In with the new, out with the....new

[nevrdun]

A couple weeks ago I picked up JVC's new El Kameleon deck.

http://mobile.jvc.com/product.jsp?modelId=MODL028305&pathId=143&page=1

Very cool wow factor, not so much practicality. It had some innovative things like proximity sensor, touch screen, glossy black buttonless screen and 3.5" monitor in a single din unit. The second you touch the screen to turn it up...scratched. Done. Wont buff out. Screwed. :mad: The built in Bluetooth works terribly with the mic built into the faceplate. Soooo......

http://www.kenwoodusa.com/Images/Cache/747_800_505.jpg

http://www.kenwoodusa.com/Images/Cache/747_800_505.jpg

Since I work at a stereo shop I swap it out for a different deck, cause thats just how that works. :wink:

Back to Kenwood. I shouldnt have strayed away. DDX812 6.95" double din touch screen with 5.0V unclipped outputs, Builtin Bluetooth with ext. mic with great noise rejection, customizable screen and menus, 11 band eq, time alignment and relay controls that are adjustable between pulsed and latching so you could turn on fog light, neon etc easily from the screen VERY COOL. 1000 bucks retail is an incredible deal. Its way beyond the realm of the Pioneer for similar price which seems to be the most popular.

Guess this is kindof a review. And I was excited about the new one. Seems lots of people are looking at double din and video head units in this price range. So any questions or thoughts let me know. I see all kinds of head units and can give an unbiased opinion.

[BadMofo]

Back to Kenwood. I shouldnt have strayed away. DDX812 6.95" double din touch screen with 5.0V unclipped outputs, Builtin Bluetooth with ext. mic with great noise rejection, customizable screen and menus, 11 band eq, time alignment and relay controls that are adjustable between pulsed and latching so you could turn on fog light, neon etc easily from the screen VERY COOL. 1000 bucks retail is an incredible deal. Its way beyond the realm of the Pioneer for similar price which seems to be the most popular.

Translation : The hotness

lol awesome man

[nolimitz]

i was looking at the pioneer d3. touchscreen, color changes, easy, and the picture is the best i have seen. i also haven't seen the kenwood, but i am sure it is just as good or better. one thing it has though that a lot of decks don't, is the navigation. the only thing that sux is the screen doesn't tilt. does the kenwood come with navi? if not how much does that run?

[yogi_pahl]

If i had 1000 to drop id get this quick looks sweet as hell . But im stuck in the 150 range :(

[Brash22]

I've always had Kenwood head units...except for that week when I had a pioneer. Looks great mate, I may hafta invest in one of them soon. Is there a GPS hookup in them?

Nolimitz, if my advice is worth anything, don't go near pioneer. The only reason they are still around is because of their reputation from years gone by. Even the top of the line gear is eclipsed easily by cheaper gear from the likes of Alpine and Kenwood.

[nevrdun]

The DDX812 is $1000 and the DNX8120 is $1600 retail. The DNX has nav built in. Kenwoods nav system is awesome, they teamed up with Garmin and is very accurate with no stupid VSS and Rev. input required. Plug the ant into the back of the unit...done. Pretty cool but really didnt need the nav. I installed a D3 a while back and I was not impressed. No screen tilt, HORRIBLE rca outputs. They are like 2.0v at something like 10k ohms. Just like Alpine, their head units aren't really compatible with their amps. They have a HUGE noise floor if you dont use some kind of line driver. Kenwood Excelon is a crisp, clean 5.0v at 80 ohms which is an industry standard for top o the line outputs.

Colin I like the except for the week I had a pioneer. LOL. It just takes a dip into mediocre to see the light.

[nolimitz]

thanx for the review. i been looking for a new deck, i think i have to check this one out. got any discounts on em?

[PreludeBoy95']

very nice addition :thumb:

[nevrdun]

Cant really get any discounts. We dont do any kind of internet sales and Im just an installer. Just look at Kenwoods website to find a dealer. Try and stick to small scale operations. Usually you will get a more personal buying experience and if you walk in and buy a $1000 head unit the sales guy will remember that and the next time you come in for product or even some reasonable questions you WILL get helped out. Pick it up off of crutchfield and need help you will get a cold shoulder. Just feel it out. There are a lot of shady places out there too. $1000 is MAP pricing or minimum advertised price which is generally as good as you'll get since there isnt huge margin on head units.

Glad to see the interest out there. So many people are interested in the ultra cheap super crappy video units it give them a bad name. People say whats the cheapest one you have? I can get one for 400 bucks. Well I have a standard CD player that will sound way better and have a warranty and all your gonna do is play your ipod though it anyway. You get what you pay for.

[preludejim]

JVC has went down hill .the last JVC head unit that I had lasted all of 2 days before it started screwing up. I switched to an Alpine and haven't had a problem.