods he's
comfortable with, irrespective of whether they are appropriate to the
products or market segment of his new assignment.
About this time, the people who are really responsible for the success
or failure of the department realize what's going on. The methods
they've been used to to achieve success are thrown out by an individual
trying to assert themselves in a new environment. It isn't long before
the more mobile (i.e. more talented) employees start thinking of a
change of scenery - often to go work for the key guy that left
originally. Before you know it, the department has had a massive
turnover of staff, and has lost much of the competance it has built over
the preceeding years as the talent walks out the door.
I would not be surprised if that's what happened to the car audio group
at Sony. Within a short period of time the whole approach changed -
product marketing, branding, product design, market segmentation and
emphasis, target demographics - the works. My guess is that someone from
the portable audio group (portable CDs, boomboxes, etc) was drafted to
replace whoever had been doing such a good job of guiding their car
audio group up to that point. And 'Xplod' was the result...
Sigh. Don't think it'll be Sony gear in the next car, their competitors
currently have far more desirable products, in my opinion. Just hope
none of my gear fails before then.
Paul
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