Stereo guys, input requested.

Frogman

Frogman

Dedicated LVC Member
Joined
Jul 11, 2005
Messages
6,987
Reaction score
1
Location
I promise to nicer if you promise to be smarter.
I'm looking for a new Navigation unit for my F450. The stock pioneer one is starting to act up. It can't read the Nav DVD haf the time. I've taken the DVD out, cleaned it, then taken the whole unit apart and physically cleaned the laser lens as well as all rollers on DVD and CD drives.

I know, there are cd's with little brushes on them that supposedly clean the laser lens, but I've never had any luck with them.

Both of the disk drives' rollers are toast as well. I had a Metallica CD stuck in the changer for a few months. Finally took it out when I took the drives apart. The rollers just don't seem to grab the disks well and eject them.

Anyway, I'm thinking of this unit. No, I won't buy it from Crutchfield. I appreciate the free tools they offer on their website, but damn it, if I can find it cheaper somewhere else, I'll buy it.

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_158XNV770B/Sony-XNV-770BT.html?tp=20212


The main things I'm after are:

Navigation
Built-in Bluetooth with either Parrot or Bury technology. I'd prefer Bury, but parrot will work.
Sirius - though, most aftermarket units support Sirius/XM with add-on modules, so I'm not too concerned there.

I'd go with a Pioneer AVIC - Z series as pioneer seems to have the most POI's (Points of Interest) on the Nav software, but I hate having to deal with pulling the hard drive and modding software on it to allow full navigation operation when moving. Unless that's changed and you can easily defeat it with the old E-Brake wire shorted to ground trick.

Any input would be appreciated.

Thanks.
 
I don't have any input on NAV units, but I just wanted to mention that Joey has the "caraudiotalk.com" forum too. It might help to post over there if you don't get good input here. Not that you won't, but couldn't hurt to mention, right?
 
Frog, all I have ever owned is Kenwood eXcelon head units and have never had one problem out of any. The only reason I have bought new ones was because of upgrade purposes. I have never been a fan of Pioneer but many people are and I think the reason for that is because it's like a "monkey see, monkey do" type thing. As for Sony head units, I have always liked Sony but only for in home electronics. So.... my suggestion and something for you to check out is this. Specs and everything you want to know are in the link below.

http://www.kenwoodusa.com/Car_Entertainment/eXcelon/Mobile_Video_n_Navigation/DNX9960
 
+1 on kenwood exceleon...they have the best navigation.

Also check out the pioneer avic line...they have built in hdd's.
 
I am not to smart when it comes to technology, I have a pioneer in the aviator it is ok, I had a bypass installed but pioneer has a secondary safety and once the navigation detects movement it pops up a safety screen. My ls has a kenwood, it has worked wonders! Only problem is you have to buy a navigation cd every year or u will get irritating pop ups saying it is outdated come to think of it that hasn't happened since I returned.
 
lincolnx2 said:
I am not to smart when it comes to technology, I have a pioneer in the aviator it is ok, I had a bypass installed but pioneer has a secondary safety and once the navigation detects movement it pops up a safety screen. My ls has a kenwood, it has worked wonders! Only problem is you have to buy a navigation cd every year or u will get irritating pop ups saying it is outdated come to think of it that hasn't happened since I returned.
Click to expand...

The suggested model does not require buying any CD every year. Any and all updates are always on the Kenwood website and navigation maps are all updated via SD card. Not really sure what model it is that you have but it doesn't apply to the DNX9960
​
 
The eclipse nav units are pretty good to, they sometimes get overlooked in the selection process.
 
BlackLS06 said:
+1 on kenwood exceleon...they have the best navigation.

Also check out the pioneer avic line...they have built in hdd's.
Click to expand...
Kenwood DOES NOT have the best navigation. The are ok at best. Problem with Keenwoods is their screens and menus suck. They have a great preamp and EQ section though.

Eclipse (as pointed out) really makes a nice NAV system. Installed a few dozen of them over the years and really liked them. I didnt like using a NAV disc though and would stay away from the lower models that dont store the maps on board.


I havent used the new Sony setups though. I stopped dealing with Sony a few years back because their quality sucked and getting them to honor their warrenties was a big hassel so we switched to Clarion. Again, Sony has a nice sound quality but their menus and screens sucked. Their top end unit had a very nice screen, one of the best, but the rest of the deck and NAV sucked.

Clarion has one of the best menu systems and best integration if you use iPods or iPhones. Screens are ok and NAV is on par with some mid level Garmins.

Pioneer, I LOVE my Pioneer Z1. Excellent screen resolution and the NAV is prolly the best I have seen built into a deck. Great sound and preamp/eq section as well. Down side is it takes some time to boot up and they dont play well with factory amps. Also you need very good RCA wires or they get ground loop noises. Also add on modules are bulky so you need space (not a problem in a F450) to hide them. Also the USB interface leaves a lot to be desired. No full menu display of songs on USB drives kinda sucks.

The Pioneer Z1/2/3 are all the same just different software. Really on any of the Z series you want to do the HDD upgrade. You can find older Z1 and Z2 units for $700ish and then get the 80gb upgrade for $90. I did the upgrade on mine and it took all of two minutes. The upgrade has the newer and faster software, 2010 maps and it defeats all the safety interlocks. Well worth the money.

I also like that when you put in a new CD it automatically rips it to the drive and somehow seems to know what every disc is, even if the disc does not contain the "data" file. Very neat. I have put discs in from the 80's and it knew the name of every track. :)

So if you can find one a Z series would be my top pick.
 
I think this will be one of those things where I walk into a full blown stereo shop, play with all the available decks and then walk out to find one online.

I've had Pioneers (N1, D1 (or was it a 3rd gen, D3 I can't remember). My only hang-ups with the Pioneers were the safety interlocks and their repair times. Took them almost 6 weeks to get the N1 back to me after I sent it in for repair.

I don't care so much about ipod interfacing, all of my audio is on my phone. As long as it has bluetooth technology from Parrot or Bury, I'll be fine so long as I can stream audio to them.

The reason I'm hung up on Parrot or Bury is because I've had both brands in pick-up trucks over the years and they were the best ones I've found which had very good noise canceling features. With the Bury for example, I can do 65mph, roll my driver's side window fully down, and the person on the other end never knows. Anyone can make a bluetooth hands free device. But not everyone can come up with good noise canceling software for it.

I'm on the phone a lot when I drive. If I can't find something that works as well as a stand-alone BT interface, I'll keep the bury and just hard wire it into the speaker wires like it is now.
 
NoLimit95 said:
The suggested model does not require buying any CD every year. Any and all updates are always on the Kenwood website and navigation maps are all updated via SD card. Not really sure what model it is that you have but it doesn't apply to the DNX9960
​
Click to expand...

I have the DNX 5120
 
Frogman said:
I think this will be one of those things where I walk into a full blown stereo shop, play with all the available decks and then walk out to find one online.
Click to expand...

That's the best thing to do. Laser is describing something that he dealt with a few years ago. Things change, they find flaws and they fix flaws and make things better than they were back years ago. The best thing for you to do is to go in and do your own hands on review.

Touch the screens and see if they suck, see if the nav unit sucks, research other people's reviews (which I know you do) and you'll find your winner. Then get online and find the deal. :)
 
lincolnx2 said:
I have the DNX 5120
Click to expand...

Do you like the 5120? Frog is more into "screen real estate", functions working when he presses a button, quietness with his hands free mic as he rides down the road in a F-450 with a window down and the navigation working as it should.

I myself don't mess with nav units, although they do look good installed. I do however have an eXcelon KDC-X993 and the hands free mic while driving down the road is excellent. The bluetooth works with my phone perfectly. Any text messages I get can be read out on the deck itself without ever picking the phone up and I have a simplified unit compared to the DNX-9960 by a long shot. I could only imagine how well that one works. I could be mistaken but I think as of 2010, Kenwood changed their navigation systems.

When he goes to do his own hands on, he'll discover the new 2011 models that have even more now. It's hard to go by what someone on here says because everyone has their own preferences, likes and dislikes.
 
Frogman said:
I'd go with a Pioneer AVIC - Z series as pioneer seems to have the most POI's (Points of Interest) on the Nav software, but I hate having to deal with pulling the hard drive and modding software on it to allow full navigation operation when moving. Unless that's changed and you can easily defeat it with the old E-Brake wire shorted to ground trick.

Any input would be appreciated.

Thanks.
Click to expand...

I have a Avic-f90bt, its a nice unit.
The POI is a nice feature.
More info on the navigation operation modding the z series is here.

http://avic411.com/index.php?/forum/15-hacksmods/

Found this to be funny as hell.
Security Bypass and Z1 FAQ and Owners Manuals

1. Is there a reliable bypass for the touchscreen/dvd playback when the car is in motion?

***NOTE*** If your unit was made AFTER July 2006 look here: http://www.sminntech.com/z1flash.html

For prior to June 2006:
Yes! You must turn your lights on and off about 5 seconds after your unit starts to boot up. Specifically the illumination wire must go from 12v to 0v at the very first pioneer bootup screen (where the text is in the top left corner, before the big pioneer logo pops up.)
Click to expand...
 
Z>D series by a HUGE margin. And while I havent played with Sony for a couple years I have played with the rest reciently. I still do stereo installs and I go to the shops to play with what is new to see whats cool.

I used to be a huge Kenwood fan and still like their audio decks but their NAV stuff ..... not so much.

Also Frog, cant stream music wirelessly with the Pioneer via the phone. :( The phone part works great though and I talk with the moonroof open all the time with no issues.
I had the Parrot in my 97 LSC and that was a pretty nice unit too but not as loud as the Pioneer. Great noise canceling features though.
 
NoLimit95 said:
Do you like the 5120? Frog is more into "screen real estate", functions working when he presses a button, quietness with his hands free mic as he rides down the road in a F-450 with a window down and the navigation working as it should.

I myself don't mess with nav units, although they do look good installed. I do however have an eXcelon KDC-X993 and the hands free mic while driving down the road is excellent. The bluetooth works with my phone perfectly. Any text messages I get can be read out on the deck itself without ever picking the phone up and I have a simplified unit compared to the DNX-9960 by a long shot. I could only imagine how well that one works. I could be mistaken but I think as of 2010, Kenwood changed their navigation systems.

When he goes to do his own hands on, he'll discover the new 2011 models that have even more now. It's hard to go by what someone on here says because everyone has their own preferences, likes and dislikes.
Click to expand...

The 5120 is ok, I got it the first day it hit the market, so I paid a hefty price 3 years ago. I do not have the bluetooth components for it, I am looking to buy those within the next month, but my pioneer has bluetooth and it works wonderful, it has the auto adjust and gets louder the faster you go to try and compensate for road noise.
 
I have this compass thingy ... point north south east and west with some point in between. Hasn't failed me yet. On and you can by these map things too ... they can be a pain to fold sometimes but they have smaller ones in books that don't need to fold. They work great.
 
mespock said:
I have this compass thingy ... point north south east and west with some point in between. Hasn't failed me yet. On and you can by these map things too ... they can be a pain to fold sometimes but they have smaller ones in books that don't need to fold. They work great.
Click to expand...
Know how I know you're old?



I bet your home phone still has a dial. :lol:
 
mespock said:
I have this compass thingy ... point north south east and west with some point in between. Hasn't failed me yet. On and you can by these map things too ... they can be a pain to fold sometimes but they have smaller ones in books that don't need to fold. They work great.
Click to expand...
So what was it like before electricity was invented?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Members online

No members online now.
Total: 57 (members: 0, guests: 57)
Back
Top