Alpine - 7” Android Auto and Apple CarPlay Bluetooth Digital Media Receiver - Black

I have had my eye on this deck for a while now. Coming from an ILX-207, there are significant upgrades compared to what I was used to with that one. While you can read about all the major features that the -507 has, a few things impress me most are what is not mentioned in the specs. 1. The -507 connection speed from power on to hearing Bluetooth music is blazingly quick when compared to the -207. I am finding that it takes less than 10 seconds from turning the key to hearing the music. In my older unit, it cold take 30 seconds or even longer for the Bluetooth to start playing. 2. The MediaXpander button. This option has made such a difference in the sound quality to my ears. My previous Alpine -207 sounded great but this MX feature takes it to a whole new level of clarity and richness that my car didn't have before. 3. There's a subwoofer control slider on the -507 that eliminates the need for an amplifier bass knob. I know rotary knobs are easy enough to dial in the bass as needed but having it on the touch screen (and not somewhere out of sight) makes bass adjustments quick and easy. 4. I don't have it yet, but there is also an optional Bluetooth remote volume/subwoofer knob RUX-H02 which is compatible with the -507. I've read the reviews and realize I must bump the knob before starting the car but I am ok with that. This knob will also completely negate the need for an amp bass knob since it pulls double duty as a volume/bass knob. In closing, you buy the -507 for the HD screen, for the wireless AA/CP and the Alpine sound quality you expect but you get so much more. Yes the touch screen can be finicky when trying to set up each channel of the parametric equalizer but that's really a one time frustration. Other than that, this deck has exceeded my expectations and I am super pleased with my purchase.

The Alpine ILX-507 has some appealing features, but the screen was smaller than anticipated. Given the price, there are other options on the market that offer similar or better value for less. Unfortunately, my experience with the installation service at Best Buy was extremely disappointing. The installer damaged half my speakers, my subwoofer, and even cracked the dashboard panels. They returned the car without mentioning any of these issues, leaving me to discover the damage on my own. Now, I'm having to escalate this situation to a District Director to address the costly repairs needed to fix the installer’s mistakes.

I did a bunch of research when it came to buying the perfect radio. Im so glad i went with this model specifically. I have always been an Alpine fan but im loving this model. And it looks super cool with my double din setup in my 88’ droptop 5.0

Amazing unit! It does it all really well. Kudos to Troy at Plano, TX Best Buy for the flawless install.

I installed this Alpine iLX-507 in my 2002 Toyota Camry and couldn’t be happier with the results! The audio quality turned my 10 year old SPS-619’s into a completely new audio system! I can hear sounds I never heard before with the previous 10 year old bluetooth CD receiver unit that this new CarPlay model replaced! Absolutely fantastic! The screen has no issues whatsoever, bright and clear during the day and AUTOMATICALLY dims at night, thanks to the built in ambient light sensor! This sensor made all the difference for me and was why I went through the trouble of REMOVING the Sony XAV-9000ES that I installed first. This alpine unit took a hit on sound quality and smooth operation compared to the Sony, but the iLX-507 made all the difference because I can still see the display when I drive in bad weather with headlights on DURING THE DAY! Screen stays bright because the iLX-507 does NOT use the illumination wire! Excellent! The microphone works, everyone said they can hear me thus far, so that was great too (the Sony was impossible and never worked). Mic was placed on the steering column, EASY! The only challenges were routing the GPS wire, but that wasn’t too bad once the covers on the driver side were removed. The parking brake wire was a little pain, but very easy with the blue posi tap connector. The Camry is like an erector set, it’s so easy to take apart and put back together, and there are so many videos to help you do it yourself. Parking brake wire was easy to access and route, because I have the center console handle. You might have a more difficult challenge depending on where that wire is for you. Yes, it’s annoying to have to set the parking brake to adjust all the settings, but safety first. You shouldn’t be messing around with settings while driving anyway, that’s how accidents occur. Once the radio is set and you have your phone connected, it’s set, so I haven’t had any major issues with that limitation. Bluetooth automatically connects wirelessly, and starts CarPlay with the WiFi connection, no interaction needed, excellent (though not as fast as the Sony, I’ll admit). You can even connect the stereo to your home’s WiFi to update the firmware if you need to. It’s v6 now and I didn’t have to update as of December 2024. One thing I hope they improve is pausing the music when the mute button is pressed. That’s one thing the Sony did better than the alpine. The alpine just keeps streaming while on mute, so you miss the music when you unmute. I don’t like that, but it is what it is. Maybe alpine will improve it since competitors already got it right. This car stereo is less expensive than the Sony, but practically excellent in all ways with just a little drop in audio quality. Not as crisp as the Sony, but like I said before, I value being able to see the screen at all times of day and in all weather conditions, which was impossible with the Sony unless you installed a switch and did it manually, no thank you! The screen does absorb fingerprints, but when the screen is on, it’s usually no issue unless the sunlight hits it at just the perfect angle. Absolutely no issues with polarized sunglasses for either unit, mine aren’t cheap, but they are polarized and I haven’t had any issues whatsoever, the screen is bright and clear. The alpine screen looks better because it ONLY dims when it is truly dark, which is great for nighttime driving so you aren’t blasted with an extremely bright screen in your face. This is just an excellent head unit from alpine and I can’t wait to see what the community comes up with for EQ and timing settings. I’ll get the time delays set myself with no issue, but hopefully there are some helpful recommendations out there for vehicle specific EQ settings, just like the olden days with the tune it app (very sad that got discontinued, it was the best!). Even without ANY adjustments thus far, right out of the box with all flat settings, the alpine iLX-507 made a NOTICEABLE difference from the 10 year old car stereo that it replaced. It better have for the price paid. If it fits in your car, get this and be glad you did, especially if you want to be able to still see the screen during the day when sun showers are happening and it’s the law to turn on your headlights for safety! Absolutely no worries with this one!