Kenwood DNR1007XR in E-350

[ScrapIron]

Wrecked another radio so i went to Upullit and snagged a stock radio which i have been using for 2 months until i was able to set aside enough cabbage for the new stereo system. Finally picked up the new Kenwood DNR1007XR with Garmin Navigation.

I knew the unit would fit the dash but wasnt certain if there would be difficulties with covered heater controls or AC vents etc.....

Installed two new Kicker 6x8 speakers in the doors because the driver door speaker crapped out months ago as well. Everything installed fairly easily including the Kenwood propriatary dash camera and reverse camera.

Tomorrow im going to hook the reverse camera to a toggle switch instead of the reverse lights so i can turn it on even if im not in reverse.

Overall its a great system, sound is fantastic and the display is crisp and clear. User interface is pretty simple to figure out if your familiar with aftermarket stereos.

[Steve Hunt]

How does the stereo mount? love to see a pic from the side/rear as best as possible. We were just talking about needing to ditch the factory radio the other day.

I also saw dash panels like you have and thought about that too but can't find the link I had. Do you recall were you got that one or the name brand?

Thanks

[Steve Hunt]

Originally Posted by Steve Hunt

How does the stereo mount? love to see a pic from the side/rear as best as possible. We were just talking about needing to ditch the factory radio the other day.

I also saw dash panels like you have and thought about that too but can't find the link I had. Do you recall were you got that one or the name brand?

Thanks

Ahh, found a pic at Crutchfield that shows a side view un-installed...interesting.

[Steve C]

Yet another upgrade I've been thinking about... Would be interested in knowing more about the dash and rearview cams. Are these hard wired or blue tooth and where/how did you mount them?

Thanks! -steve-

[ScrapIron]

The dash cam i have is the Kenwood DRV-N520 and the rear view is the Kenwood CMOS-230. The dash cam plugs into the Kenwood stereo directly and is specific to only the Kenwood high end stereos. It also has two power wires one of which must be connected to a power wire that is on-off with the ignition and the other must be hot all the time, then of course it has a ground wire.

I cant stress enough, if you buy a kenwood stereo and this camera system make sure the stereo you are buying has the camera plug jack on the back. Only the high end Kenwoods have the correct jack for these cameras.

The reverse camera plugs into the RCA jack on the stereo and has one hot wire and one ground.

The dash cam is quite advanced, it will warn you if you get to close to another vehicle and other advanced features. The only drawback is that it doesnt have its own little screen, it is displayed thru the stereo head unit on the screen. It has an impact detector so it will record an accident, it also has motion detection so if someone walks past the truck when its parked and you are in bed it will start recording, lots of cool little features.
https://www.kenwood.com/usa/car/dash...mera/drv-n520/
https://www.kenwood.com/usa/car/navi...cmos/#CMOS-230

It looks like Kenwood has released a more advanced unit that looks the same as the one i have, but it has higher resolution.

The DNR1007XR stereo mounts like any other 2din stereo.
https://www.kenwood.com/usa/car/excelon/dnr1007xr/

I mounted the dash cam directly below the rear view mirror and routed the wires above the headliner and down the windshield pilar down behind the dash.

Steve Hunt, i can not recall which company i ordered the dash panel from. I bought it a few years back, all i recall is i had a heck of a time with them. It took nearly two months before the kit finally showed up.

Anyways, be warned none of these components are cheap in terms of cost. The stereo was $2000, the dash camera was around $250. I purchased this specific unit for the large screen and the Garmin Navigation. I have a seperate Garmin unit that sticks on the windshield but i absolutely hate it, its constantly falling off the windshield plus it blocks your field of vision being so large. With this large display stereo system i no longer need to have that thing stuck on my windshield.

[BrianW]

Did you install component speakers in the front doors? I did Kicker component speakers in mine and having the tweeters up on the sail panels made a big difference. I have pics here in a thread somewhere if you do a search.

[ScrapIron]

I installed the Kicker KS series in mine.
https://www.bestbuy.com/site/kicker-...?skuId=6406590

With the utilities that are in this Kenwood DNR1007XR, a person doesnt really need component speakers. This head unit is capable of making the ones i have sound like a concert hall. Once i hook it to the four speakers in the back it will be far more than what i need.

My reasons for buying this specific unit.....,

#1- I needed to move the screen and control buttons out away from the dash to avoid my Dogs slobber dripping on the screen and buttons.

#2- I wanted the Garmin Navigation built in.

#3- I wanted the larger HiDef screen for ease of viewing while driving. I absolutely can not stand having a garmin Nav unit stuck on the windshield.

My goal was to get a system that is reliable, has Nav, minimizes the dog slobber ordeal, and sounds nice. My goal isnt to rattle the doors or blast music to everyone within a city block radius like some of the people around here do. 90% of the time i listen to talk radio and news channels rather than music.

This is the third Kenwood stereo i have installed in this rig, counting the junk yard stereo i purchased to get by temporarily, its actually four stereos. My big dog is really hard on stereos cuz he likes to ride with his front feet up on the dash and his slobber tends to dribble down the front of the stereo eventually causing issues. With this unit it moves the screen and buttons out away from the dash so his drool wont seep in behind the control buttons and screen. Obviously when he is standing on the dash he gets hot from the sun blasting in the windshield. Does anyone else have a dog that has to be right up on the dash watching everything?

Interesting development. I discovered i can connect via bluetooth to the stereo using my Ipad Mini 6. I installed the kenwood apps and now i can control the stereo using the remote app if im laying down in the back and to lazy to get up. Theres also other Kenwood apps available to tranfer pictures from your phone or ipad to the stereo. Theres an app to configure and control the dash camera as well.

Its all new to me so my knowledge is limited at this point. Im learning as i go. Heres a picture of my Ipad mini using the remote app. It shows what songs playing, if its on AM or FM, volume controls, mute control, etc....

My rig is a Chinook RV so it has the stereo in the dash and a seperate stereo in the back. Now i think im going to just remove the stereo in the back to cut down on clutter, then i will connect its 4 existing speakers to the new dash stereo and just use the Ipad to control it when im in the back.

[wander]

I thought about getting that for my van. Like you, I was concerned about it covering the fan controls and vents. I also wanted the Garmin nav system and ended up getting a DNX997XR. I must say, it looks good in your van. Congrats!

[ScrapIron]

I would have prefered to buy a unit like yours, but they just dont hold up with dog slobber. The slobber eventually gets in behind the screen and buttons then they quit working.

It seemed like i was buying a new stereo every year. I have never spent this kind of money on a stereo for a vehicle in my life so i hope this thing solves that issue and holds up better long term.