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Vais Tech SoundLinQ (SLX) Installed.

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Audio and Electronics' started by BobR, Mar 24, 2006.

  1. BobR

    BobR Member

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    I installed the Vais Tech SoundLinQ (SLX) in my 2005, Non Nav/JBL Prius. It can emulate the factory Satellite Receiver, CD Changer or MD Changer. It works with the Terk XMDirect XMD1000 box. The going rate for the XMDirect box is $50 with a $30 rebate from XM. I saw them on sale for much less.

    I still have to transfer my current XM radio subscription, so the pictures are of the preview channel, but you can see how many characters are displayed.

    This is option to being limited to 10 Characters using the Solara radio.

    http://homepage.mac.com/brusso/PriusRadio/PhotoAlbum46.html

    I’ll report back when I’ve used it for a week.
     
    #1 BobR, Mar 24, 2006
  2. mrbigh

    mrbigh Prius Absolutum Dominium

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    my question is what type of interface are you using to interconnect the XM receiver to the Vais and also, is Vais providing the interface to the Prius CD/Radio as an extra accesorie? I have the CoastalTech XM radio version and really don't like the limitation of 10 characters on the display. Now if my "stock" XM can be connected to the Vais with better display information, that could be a winner for me! Besides that, my XM receiver works great and I get a rock solid reception.;)
     
    #2 mrbigh, Mar 26, 2006
  3. BobR

    BobR Member

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    [/quote]

    The SLX connects to the back of the radio like the Factory XM Radio and to the Terk XMDirect. It is not an extra accessory for the Factory XM. This would be a very expensive box to simply allow for 6 extra characters.
    This would be instead of or to replace the factory XM Radio. If someone has Sirius and also wants XM, this can be connected to emulate a MD or CD Changer to allow for both.

    This is simply another XM Radio Option for a Prius owner. One that displays the full set of characters sent by XM.
     
    #3 BobR, Mar 27, 2006
  4. BobR

    BobR Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(BobR @ Mar 24 2006, 03:23 PM) [snapback]229610[/snapback]</div>
    I thought I'd report back about the SLX.

    This is a great alternative to the factory Solara radio. It has performed flawlessly since I installed it. The sound quality appears to be equal to that of the Solara unit but with the added option to be able to adjust the input level if needed.
    The 16 Characters are really nice. I'm not saying junk your factory system if you already have XM, but if you are considering getting XM, those extra six characters are really nice.
    From everything I read; XMDirect only supports 2 lines with 16 characters per-line.
    I read ads that would state "32-character support." I don't know if this is a limitation of XM or the XM Direct, but I hope this isn't the case with the new factory XM radio that is rumored to have 32-character support.

    The Antenna is much smaller and I get much better reception. I know the factory XM antenna can be updated, but should be added into the overall cost of the system.

    The only negative thing I can say about the system is that when the car and radio is first powered on, there is a "loading" screen that comes up. It is only when the car is started and it only lasts about 5 seconds. It was hard to take a good picture of it because it happens so quickly.

    Here are some pictures of it in action:
    http://homepage.mac.com/brusso/PriusRadio/PhotoAlbum49.html
     
    #4 BobR, May 2, 2006
  5. JimboK

    JimboK One owner, low mileage

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    First off, I have to say "thanks" to BobR for alerting me to this option.

    I've been making do with a Roady XT with FM modulation since I bought my car a year ago. Adequate, but with sound quality noticeably inferior to CDs. Meanwhile I've been sitting on the sidelines for an integrated XM unit. This was mainly because of pacing myself with mods and accessories, and focusing on those I've considered higher priority. But I also hesitated because of the 10-character limitation that seemed to be universal. As an XM subscriber of several years, I've grown quite accustomed to a larger display.

    Then I stumbled upon Bob's mention of the Vais unit in another thread a couple of months ago. Still pacing myself, I held off until he later alerted me to a group buy from Vais. That was enough to move me to buy - a Christmas present to me! I installed it and the XM Direct tuner last night, and I am very pleased with the end product. No more Roady XT cluttering the dash, great sound quality (comparable to CDs), controls integrated into the MFD ... and 16 characters.

    I should mention an issue that surfaced during an earlier, aborted installation attempt. Not wanting to spend time doing it myself, I first took it to Circuit City. They never could get it working, getting a "Tuner Error" message (or something like that) on the MFD, even after trying a second XM Direct unit. I tried to call Vais on the spot to see if there was an easy fix, but got only a voice mail. So not knowing whether their unit was defective, I had Circuit City put everything back together without the Vais or XM units.

    Vais returned my call later that evening, explaining why no one answered originally: They are in the Denver area, and this was the day after Denver's first blizzard this month. Given that, I give them credit for even returning my call the same day. Anyway, they promptly said that error message indicates a faulty cable. They shipped a replacement via 2nd day air.

    Circuit City had charged me for their time (understandable, given that the problem wasn't theirs). I didn't want to pay for another potential false start, so I decided to do it myself the second time. The replacement cable did the trick, and the rest is history, as they say. I was disappointed to pay for the aborted installation attempt, but I am pleased with Vais' response given the circumstances.

    So Bob, again, my thanks to you. And for satellite radio users, I agree with Bob that this is a great option.
     
    #5 JimboK, Dec 31, 2006
  6. BobR

    BobR Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(JimboK @ Dec 31 2006, 01:49 PM) [snapback]368982[/snapback]</div>

    This is great to hear. I'm very happy with my SLX and SLI.

    The only time I had to deal with the Vais Customer service was when I had the firmware upgraded on my original AIC-100i. It was fantastic. They did it very quickly and even paid for the two day return shipping.

    Bob
     
    #6 BobR, Jan 2, 2007
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