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Audio & StereoTechnical discussions about factory or aftermarket audio and video systems.
This is a discussion thread titled "Kenwood DNX8120 Review", within the Audio & Stereo forum, part of the Technical & Vehicle Assistance Forums category.
Some of you may want to check my site out if you are interested in this unit I am an Authorized excelon dealer and heres my price on it for a week or two atleast and I have 3 in stock right now. And of course I actually know how to install also as TH and Lizardking can tell you.I do sell more than just enclosures. '
I take it that no one has had success in getting the voice activation and phone "on hook" and "off hook" steering wheel buttons on a 07-08 Tundra integrated with the 8120, regardless of harness. Is that a correct assumption, that you lose this functionality when going from a stock OEM head unit to this Kenwood unit?
I take it that no one has had success in getting the voice activation and phone "on hook" and "off hook" steering wheel buttons on a 07-08 Tundra integrated with the 8120, regardless of harness. Is that a correct assumption, that you lose this functionality when going from a stock OEM head unit to this Kenwood unit?
Give them a few weeks and i am sure peripheral will come up with a solution for this . They always do.
I take it that no one has had success in getting the voice activation and phone "on hook" and "off hook" steering wheel buttons on a 07-08 Tundra integrated with the 8120, regardless of harness. Is that a correct assumption, that you lose this functionality when going from a stock OEM head unit to this Kenwood unit?
On my PAC SWI-JACK there are no programable buttons for the steering wheel phone buttons, but I never really used the OEM Bluetooth anyway so for me I never missed it. My main concern was that the audio buttons all worked........ which they do. The instructions did call for me to solder in a 560 ohm resistor in series with wires 7 and 8 off the OEM harness if I was planning on using the phone buttons, which I did, but they give you no options in the instructions to program them, no matter what head unit youre using. I'll have to call Metra and find out what that was all about.
I think there are other options than the SWI-JACK out there but don't know of them or the relative benefits, etc. For some reason, the guru installers in this area over at JR's Custom Autos use something other than the SWI-JACK, but I am not sure what it is and I don't know if it would solve this issue. I will have to ask them on Monday I guess.
One other question. Have not seen the answer yet to my search so far. For those who HAVE experienced or knowledge of the Factory OEM Gen 5 Tundra DVD/nav head unit, is there a side by side comparison with the Kenwood 8120. Or, not necessarily a side by side comparison, but just a listing of what you DO Lose by making the switch to non-factory integrated system? I have the choice of adding an aftermarket ipod adapter and Sirius kit to my factory installed DVD/Nav that I had to take on the vehicle for around $600, vs. putting in the entire Kenwood equivalent (but more powerful in many regards) system for around $1,700. If I can sell my factory on craigslist or ebay I can recover some cost and go Kenwood and rationlize this economically.
However, I am unsure of what features I will actually LOSE that the factory integration gives you. Beyond just the steering wheel controls of the phone and voice activation, are there others (i.e. voice activated dialing, etc..)
Well, by no means was our comparison scientific, but I have a friend with a CM with factory Nav., and other than (for now) losing my phone buttons on the steering wheel, we have found no other downside to going aftermarket. The graphics are much much better, the Nav. is Garmin, my audio wheel controls still work fine, backup camera still intact, can play DVD's or navigate while moving and the price was much cheaper than the factory nav. When I ordered my truck SET wanted $2800 for factory nav. I gladly declined and now I have a much better (in my opinion) nav/audio system, and after adding my amps and new speakers, I still spent less than what the OEM was.
Take my opinion with a grain of salt, but I feel its a much more powerful system (in every way) than the OEM. As far as resale goes and having OEM, I put this system together so when the truck needs to be sold, it can all be switched back in one day to exactly how it was.
Thanks for the reply. I was not sure if there were other "integrated" type functions that just don't work as well. Specifically, I presumed there might be some loss of functionality around the phone functions. But, it sounds like other than the loss of steering wheel control of the phone and voice activation stuff that this is a non-issue. By the way, does the Kenwood do voice activated functions (for phone or search, or for NAV address input, etc.?) and if so, do you just mount a separate switch somewhere on the dash if it is not integrated with the steering wheel control to activate the voice input mode? I have seen on some other posts on this forum where some guys with Alpine units put a small voice activation switch on the dash somewhere.
Lastly, you are right that there are no good options for factory nav if your truck did not come with it. That is why I am fairly confident I will be able to sell mine on Craigslist or other. I will list it as $1,300 or maybe take a bit less.....but it is entirely plug n play if you have a JBL system already without Nav. Other options is $4,000 from Toyota parts, and there is an online place now selling them for $1,500 head unit only. Not sure where the $2,800 number came from. Was this a dealer accessory number?
Also, on resale value I would be shocked if there is any difference in price realized on a depreciated asset like this between a high end after market head unit tastefully installed and the factory nav. There is no differentiation on the "book" values. And, frankly, while I was originally a bit hesitant to do it on this vehicle (I have an older Kenwood on my Navigator) I am now leaning toward the kenwood route because through all the pictures I have seen I tend to like the look a lot better on the Tundra. The factory NAV has too many buttons and dials going on for me (all the hard buttons) take those plus the big mofo honkers below them for climate, etc. and the dash is busy. Not really feelin the look and feel of the factory unit anymore I guess........
Also, do you have a source for the Metra 99-8220 HG in high gloss or piano black? I have been unable to find an ebay auction that "commits" to you that this is the kit you will receive upon shipment, rather than fulfilling the order with some other manuf. product.
Also, do you have a source for the Metra 99-8220 HG in high gloss or piano black? I have been unable to find an ebay auction that "commits" to you that this is the kit you will receive upon shipment, rather than fulfilling the order with some other manuf. product.
I actually sell the Bestkits and have installed both and these seem to hold up better.Piano fisnish is the first one and plain finish is the second link. I also have a friend that works at Peripheral in the R&D department will run this phone button thing by him tomorrow.
Also, just started to learn of some reasons that might make me hesitate to go with the Kenwood vs. the factory NAV mine will have installed already. The factory NAV has voice control ala my Infiniti M35, where you can voice activate and tell it to go to satellite, go to a different source, etc. and then voice activate the navigation go to address, etc. I had previously thought that the Kenwood would do all this also, and that it just would need its own voice activation switch since it is not integrated with the steering wheel voice activation and handset "on-off" hook buttons. But, the Crutchfield rep told me today that the Kenwood DOES NOT respond to voice input. That appears to be the only major drawback....but I would say it is not insignificant (which one can argue that the steering wheel control of phone or voice activation is not that insignificant). Is this Crutchfield rep correct? And if so, why would Kenwood NOT have that capability in a unit that otherwise blows the doors off the other units on the market or the OEM stuff with its feature set?
Lastly, anyone know the resolution of the Kenwood and the OEM Nav on the Tundra?
Also, just started to learn of some reasons that might make me hesitate to go with the Kenwood vs. the factory NAV mine will have installed already. The factory NAV has voice control ala my Infiniti M35, where you can voice activate and tell it to go to satellite, go to a different source, etc. and then voice activate the navigation go to address, etc. I had previously thought that the Kenwood would do all this also, and that it just would need its own voice activation switch since it is not integrated with the steering wheel voice activation and handset "on-off" hook buttons. But, the Crutchfield rep told me today that the Kenwood DOES NOT respond to voice input. That appears to be the only major drawback....but I would say it is not insignificant (which one can argue that the steering wheel control of phone or voice activation is not that insignificant). Is this Crutchfield rep correct? And if so, why would Kenwood NOT have that capability in a unit that otherwise blows the doors off the other units on the market or the OEM stuff with its feature set?
Lastly, anyone know the resolution of the Kenwood and the OEM Nav on the Tundra?
The 8120 supports voice dialing...but you have to press the button on the 8120 and then speak the word at the beep. I've tried it and it works ok. I don't think there is a way to have it do anything else by voice. But the capability for voice wouldn't be a stretch for them to add into future software versions.
I am very interested in buying this unit - but I was wondering if you have a dvd playing or video - can you have the nav running in the back ground? - or do you have to restart the nav every time u start up a dvd? Also is it easy to swtich back and forth - between the two?
Re: Kenwood DNX8120 Review
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