Retailer Joe Oetjen of Xclusive Autosound, IL has been producing dash kits exclusively for Sony XAV-AX8500 and XAV-9500ES 10.1-inch radios since January 2024 under the brand Prolific Audio.
The kits let you reconfigure the Sony XAV-AX8500 and XAV-9500ES 10.1-inch radios so they can be mounted in dashboards, including shallower dashboards that are not full depth. Instead of floating in front of the dash, the screens mount to a mounting plate (provided) and screw into the dash itself.
The kits allow dealers to separate the radio screen via ribbon cables and mount the control module separately from the 10.1″ screen.
All in all, they provide an OEM appearance for the radio mount.
Prolific sells nine different vehicle specific kits that work with the Jeep Wranger JL, Jeep Wrangler JK, Ford F150, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Chevy Silverado, GMC Sierra, Chevy Tahoe, and two generations of RAM trucks. It also sells a chassis conversion kit to convert standard depth 6- or 7-inch radios such as the XAV-AX3700, XAV-AX4000, XAV-AX6000 and XAV-9000ES to a mounting depth of less than 3-inches.
All kits except the Jeep JK kit are designed so there is no need for any permanent dash-cutting modifications. Oetjen says this allows an easy upsell for higher end customers who are happy to learn that their dashboard’s inner structure will be kept intact. And dealers get a quicker install.
On average the kits can be installed in an hour. The more complicated Jeep JL kit will take about 2 hours to install, Oetjin said.
Prolific Audio sells to both dealers and consumers. If consumers buy a kit, they must also purchase the Sony deck from Prolific. Retailers get installation instructions via video.
Oetjen launched Prolific Audio because his customers were asking for factory fit solutions for the Sony floating radios. “I have an engineering background and have been pretty prominent in 3D scanning, CAD design, and 3D printing. But it was too expensive to make them one off. I needed to find a way to support my customers and not charge $6,000 in labor, so this came about,” said Oetjen.
The kits are laser scanned to fit within much less than the width of a human hair, he said.
As for Oetjen’s retail shop Xclusive Audio in Belleville, IL, he describes it as a mid-end store that caters mainly to a nearby military base. It started 25 years ago, with just Oetjen and now includes three other employees. Brands carried include Sony, Memphis, KENWOOD, Alpine, Arc Audio and JBL.
The fitment of these kits is amazing.
Great job Joe!