Kenwood 8120 the only decent DD HU?

[blazeplacid 10+ year member]

The 8120 has almost everything and some more than I need.

It has nav,eq,time algnment, and bluetooth built in

I see the F series has alot of problems and they have been fixed but the small screen and the exposed disc slot kinda makes me not want it.

I see some lesser JVCs are close in specs but it just seems the 8120 is what I need.

Anyone have experiance with this unit?

I was looking at the Alpine Blackbird package also

I hardly talk on my phone while I drive so bluetooth isnt a big thing

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[djeazie 10+ year member]

I have the DDX812, which is the exact same unit except it didnt come with nav. I added the Kenwood nav to it . Im really happy with it. I think you should read alittle more about the F series unit before you say they have it fixed. Because they are no where close to having a perfectly functioning unit like my Kenwood. I played with both units in the store before I bought mine. I have always been a Pioneer fan, I am not anymore. Pioneer headunits have been getting crappier and crappier.

 

[99StangGt 10+ year member]

Im in the same boat. I really wanted a volume knob because I hate the buttons. I really dont need nav but will take it. I bought a JVC KW-AVX800 and I like the sound of it but menus are a pain and buttons for volume. Also cant change the background to anything but what they have in it. I will be returning it to CC, Thanks CC for the 30 day returns.

 

[Mr. C 10+ year member]

The 8120 is a beast of a head unit. I have the 7100 and it is a solid piece on it's own.

I have external crossovers and an external eq, so I am good without having it built in the unit.

The 8120 is a very very hard to beat all-in-one standalone unit. Everyone that I know that has one loves it.

 

[manauta 10+ year member]

I have one in my wife's Expedition, I love the nav, she loves the Blutooth, and the dvd player is not bad, I also love the USB input.

I was also looking into other units, until I realized that you have to pay a whole lot more for lesser units to measure up to what the 8120 can do.

So, I have to say that this player is pretty awesome.

 

[lashlee 10+ year member]

I've a 6019/g510 in the truck, and a W205/BBII in the car. In terms of nav and general use, the kenwood makes much more sense. The BB is frustrating, and has to be reset on occasion, but being able to remove it is handy. If you plan on competing, the 205/701 is a much better choice, but it is truly a competition piece.

 

[XTRProBoy 10+ year member]

The 8120 has almost everything and some more than I need.
It has nav,eq,time algnment, and bluetooth built in

I see the F series has alot of problems and they have been fixed but the small screen and the exposed disc slot kinda makes me not want it.

I was looking at the Alpine Blackbird package also

I hardly talk on my phone while I drive so bluetooth isnt a big thing

The AVICs also don't have Dolby Digital and DTS decoding built in (though this is only really important for movie playback), this Kenwood is pretty much the only double-DIN DVD Nav unit that has DD/DTS built in.

Not all the problems with the F have been fixed, it's mainly just fixed bluetooth and boot times from what I've read.

Alpine Blackbird pkg is cool but I hear the nav integration isn't that great and it lacks the video playback features of other units I think (I don't think it has DivX and stuff?). Alpine is also harder to bypass I believe, if you're interested in that. Really the W505 + Blackbird II is a rather "simple" head unit--doesn't seem to be very robust in terms of features if you ask me.

One thing that sucks about the Kenwood is they threw everything in there but left out the kitcen sink--they removed CD changer control in favour of the new "Kenwood Advanced Bus" which is currently for sat tuners only. They said there are no plans to make a KAB CD changer, so for all it can do it is missing one feature that you wouldn't expect (at least I didn't realise it at first).

Other than that, I don't think you can beat the Kenwood really.

 

[blazeplacid 10+ year member]

cd changer??? my grandma has one in her old buick

im more concered about EQ and such

DVD playback doesnt matter, I dont have a mobile theatre in my car, but watching dvds is cool sometimes

 

[djeazie 10+ year member]

cd changer??? my grandma has one in her old buick
im more concered about EQ and such

DVD playback doesnt matter, I dont have a mobile theatre in my car, but watching dvds is cool sometimes

Just get the Kenwood you wont be sorry. Im not.

 

[blazeplacid 10+ year member]

bah im about a week away from buying this

maybe they will give me a deal if i pay cash //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/greedy.gif.5a53e6246569d7ab79867170f3b06629.gif

 

[mcsoul 10+ year member]

Where are you getting it?

Local?

How much?

 

[Mr. C 10+ year member]

Just get the Kenwood you wont be sorry. Im not.

This man speaks the truth.

People still use cd changers???? //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/eek.gif.771b7a90cf45cabdc554ff1121c21c4a.gif