JVC KW-V950BW Compatible with Apple CarPlay, Wireless Android Auto 2-DIN CD/DVD AV Receiver, High-Resolution Audio

This unit is very user friendly, easy to install, there should be no negative reviews on this unless someone buys the wrong unit, the gps antenna is for time only, if you ground the ground wire to the radio body it bypasses the need to connect to the vehicle breaker sensor

My Initial Overview: I bought this unit about a week ago from a competitor’s website, it shipped to my door for $620.00, that was a bargain. The local electronics store actually recommended the JVC brand for whatever reason over Alpine, even though I have religiously owned many Alpine products for the past 25 years and been very happy with all of them. So, with their advice I researched all of the models JVC offered against the competition and selected this one. Install was fairly easy since I was replacing a JVC KW-V230BT that came in the vehicle. I bought this one for the purpose of using Apple CarPlay. I really thought I would like the fact it has WIFI built in and connects to CarPlay wirelessly this was not the case though. I don't use CD or DVD often, but it is a bonus that it features a disc drive if you wanted that in a head unit. The 5-volt pre out is a nice touch compared to other wireless CarPlay models such as the older Alpine ixl-107 (it is only 2 volt). Screen is a Wide VGA and while not my favorite because it feels like an old computer monitor, does look pretty well in the sunlight. I also have a backup camera on my Hummer H3 and the picture quality looks much improved with this unit.My Concerns Moving Forward: It is worth noting that I had to reach out to tech support / customer service several times because of a few issues, this did not go well at all. JVC might be a reputable company, but their service department is the worst I have ever dealt with and I have been a customer service rep for 30+ years. They were rude and very short with me addressing the issues, in fact the last rep hung on me, triggering a survey of the service I received. After dealing with several different reps and receiving the same poor treatment, I decided despite all of the nice features, JVC apparently did not want my business. Therefore, I began to research Alpine units, I arrived at a deal on Amazon, that not only saved me over $150.00, but also netted me most of the features I had with the JVC and substantially more. I selected a package deal on the Alpine ixl-w650, with the KTA-450 amplifier & Sirius XM Tuner. I purchased the Alpine combo unit therefore, I will be sending back the JVC and don't believe I will be regretting it. This was my experience that I thought I should share, now for a list of the Pros and Cons I discovered.Pros:• Wireless Apple CarPlay & Android Auto (although there is a catch)• 2 USB Ports• 5-Volt Pre-out, CD/DVD Player• Bluetooth connectivity• Minimal Buttons• Multiple Camera Hook UpsCons:• No HD Radio• No Support of iPod Classic (what good is two USB ports other than charging, if I can’t dedicate one to an iPod)• No Dual Volume Controls for Radio vs Phone• Cannot connect to simultaneously to other WIFI connections and use CarPlay (such as your home or hotspot)• Poor Customer Support• Poorly written manual - Example does not specify that in order to set the backup camera guide you will need to engage and disengage the parking brake on and off several times or install a parking brake bypass.• Manual does not specify how to set up the WIFI connection with any detail

Installed in a Jeep Wrangler jku to replace an outdated pioneer AVIC NEX.So far i like it the jvcThe prosVery intuitive interface.. it is much better than pioneer or kenwood. Even if kenwood own jvc, the two are not the same.I really like the VU volume visual effect. This gives a Mcintosh look...I believe only JVC offer this feature.For the Wireless carplay. You need to connect the speed sensor. Once installed you have to start the engine and drive the vehicle few second to activate the wiresless carplay. Otherwise it's going to pop an error saying your speed sensor isn't connected.But don't worry, The next time you get in your vehicle, wireless carplay is going to work...With wired carplay stereo (like the pioneer) you have to plug your phone which make it easy to leave your phone in the vehicle..pretty annoying.. now with wireless, you phone stays on you.. impossible to leave your car without your phone.Now The cons:I noticed that the microphone isn't sensitive enough. During a phone call It seems you have to speak just a slight bit louder for the person to hear. The mic was installed on the same spot the pioneer mic was. I couldn't use the pioneer mic because the mic jack isn't the same.The mini stand/clip for the mic is also not as good as the pioneer one. So i used the pioneer one instead.Because this is a Jeep wrangler, a wrangler being a convertible, you need one hell of a good mic especially if you remove the top. I doubt the jvc mic is up for the job.But again, so was the pioneer mic.. people couldn't hear me while i was driving with the jeep top down.Screen, i personnaly don't like resistive screen. My pioneer avic nex was also a resistive and was like 5 years old, i was expecting capacitive screen in 2020. Sadly this unit still use primitive resistive screen. But atleast this JVC 6.8 screen is better than older pioneer double din that were released before 2017...it is true, with direct sunlight on the screen, it's a little difficult to see what is on the screen. But if the sunlight isn't hitting directly the screen, you can see clearly...even during daytime.When it's cloudy or at night, the screen is almost capacitive look like (like an ipad mini) except it is resistive.It is responsive enough too. I did not notice any lag. It is definately more responsive than my 5 years old pioneer avic nex and also faster than some 2 years old equivalent kenwood i've tested. Browsing maps under waze or magic earth was a breeze.Backup camera come up fast too. Once you turn the ignition key and put into reverse, the backup camera will come up right away on the screen...no loading timeOn the pioneer avic nex, which was a much more expensive unit, i had to wait a little longer for the rear cam to go live when starting the engine.On this JVC it is instantaneously. When temperature is bellow freezing, reverse also pops right away. On the pioneer i had to wait for the car to warm up for the rear cam to come up..Sound qualityWell, the sound is acceptable.. but not as good as the pioneer. I don't know what dac chip the JVC uses but sound quality isn't that great but still acceptable for a car stereo...better that factory radio.. but not wow either.You will need to play with the equalizer to get a better sound. Even their pressets are terrible. Vocals are just too sharp on the JVC. And the Bass isn't deep enough.JVC need to look for a better DAC for their next model. (Something like The ESS Sabre)..There are two usb inputs.. im using one to powerup the front camera and one to read the music usb stick.Since its a wireless carplay you can use the usb for somethingbelse.. if i need to charge the phone i can just use a 12volt to usb outlet. You gona love wireless carplay.I couldn't tet the gauge obd2, because i lost the obd2 wire.. but once i get another one, ill update this review.. but apparently there is a gauge feature if you have a meastro idata link.. which i do.The reason i got this unit is because you get more features for the money than the other...Pioneer support is also very terrible and expensive.. i didn't want to encourage pioneer again so I went for JVC.I have no clue how JVC support is as my unit is working. I'll update this review if necessary.I do recommend this JVC if you're looking for wireless Carplay. What i like the most is the VU meter..

The radio is great. Few things I've noticed that aren't a deal breaker:Radio reception isn't as good as other radios or even the OEM radioConnecting multiple phones is pretty good but can mess up once in a whileCustomization seems lacking (no rgb, custom icon placement)But the complete deal breaker for me was the screen. It's by far the worst screen I've ever used in any radio. It's worse than awful. There is absolutely no anti glare coating on the screen so there's a good chance you're not going to be able to see it during the day. Secondly, it reflects light so much that if the sun hits the screen, it's so bright and will actually blind you.At $600, JVC could have used a capacitive touchscreen or at the very least used an anti glare screen.B for radio, F for screen. Overall, I would not recommend or buy this again unless you only drive at night.