Thursday, May 26, 2011

Kenwood DNX5140 6.1-Inch Wide Double-DIN In-Dash Nagivation with USB/iPod Direct Control/DVD Receiver Review

Kenwood DNX5140 6.1-Inch Wide Double-DIN In-Dash Nagivation with USB/iPod Direct Control/DVD Receiver
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
I picked the 5140 over the 6140 because I don't need bluetooth, besides that the units are exactly identical. Had Best Buy install the unit, they did a superb job for much less than what some of the local audio shops were quoting me.
Now, onto the unit:
-Boot up time is fast, I'm going good in about 10 seconds. I've heard other units are rather slow to boot up (Pioneer). So far no freezing or locking up except I get some lag when using USB (more later). It has an easy to understand interface but I did have to check out the manual once or twice on specific things. I like the fact you can pick what color you want the interface and physical buttons to light up, I have my radio matching my dash lights.-Navigation is great, and if you ever owned a Garmin unit you know full well how the navigation works. The navigation integrates great into the radio controls. The voices are a little loud and your music will mute for your voice guidance. If you are using your radio controls while navigating a route you will get a green notification bar at the bottom that shows the distance and the next turn you should make. I also like how it shows the speed limit and so far that's been very accurate. Garmin also updates their maps on a regular basis, and you can use the Garmin updates to update this unit. Some other manufacturers of in dash navigation don't update after release. Since I plan on having this unit for a few years that was important to me.
-Works great with Sirius. I have my display setup as "4-line" which gives me three lines of song data plus one line of arrow controls. You can pick and choose where and what song data you want displayed with satellite. I personally picked Artist/Song Title/Channel Name in that order. Sirius also gives you 30 presets (6 per "band" and a maximum of 5 bands). Also there's an option to list all channels and you can see what artist or song is playing on each channel organized by category. Very neat.
-The USB function is seriously lacking, and the reason I gave this unit 4 stars. First off the USB is slow, and the unit seems to lag when using the USB function. Also for some reason you're limited to 255 items per folder so if you have more than 255 songs you must start organizing your music in different subfolders. If you open a video file via USB it takes 30 seconds or so before it starts playing, and the unit will freeze during that time until the video starts.
-Video display is crisp and clear. I've seen complaints about dimming but I don't share those complaints. I set my unit to dim with the GPS. This unit will play Divx/Xvid formatted files but you must change the name of the file from filename.avi to filename.mpg. The US version will not play .avi files, I guess due to piracy concerns. It's a cool feature not found on the spec sheet of the unit.
-I didn't buy the iPod cable because I figured I'd just use a USB drive, but due to the terrible USB interface I'll have to buy an iPod cable. Hooking and iPod to the unit via USB without the cable gives no sound or video but it will let you test the iPod interface. It works beautifully.
I've been very happy with the unit.

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Kenwood's DNX5140 is an all-around solution for your vehicle, providing you with movies, music, and built-in Garmin GPS Navigation with maps of the United States and Canada. Get where you need to go and have plenty of fun getting there.

6.1-Inch Touchscreen with Variable Illumination The DNX5140 puts intuitive control right at your fingertips with its 6.1-inch QVGA TFT Active Matrix Display and powerful, easy-to-use graphical user interface. Customize the unit's front panel illumination with the new variable illumination palette of colors--match your interior tones, dash lighting, or whatever tickles your fancy. Selectable wallpapers and customizable backgrounds offer further personalization.
Built-In Navigation--Guidance by Garmin This integrated navi system guides you everywhere with ease on the DNX5140's 6.1-inch screen. All functions are intuitively controlled by touchscreen menus, and voice guidance works over the vehicle's speaker system. There is no need to swap map discs since it comes with a built-in full-memory Garmin Navigation board that features maps of Canada, continental USA, Hawaii, and Alaska. Navigation feature include:
Easy-to-use GUI (graphic user interface)
More than 6 million points of interest
Program up to 500 waypoints for long trips
Text-To-Speech (TTS) Voice Guidance (English, French, Spanish)
Selectable 2D or 3D Map Display
Track Log Display
Trip Computer

Enjoy Your Favorite Media The DNX5140 is a media powerhouse, letting you play your favorite CDs and DVDs, along with several digital audio and video formats. The unit accepts DVD, DVD+R/RW, DVD-R/RW, CD, CD-R/RW, VCD, and CD-DA discs. It plays back AAC-LC, MP3, and WMA audio files; MPEG1 and MPEG2 video files; and can display JPG images. Throw your files on a disc or a USB device and enjoy them in your vehicle wherever you are.
And, of course, you still can listen to the AM/FM radio. Use Auto Memory to automatically add stations with good reception to presets, or enter them manually. The DNX5140 displays FM radio text when available as well as traffic information, and it allows you to enter station names.
Seamless Connection with iPod Video/Audio Connect an iPod using the optional KCA-iP301V cable to enable full video (for iPods with video capability) and/or audio control. You'll supply power to your iPod as well as charge it while you enjoy your music.
USB Direct Control You can enjoy your favorite music, video, or images from USB devices like flash drives or MP3 players. When connecting a USB device, playback starts automatically. When a battery-powered USB device like an MP3 player is connected to this unit, it also gets a charge, so it's ready to go with you when you exit the vehicle.
Input and Output In addition to the iPod and USB support, you can use the DNX5140's front auxiliary A/V input to connect external audio/video sources like video game systems.
The unit also features an A/V output for sending content to an additional screen in the vehicle.
For audio output, the DNX5140 has two sets of 2V RCA pre-amp outputs for system expansion (in addition to the on-board 50W x 4 amplifier).
Bluetooth Ready Add the optional KCA-BT200 to enjoy hands-free phone operation or to listen to audio stored on Bluetooth devices.
HD and Satellite Radio Ready The DNX5140 allows you to enjoy SIRIUS (requires CA-SR20V cable + Sirius Tuner) or XM (requires KCA-XM100V + XM Mini Tuner) radio in your vehicle. Enjoy a multitude of channels featuring music, news, talk shows, sports, and traffic information with CD quality sound.
You also can add an HD Radio tuner. When you connect an HD radio tuner, features of the unit are disabled and changed to HD Radio tuner features.
Rear Camera Input The DNX5140 is ready for a rear camera, allowing you to monitor behind your vehicle as you back up.
What's in the Box Kenwood DNX5140, sleeve, trim ring, wiring harness, installation tools, installation manual, operation manual, warranty card.

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