Kenwood DNX9960 eXcelon In-Dash 2-DIN AV Navigation System
| Overall rating: |
|
Wireless remote control included Playback of DVD, DVD-R/RW, DVD+R/RW, VCD, CD, CD-R, CD-RW, MP3, AAC, WAV, and WMA CR-2 tuner with 18FM/6AM presets System Q-EX/System E’s+ sound shaper 3-Band parametric equalizer with 5 preset tone curves 24-Bit digital-to-analog converter iPhone/iPod Audio Video USB Direct Control With Alphabet Search Built-in Bluetooth by Parrot Built-in Advanced Navigation With USA, Canada, Puerto Rico, Alaska, Hawaii Mapping GPS Navigation guidance by Garmin Text-to-speech voice prompts speaks the words that are displayed on the screen Find locations by Browse Map, Go Home, Address, Cities, Intersection, Routes, Coordinates, Phone Number, Recently Found, Favorites, Points-of Interests and more Multiple destination routing allows you to add destination points to the routes you create HD Radio Ready – Kenwood KTC-HR200 required and sold separately SIRIUS or XM Satellite Radio Ready – Kenwood SIRIUS Package or Kenwood XM Package required and sold separately iPod Ready – Kenwood KCA-IP301V required and sold separately Rear USB input – Rear USB port allows connection to portable media devices such as MP3 players / 1 Set of rear AV inputs / 1 Set of rear AV outputs for optional connection external monitor
Features
- In-Dash 2-DIN AV Navigation System
- Dimensions (W x H x L): 0 x 0 x 0 inches
- Weight: 10 pounds
Great HU – Beware of Ads
I had high hopes for the successor to the most excellent DNX9140 (which I own in my pick-up truck). The DNX9960’s new UI is quite slick, and it works really well. Kenwood is shooting for an iPhone-like UI on the main screen. They did a decent job with it. Other than that, the basic features and functions of the stereo, iPod integration, Bluetooth, and navigation system are all identical to the aforementioned 9140…
Except: The “free” NAVTEQ traffic add-on isn’t free. It comes with a catch: advertisements. On the main navigation screen, you will get pop-up ads for local businesses. They are, in my opinion, very tedious, distracting, and bothersome. And there’s no way to disable them other than to disable NAVTEQ.
Consider this point very carefully before purchasing this unit. I really think Kenwood screwed the pooch with this move, and had I known this before hand, I’d have just purchased another 9140 for my car. Caveat Emptor, as the saying goes…
Best Double-Din NAV Flagship choice(.)
I first went with Pioneer’s new Z120BT. The interface was cool looking, but just didn’t work well at all. The sound was poor. The EQ/Crossover capabilities are weak. The NAV was not impressive at all.
Sooo… I returned it and bought the 9960. I love this HU. Update all firmware first. It will fix the reset and other issues. I get some intermittent lag in the interface, but overall it smokes the Pioneer in pretty much every aspect. The second USB is awesome so that you can add a USB stick with uncompressed WAV files.
I haven’t tried the Alpine flagship, but it is feature crippled without adding on their proprietary processor, proprietary rear view camera, etc.
Too many resetting issues, do NOT buy
While I like the iPod integration, as it can be easy to use, this unit has been incredibly problematic. It resets about every fifth on operation, for no apparent reason. When it resets, you have to repogram the radio station presets, settings, etc. It often freezes the connected iPod, which requires it to have battery run down to be reset. Also the unit is slow to respond when touching on screen buttons. The navigation is nice, bluetooth works pretty well, radio and rest of functions work well, but the resetting issues make me give this a poor rating. I followed the Kenwood instructions for updating the software, but that did not work. When I wrote to them asking for help, I have not received any response. I cannot recommend this unit due to its operational issues. After many calls with tech support, which tells me this is not a warranty issue, that the unit resets every day and does not work as advertised, nor can be updated with new firmware, I cannot recommend this unit. Purchase another brand. Kenwood’s customer service and tech support are not helpful nor customer oriented and this unit has way too many flaws.