Enjoy trusted guidance and plenty of entertainment choices with the Kenwood Excelon DNX8120 navigation receiver. Garmin, a trusted name in GPS, provides the navigation data, with turn-by-turn voice directions and onscreen map guidance. You'll find built-in maps of Canada, the United States, and Puerto Rico, plus plenty of convenient points of interest. Text-to-speech voice prompts allow you to keep your eyes on the road as the receiver announces actual street names.
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Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
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Customers like the sound quality, performance, and video quality of the GPS system. They mention that it has good sound, works great, and has great video.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
5 customers mention4 positive1 negative
Customers like the sound quality of the navigation system. For example, they mention it has good sound, great image, and customizable interface. That said, some say the sound Dolby Pro Logic options are a plus.
"...Movies, maps, music all in one place and safer than using your phone." Read more
"Pros: Good Sound, great image; you can customize the interface, i actually connect this unit to my Zune and sounds great...." Read more
"...Great video, sound, Different GPS/Nav (I am use to my Garmin StreetPilot)." Read more
"...6. Mute button also named as 'ATT' does not fully mute the volume. I could still hear songs but volume is considerably reduced.7...." Read more
3 customers mention3 positive0 negative
Customers are satisfied with the performance of the navigation system. They mention that it works great and is still getting used to the way it works.
"...i have a Volvo s60 i change my OEM Stereo, everything works fine, but have to buy the dietz Interface 61301 to enable my steering Wheel control and..." Read more
"Works great, been using for 7 years and still works great! Love the preouts" Read more
"Pretty great system, still getting use to the way it works.Great video, sound, Different GPS/Nav (I am use to my Garmin StreetPilot)." Read more
3 customers mention3 positive0 negative
Customers like the video quality of the GPS or navigation system. They say it has great sound, image, and customization options.
"Pros: Good Sound, great image; you can customize the interface, i actually connect this unit to my Zune and sounds great...." Read more
"Pretty great system, still getting use to the way it works.Great video, sound, Different GPS/Nav (I am use to my Garmin StreetPilot)." Read more
"Buy this stereo! This thing will do anything you want it to. It's awesome! Sounds great, easy to use, so many features, wow!" Read more
I purchased the DNX 8120 two months ago. I liked the fact that it had integerated Audio/Video, Navigation, and had features like USB and Divx. I put in a rear view camera and tv tunner.
Based on the great review I expected a good product. I waited for the upgrade software after it was recalled.
I was looking at the Pioneer Model before and Kenwood model.
Here is my exprience so far with it
1. On the first week, when I was going to an interview with the Navigation system pointing the way, it stoped working, just had destination flag on the screen, could not find any roads and three tries to set the destination again resulted in just the desitnation no route found. I had to navigate by proximity and drive towards my destination.
2. The Naviagion system, made by Garmin does not show POIs on the map, I did some research no luck, I can see the POIs on a 2D map which is stationary the Icons don't help and you have to point at them to see the names. Needless to say its not useful to since I cant stop then go to 2 D map to view them.
3. Custom POIs can be loaded via a SD Data Card. I did so, the unit first could not load them. Then Crashed (Froze for 15 minutes!). After restarting the Searches for POI even for existing ones came back as no data found. Restarted again and said Custom POIs are loaded successfully. Regardless it still does not show POIs on the map when driving.
4. The text to speech is horrible, hard to understand the names the unit I had in my ML320 would speak as if it was a real person this unit talks as if its a computer or a female version of stephen hawkins. It also just has the audio on one of my car's speakers, it could be the installation.
5. Divx can only play from a CD/DVD not USB. The point of using USB is not to have to deal with a ton of CDs. So that feature is not what you would hope it would be.
6. Rear view camera takes a while to come on since the system takes a few seconds to power up. The tv tunner reception is average at best and will not work after feb 2009.
I paid $1079 with shiping was around $1100. Install cost $250. and $400 for the camera and TV Tunner from a different site.
If I had to do it over again I would buy a Pioneer model. The Naviagion on Pioneer is much more professionaly done. POIs have ICONs, the speach is good. Menus for the unit are easier to navigate. Only thing in favor of Kenwood/Garmin is the simplicity of Garmin menus.
I am looking to replace the Kenwood DNX with a PIONEER AVICZ2. I feel that Garmin is Garbage. Its crashed more than MS Windows has in the past two months. 3 times to far and counting.
I think you need to ask people who own the unit before you buy it.
Like many others, I read lots of good things about DNX8120. After the initial excitement of a new gadget is over, it is now becoming pain in the neck.
Mostly problems are small but very irritating.
1. The physical buttons are so small and text is not readable during day time. During night, you get to read the text because of the blue light glowing from inside. Physical buttons are very uncomfortable to feel. It hurts to use them.
2. Every time, I start my car or hang up on phone, last song from IPOD or USB drive starts playing again. No matter what you do, iPOD or USB starts on its own after phone call ends. I go out with my friends to lunch, we laugh when suddenly system starts playing IPOD after ordering carryout.
3. Bluethooth connection with my iphone stays for maximum of 5 seconds. Display shows that you are not connected to any phone. However, when call is received or dialed from your iPhone, system recognizes the iPhone and gets engaged. In other words, dialing from screen is not possible.
4. Sound Quality of iPhone is horrible. Horrible is a mild word to describe the sound quality. I have latest bluetooth firmware (1.70). Sound quality is so bad that I have to switch to phone instead of the system. Believe me, it is not just my problem, every users of iPhone is talking about it. Just search.
5. UI design is so bad that you have to click 3 to 4 times to reach TEL button. TEL button brings phone screen. UI in general reminds me of 'DOS' days (specially line based rectangles). At $1200-$1600, one can expect a decent user interface. When in Device mode like IPOD, there are few short cut buttons. TEL button is on second page of shortcut buttons. I wonder, when there is a room on first page, why some one thinks of hiding important choice like going to phone screen. You get so much involved in getting to do what you want, it is definitely NOT 'distraction-free drive...'
6. Mute button also named as 'ATT' does not fully mute the volume. I could still hear songs but volume is considerably reduced.
7. Garmin UI is decent. In order to get to my favorites, I need to click on Menu->Where To -> My Locations -> All Categories -> favorite. Is it really essential? There is no one single path to reach phone screen while navigation screen is running.
8. You can not play videos (DivX, mpg etc) or see pictures from USB drive. One of the reviewers web site mentioned that you can watch photos from your camera directly using USB port. It is not true at all. You can only listen to music from USB drive. No videos, No photos just music. It does not make any sense.
Documentation , there are no documentation about any customization that is advertised.
Support, there is almost no support on Kenwood web site about latest firmware updates etc. I am sure, people are nagging them about various issues.
It seems that I am critical of even small problems like 'mute' button etc, it starts getting in to your nerves after few days of initial excitement. For Kenwood, it should be easy to solve such small inconveniences and if they do, it is a great product.
It seems that Kenwood did not test the product, if they did, I recommend not to buy this product,
Pros: Good Sound, great image; you can customize the interface, i actually connect this unit to my Zune and sounds great.Great Equaliazer, phone interface and Sound Dolby Pro Logic options.
Cons: Bluetooth doesn work perfect, the unit comes with the version 1.6 of the firmware i decide to update the software to the 1.7 and i can see some improve, but sometimes my phone disconnect from the unit.
The boot time of the units its acceptable but will be great if occurs a little faster. i have a Volvo s60 i change my OEM Stereo, everything works fine, but have to buy the dietz Interface 61301 to enable my steering Wheel control and my rear detectors.
