Kenwood Excelon DNX8120
Written: May 25 '08 (Updated May 25 '08)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: No compromises. Everything and the kitchen sink is ON BOARD and adjustable. Excellent Fidelity.
Cons: Early iPods are not compatible. The iPod touch does not do video. Watch compatibility.
The Bottom Line: A definite buy! No other brand comes close to the features and fidelity that this unit has to offer. Its really a no compromise unit.
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| mrprism's Full Review: Kenwood DNX8120 Car GPS Receiver |
I have been driving for the past 21 years or so. Within that time period, I'd say there was approx. four years that passed where I didn't have some sort of entertainment system installed. As time progressed, and being exposed to some very good products and some bad ones, I saw the value of purchasing the best components I could afford. You may recognize some of these names: ADS, Alpine, Audiocontrol, Boston Acoustics, Infinity, JL Audio, Kenwood, just to name a few. Recently, I was having a problem with the interface between my Alpine head unit, Alpine CD changer and Sirius receiver. To make a long story short, after several calls to Alpine USA, and replacing several items, (including the expensive head unit at my expense) the problem remained. The local Alpine dealer was having delays getting product from Alpine, and the confirmed problem item (Alpine KCA-SC100) was on back order. I bought a replacement KCA box from Best Buy but the new one was bad. (Dealer confirmed) Then 2 exchanges were made from Best Buy and both KCA boxes were bad.(Dealer confirmed) They blamed the problem on a bad batch, but I've heard Alpine and Sirius have had compatibility issues. At this point I was done with Alpine, and will no longer buy their products. I was so mad, I ripped out the new Alpine deck (Alpine CDA-9886) and changer. I felt that for all this trouble, I needed to treat myself to an upgrade. Boy am I happy I did.
Hello Kenwood DNX8120!! This thing is Awesome! I guess I was lulled into complacency and always thought Alpine was the best. Boy was I wrong! There is nothing wrong with expecting VALUE for your dollar in addition to excellent fidelity. Forget about lining the manufacturers pockets by needing extra boxes and adapters along with the spaghetti mess of wires that go with it. The DNX8120 has just about everything you could want BUILT IN! This makes installation much simpler than most. I installed my 8120 into my Mountaineer in my home driveway in about three hours. The hardest part was running the Navigation antenna and hands free mic cables. Once I was up and running, setup was a breeze and the included manuals are very informative and complete. The 8120's on board Bluetooth is made by Parrot, one of the leading bluetooth interface companies. I was able to sync with and download my cellphones phone book on the first try. The user interface is very intuitive, and I was able to place a call without reading the manual! The included (BUILT IN) navigation is by Garmin. What else needs to be said its GARMIN! Nothing like having the most popular and easy to use GPS Nav company include their system into this unit! I had to buy one cable to be able to watch video from my iPod. If it wasn't for the video, I would not have needed the cable. There is nothing like taking a whole library of music and TV shows with you on a trip, and being able to control and watch them from your iPod at high speed! Amazing! Most other companies skimp somewhere, not Kenwood however. They have seven (thats right 7) RCA outputs. The 7th one is for a center channel! Full Dolby surround sound anyone? By the way, all those RCA's are a full 5 volt output for high volume levels with NO noise at low levels. For comparison Alpine's top of the line 505 DVD player has only 6 RCA outputs with a piddly voltage level of 2 volts. The audio setup with the 8120 is fully customizable with user adjustable crossover points for all channels along with full system equalization. Some other brands give you alot of features but lack adjustability and fidelity while others give you the fidelity but are sparse on features and make you purchase add on items.
If you are looking for the best of everything, this unit gives it ALL to you. The Kenwood Excelon DNX8120 has shown me you don't have to make compromises and I do deserve more for my money!
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
mrprism
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Reviews written: 2
Trusted by: 1 member
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