V**C
Good unit but consider a couple of things -
Did research on this unit and saw it in a local store on a display liked it and got a great deal on Amazon. Installed in a 2003 Toyota Sequoia SR5 with JBL Premium sound system. Was not a lot of info on the 2003 system and compatibility but after lengthy trail and error and elbow grease I can say this unit works as advertised. Speakers in the 2003 Sequoia are 2 ohm. However, front 6 speakers ( 3 in each door) are wired in series and driven directly from the amp. A 4 ohm speaker will work just fine in the front door panels. I wired the unit using the pre amps into a Metra 70-8113 harness that fed the stock JBL amp. I also replaced the door speakers with some pioneer speakers and am happy with the sound. As for the KW DNX571 - it has great features but lacks some key buttons that are sorely missed. For example - I installed Sirius XM SXV200v1 module for XM radio. Switching sources (XM to DVD to HD raido etc) is easy p one touch of the screen. However, changing the EQ settings for those different sources - not so much. You have to navigate into the menu and it takes three touches to get there then another two to select.change the settings - depending on what you want to adjust. There should be either a button or a touch prompt on each source screen that allows an instant change/menu to adjust the EQ for each source instead of having to go back thru the menu maze. At first this seemed OK - but after using the unit for two weeks, its quite annoying. The higher end models have a quick access audio adjust button - a worthwhile feature. The navigation unit works pretty good but I like to see where I need to go before the machine tells me to turn - I much prefer the google map navigation on the I-phone. As for the Blue tooth - I have not tried this yet as my wife drives the car a LOT and haven't had a chance to couple the phones. One other annoyance is that the power antenna hookup logic is such that whenever the radio is turned on, the antenna always comes up and stays up whenever the unit is powered on unlike the stock unit where the antenna is only up when the radio source is selected. The illumination wire must be hooked into a light circuit, downstream of the the car parking/headlight switch. Tying it into the actual dash board dimmer circuit will not work. All dimming takes place within the unit and in a manner you pre-select. A simple design would have been to simply base it on voltage like the rest of the dash but instead, you hold the menu key (soft) down for like 3 secs and the dimming menu will appear. Adjust the lighting for dimmed and daylight then select SYNC. Unit will then dim automatically when the lights are turned on IF the illumination wire is tied into the parking light circuit of the vehicle. Setting this feature is not in the manual supplied with the unit - I learned this from another reviewer's comments. The wiring diagram is OK but could use a lot more clarification and expansion. Having the vehicle's wiring diagram is a must if you want to get all the features of this unit. Overall, I rank it a high 4 - it takes a hit for documentation, lack of quick key select buttons /touch button audio adjustment and for the antenna power design logic. I wish I had spent an extra $50-$60 bucks and gotten an 890 or similar. As for the slow start - yes - it takes what seems like a lifetime to turn on when you first turn it on - but after a couple of weeks, you get used to it. It doesn't seem slow as some reviews mentioned, but it is not as crispy responsive as my Iphone 5 either. All in all, this is a great radio. My wife absolutely loves it and after all, that's what counts. I would recommend it with the caveats listed above.
D**Z
Nice But, NOT Worth the Cost
Mixed feelings about this unit. It's slow, VERY slow to start but, once it does I don't notice any delay. Setting up the IPod control was a challenge, the person at Kenwood who said "yeah, that's a good idea" when reviewing the initial setup that requires you to specify how audio will be delivered should be fired. I get why you need to specify delivery (Bluetooth, lightning, HDMI, etc) but, it's unacceptable that isn't spelled out on page one in bold. For days I thought my unit was broken because I got data but, no audio. While we are on the subject of the IPod, the interface is a train wreck. I routinely have to resort to my IPhone because the Kenwood controls go off into the weeds. I also find it irritating that if I'm navigating the IPod and the song changes it immediately takes me back to the track art and I have to start all over. I very much like how you can customize the UI, you can easily slide "tiles" to suite your preference and it's nice how you can match the color to your display.The Garmin navigation is accurate and fast. I was disappointed that it completely stops audio playback when the navigator has something to say, that gets pretty irritating when you are approaching a turn and the music stops, starts, stops, starts. The voice is also pretty cold and matter of fact, I think they could have done better. I really like the POI search, it does a great job finding stuff even when I spell it incorrectly.My last complaint is with the Pandora interface. I keep having to confirm on my IPhone that it's okay for the Kenwood to control Pandora. One and done Kenwood, having to confirm this all the time is irritating and obnoxious. If it is possible to do, I didn't see it in the manual which is online only....I have to bring my laptop with me to the car or keep going back and forth.Long story short, the unit meets my needs and is much better than the stock unit in my VW Tiguan. I paired this with a Maestro unit (cannot say enough good about that product) and it's amazing. I think that the quirks this unit brings to the table are probably not present in a competing unit and I'd suggest looking elsewhere at this price.
Trustpilot
2 days ago
4 days ago