Kenwood or Pioneer? All In One Double DIN Unit

[travelguy2500]

I just put a kenwood DNX571TR unit in my 2012 E350 and am very happy with it. Other posters are correct that Nav takes a few to boot (though my unit is new and only takes 10-15 seconds) and camera, etc work immediately. I pull a trailer so got the unit that has Nav specialized for trucks/trailers. Took awhile how to figure out how to subscribe to the traffic service (lifetime) but now that it's done, it works well.

[sierraskier]

Time-out Darryl this changes things...

I have been researching both the Kenwood and Pioneer units. As you know Kenwood uses the well-respected Garmin maps/GPS for their Nav units who also offers other map options like these:
http://www.garmin.com/en-US/maps/outdoor, so I thought maybe I can buy the Topo or Ariel option and download to head unit using that SD slot. I called Crutchfield who didn't know, so then I actually called Garmin directly about it, who told me that Kenwood keeps the units locked down fairly tight and doesn't allow that feature.

So I had gone off to looking at the option of mirroring an app like Gaia on the phone instead of in-dash Nav. But you're telling me you CAN in fact download other Garmin maps to the Kenwood unit? That is huge. Curious, where did you get the Backroads map SD card? You can use any Garmin-compatible card? I.e., a card for another device like a Garmin handheld?

Thanks for the info, hoping this could be the solution I'm looking for!

Originally Posted by depark

Serriaskier,

Now onto the question of off-road maps. This was a huge surprise to me and a happy one at that. Because this is a navigation deck running Garmin a really cool feature is that you can plug in any Garmin compatible Micro SD card and use it directly on the deck. I have a Backroads Map card for British Columbia and it works awesomely. The deck runs it just like my stand alone GPS. No issues what so ever. No need to mirror anything. It is nice to see the map on the larger (6.2") screen as opposed to my 4" GPS.

This will definitely fit the bill however be prepared to pay for it. The deck, backup camera and Sat radio kit add up really fast. I spent $1550 for the whole setup. At least for me it is worth it.
Cheers
Darryl

[depark]

Originally Posted by sierraskier

So I had gone off to looking at the option of mirroring an app like Gaia on the phone instead of in-dash Nav. But you're telling me you CAN in fact download other Garmin maps to the Kenwood unit? That is huge. Curious, where did you get the Backroads map SD card? You can use any Garmin-compatible card? I.e., a card for another device like a Garmin handheld?

Thanks for the info, hoping this could be the solution I'm looking for!

I was really stoked when the installer said to try it. To our surprise it booted up strait away and was displaying the topo map in seconds. Backroads maps are for Canada only, sorry about that. My understanding is that any Garmin compatible SD card map that will work in a Garmin unit (Handheld or other) should work in the new Kenwood navigation decks. I can try to find someone here that has a different map card to verify that it is indeed true. You mentioned downloading a Garmin map, I don't think that will work. Only a ready made map chip will work. Give me the weekend to see what I can find out.

Cheers
Darryl

[rionapo]

Chiming in here. Our prior Kenwood (6990HD) failed in April (2 months after the extended warranty) and we replaced it with the DNN991HD. It's gone now, replaced with the DNX892. The 991 had terrible glare, thanks to its glass surface I imagine, required a user account and a login (sorry, Kenwood, you don't get to know who I am along with what I'm doing), and had abominable programming for its controls. For example, to change the angle on the tilt screen you had to press 5 buttons and do one swipe--all on a screen you couldn't see because of glare and fingerprints. I did like the fact that it could create a WiFi network but that was one bright spot in an overly expensive unit filled with crapware. I mean, do you really want to look at Gmail in your in-dash unit?

The 892 is a more modest unit. Its matte screen is much more forgiving, common controls are easier to access, there is a time display on most screens and the rear view camera has guiding lines. You can't change icons from one screen to another, so Sirius is on screen two and Pandora is on screen one but I guess Sirius wasn't willing to buy page one placement. The GPS shows less info than other Kenwood-Garmin units but it works. While its interface is simpler than any of the Kenwood Excelons we've gone through, it's still a long cry from user friendly. In the end, it will do.

Don

[sierraskier]

That's awesome. So I called Kenwood and Garmin again today to see what I could find out. Kenwood support says absolutely not, units are locked down to provide automotive street maps only. Garmin supports says all Garmin units are open and can share maps, but Kenwood requested a limited version of the nav from Garmin which they lock down HOWEVER... they have heard of some customers who have gotten other maps to work, and they've heard of other customers who haven't on same model units. So Garmin says official word comes from Kenwood as they own the unit and the firmware update. But there is hope...

I need to dig a little more into the Garmin-compatible SD map cards to see which ones might be interesting for Western US.

Thanks!

Originally Posted by depark

I was really stoked when the installer said to try it. To our surprise it booted up strait away and was displaying the topo map in seconds. Backroads maps are for Canada only, sorry about that. My understanding is that any Garmin compatible SD card map that will work in a Garmin unit (Handheld or other) should work in the new Kenwood navigation decks. I can try to find someone here that has a different map card to verify that it is indeed true. You mentioned downloading a Garmin map, I don't think that will work. Only a ready made map chip will work. Give me the weekend to see what I can find out.

Cheers
Darryl

[skyrat]

Originally Posted by sierraskier

Hi skyrat,

I've been following this and wanted to revive this thread and get an update from you to see how happy you are with the new head unit. I've been researching the same thing, specifically the iPhone integration, and how good or bad it really is. I've been looking at the Pioneer 4100NEX - my primary goal (among some other things) is to be able to get off-road maps when not in cell range, which means using a 3rd party app like Gaia or MotionX, pre-downloading maps and then mirroring to the larger double-din screen.

I also want bluetooth and sat radio, which are pretty standard for any modern head unit. Only problem is, from what I can tell, iPhone integration (Apple CarPlay, AppRadio, etc...) is marginal at best on current head units. CarPlay seems very simple/limited and only works with Apple apps, and it APPEARS with mirroring all you can get is viewing - not necessarily interaction with the phone/apps.

Thanks!

I really love the head unit. I must confess that I have not tried to do the full integration yet. We have it wired up, have the apple digital video adapter but have not yet gone down that road. Yesterday finished installing the 17" overhead monitor. The monitor image quality is just ok, but the integration with the head unit is great!
Curious what your experience has been with the Kenwood.

[depark]

Originally Posted by rionapo

The 892 is a more modest unit. Its matte screen is much more forgiving, common controls are easier to access, there is a time display on most screens and the rear view camera has guiding lines. You can't change icons from one screen to another, so Sirius is on screen two and Pandora is on screen one but I guess Sirius wasn't willing to buy page one placement.

Hi rionapo
Just a couple things to add. The grid lines on both the 892 and 692 are fully adjustable and can be turned on or off. The icons can be moved around and from page to page. I watched the installer do it. It is also listed on page 16 of the manual. You can arrange the position of the sourse icons as you like. Here is how. 1. Touch and hold the icon which you want to move to go into the customizing mode. 2. Drag it where you want to move. That's it. Hope it helps and I also hope that this deck works better than the last ones.

Originally Posted by sierraskier

That's awesome. So I called Kenwood and Garmin again today to see what I could find out. Kenwood support says absolutely not, units are locked down to provide automotive street maps only. Garmin supports says all Garmin units are open and can share maps, but Kenwood requested a limited version of the nav from Garmin which they lock down HOWEVER... they have heard of some customers who have gotten other maps to work, and they've heard of other customers who haven't on same model units. So Garmin says official word comes from Kenwood as they own the unit and the firmware update. But there is hope...

I need to dig a little more into the Garmin-compatible SD map cards to see which ones might be interesting for Western US.

Thanks!

serriaskier,
I can now confirm that a Garmin compatible card will work. I tried a topo map and it worked fine. I also stopped at the installers and talked to another tech and he also said that the guys in the oilfield in Alberta are getting these because their maps work in these decks. I will say I don't know if there are differences between Canadian and US versions. I wouldn't think so but I don't know.

I hope this helps both of you.
Cheers
Darryl

[sierraskier]

That's good news Darryl. I'm still a little concerned that the US units might ship with different firmware but I'm going with it anyway. There's still enough other upgrades to justify it and if I can get other the maps to work then it's a home run. I'm also having the shop do sound deadening on the entire cockpit while I have it in there. I'll report back on the results of it all in a few weeks.

Thanks again!

Kendall

Originally Posted by depark

serriaskier,
I can now confirm that a Garmin compatible card will work. I tried a topo map and it worked fine. I also stopped at the installers and talked to another tech and he also said that the guys in the oilfield in Alberta are getting these because their maps work in these decks. I will say I don't know if there are differences between Canadian and US versions. I wouldn't think so but I don't know.

I hope this helps both of you.
Cheers
Darryl

[rionapo]

Originally Posted by depark

Hi rionapo
Just a couple things to add. The grid lines on both the 892 and 692 are fully adjustable and can be turned on or off. The icons can be moved around and from page to page. I watched the installer do it. It is also listed on page 16 of the manual. You can arrange the position of the sourse icons as you like. Here is how. 1. Touch and hold the icon which you want to move to go into the customizing mode. 2. Drag it where you want to move. That's it. Hope it helps and I also hope that this deck works better than the last ones.
Cheers
Darryl

Finally got the icons to move though I can't say what is different between the times it works and doesn't. Going to try a map update next; may take the topo plunge after that. It would be nice if out worked.

Don

[CapitalE]

[/quote]
I really love the head unit. I must confess that I have not tried to do the full integration yet. We have it wired up, have the apple digital video adapter but have not yet gone down that road. Yesterday finished installing the 17" overhead monitor. The monitor image quality is just ok, but the integration with the head unit is great!
Curious what your experience has been with the Kenwood.[/quote]


I'd love more info and pics on the overhead monitor