Kenwood vs Pioneer

[SomethingRandom]

So I plan to switch to a double DIN unit in the very near future, DVD and touchscreen is a nice plus, but not a big, necessary selling point for me. Popular consensus seems to favour Kenwood decks with Pioneer in close second.

Budget being around a max of 400$, I am more of an audiophile than a cinephile, so out of the following, recommendations?

http://tinyurl.com/75djjjw

I know some members have experience with this one, but it's at the top of my price range and the video dosen't have that extra special appeal for me:

http://tinyurl.com/8axs68m

I know topics like these have been done to death, I'm just looking for capability issues/sound quality/durability, the likes. Thanks for chipping in, I'll wait for the flame posts...

 

[lashlee]

Personally I prefer Kenwood's GUI and general menu system. I've sold both for years and they will have your ups and downs for each. For the price range you have listed you will basically have one or two from each brand to pick from. Some will say that one is slow to react, or that something else is finicky and that may be true but it may be something that can be overlooked and/or dealt with once you get used to the unit. I just put a DNX9980HD in my wife's Scooby and her only complaint is that it doesn't recognize the hang up and answer buttons on the steering wheel.

I would look at the source(s) that you will access the most and see how they operate and see what you think. iPod hook ups and Sirius may differ and at that price point one may have slightly better options than the other. I would drop by your local specialty shop and see what they have to offer and see how they work.

 

[NGP_UA5]

I have the DDX418, got a crazy good deal on it. Just added the KNA-G610 Navigation adapter. Pretty Sweet.

The sound quality is great.
The bluetooth works well enough, hands free is ok, A2DP (streaming music) is awesome
USB/CD love that album art is displayed
DVD's look good
Radio is ok, sometimes have some reception issues but nothing to really complain about

I plan on hooking up a rear cam on it in the future.

 

[SomethingRandom]

Personally I prefer Kenwood's GUI and general menu system. I've sold both for years and they will have your ups and downs for each. For the price range you have listed you will basically have one or two from each brand to pick from. Some will say that one is slow to react, or that something else is finicky and that may be true but it may be something that can be overlooked and/or dealt with once you get used to the unit. I just put a DNX9980HD in my wife's Scooby and her only complaint is that it doesn't recognize the hang up and answer buttons on the steering wheel.

I would look at the source(s) that you will access the most and see how they operate and see what you think. iPod hook ups and Sirius may differ and at that price point one may have slightly better options than the other. I would drop by your local specialty shop and see what they have to offer and see how they work.

I've been considering going by a speciality store, now i think I will even if its just for insight, Thanks!

I have the DDX418, got a crazy good deal on it. Just added the KNA-G610 Navigation adapter. Pretty Sweet.

The sound quality is great.
The bluetooth works well enough, hands free is ok, A2DP (streaming music) is awesome
USB/CD love that album art is displayed
DVD's look good
Radio is ok, sometimes have some reception issues but nothing to really complain about

I plan on hooking up a rear cam on it in the future.

Looks clean, nice ride btw, 2nd gen TL? more so than I thought it would. Local retailers are clearing out the 418, so I may well drop by and pick one up soon.

 

[metrick1235]

The first one is going to be a good bet on your audio part seeing as you arent too concerned with DVD or Nav. And it is half your budget to save for amp/sub

but if it was me i would get the one with the DVD/nav not only does it have the 8x oversampling to clean up your music for a crisper sound,but you can watch (i mean your passenger can watch) movies. also with that you can burn a 8gb DVD of music and carry your music all on one disk if you dont have an ipod/mp3 ect... I did this with my old DVD player and was really simple to find what i wanted and didnt have to fumble with more than one cd, when i forgot my IPod.

The only issue with the DVD/Nav systems that i have is they are a "come and break in" magnet. people walk by and see and break in. But with the large screen on the first option people might think that one is also.

 

[F4K3 1D]

I've been using Pioneer for a long time now and can say that they don't disappoint in terms of reliability and power. I currently have a AVIC-x910bt in my accord and it's been great (GUI is a little weak but can be tweaked/hacked). The install with an ebay double din kit is a piece of cake if you've done any car audio before and it only involves slight modification to make it look very clean.

If you're worried about a crime magnet, you can take a look at stereo face plates (covers) that cover the entire face and make it look like a flat part of the console or a vent... I can't seem to track down the picture i'm thinking of, sorry.

Anyway, good luck with the decision!

 

[Raul]

Pioneer hands down. I had AVHP4000DVD and currently have AVIC-X920BT. Never regretted any of my pioneer units.

 

[1bad6]

So I plan to switch to a double DIN unit in the very near future, DVD and touchscreen is a nice plus, but not a big, necessary selling point for me. Popular consensus seems to favour Kenwood decks with Pioneer in close second.

Budget being around a max of 400$, I am more of an audiophile than a cinephile, so out of the following, recommendations?

http://tinyurl.com/75djjjw

I know some members have experience with this one, but it's at the top of my price range and the video dosen't have that extra special appeal for me:

http://tinyurl.com/8axs68m

I know topics like these have been done to death, I'm just looking for capability issues/sound quality/durability, the likes. Thanks for chipping in, I'll wait for the flame posts...

I've had both a Kenwood motorized flip screen system and a Pioneer motorized flip screen system w/ NAV in my Accord and there is no comparison IMO. Kenwood beats the SHI* out of the Pioneer any day all day! The GUI was FAR better on the Kenwood as well as the ease of use and plethora of features. I only replaced it because something dropped on the screen and cracked it; the audio guy suggested a Pioneer unit to replace it and if I could find his ***, I'd beat the taste out his mouth. Both of them were $800+ systems.

If I'd started with a Pioneer, I probably wouldn't know any better but after experiencing the Kenwood, it's hard to be happy with the Pioneer I've got.

 

[Mikey]

The only issue with the DVD/Nav systems that i have is they are a "come and break in" magnet. people walk by and see and break in.

Window tint, y0.

They make double-DIN units with detachable faces and/or detachable buttons. And x2 on the covers that look like AM/FM radios, flat, etc.

Im a big fan of Pioneer. Kenwood is eh, but Ive heard it straight from stereo guys that Pioneer is where it's at.

 

[GravitySucks]

I personally have a Clarion double din in my accord, love the looks, security is the same as the factory radio though you can set your own code. Has all the hook-ups for amps, bluetooth, cable to hook up an Ipod that runs nicely through the bottom of the center console to the tray, and has quite a bit of power. Blew out a pair of kicker front speakers without trying. :s I've got the CX400, there's a few models ahead of it as well.