Which Kenwood to get?

[osmith 10+ year member]

So, I've been looking at head units and I've finally narrowed it down to one brand, Kenwood, but now I have to narrow it down to one head unit, haha. The three I'm Looking at are:

Excelon 995 Kenwood - KDC-X995

Excelon 895 Kenwood - KDC-X895

And the Excelon 794 from last year http://www.crutchfield.com/s_113KDCX794/Kenwood-Excelon-KDC-X794.html?search=kenwood+excelon+794&tp=5684

Anybody owned any or all of these? Any input would be appreciated.

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[Bumpin' Goalie 10+ year member]

There is a X-993 for sale in the classifieds, too. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

Just to add more options. Personally, they'll all do what you want, minus active x-overs. If you need/want Bluetooth, factor that in.

 

[osmith 10+ year member]

Thanks for letting me know, but I'm not interested in buying used. Refurbs are cool but no used equipment.

 

[Bumpin' Goalie 10+ year member]

Alright, then out of the 3 you posted, you can't go wrong. Do you want BT? Which button layout do you prefer? If cost isn't an issue, the 995 seems to be well received.

 

[osmith 10+ year member]

As far as bt I probably won't use it much. I prefer the looks of the 995 and 794 a little better however I like that the 895 as front aux and usb. I was hoping someone on here had messed with the different button layouts and had a suggestion as to which was easier to operate and navigate.

 

[USAFbro 10+ year member]

ive got the 794 and i love that thing to death. best sounding headunit ive ever experienced. definatly worth the money imo. but, if you want bluetooth or front aux and usb. the 794 isnt for you although, rear inputs are much cleaner looking. just route it to the glove box and no one will ever know //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[kingmanbc 10+ year member]

buy my dnx 6960, I want to upgrade

 

[osmith 10+ year member]

ive got the 794 and i love that thing to death. best sounding headunit ive ever experienced. definatly worth the money imo. but, if you want bluetooth or front aux and usb. the 794 isnt for you although, rear inputs are much cleaner looking. just route it to the glove box and no one will ever know

How easy is it to navigate the menus?

 

[osmith 10+ year member]

buy my dnx 6960, I want to upgrade

How much? Haha

 

[crosjr 10+ year member]

I have the x995 and I like it. Everything you've read about screen glare is true, it's tough sometimes. If you set the colors and contrast right then you should be fine. I am using red to match my dash lights and can see it pretty well outside of direct sunlight. It has a ton of options and I mean a ton. Definitely download the manual from Kenwood site and take a look before you buy. I have not had a chance to really nail down the TA settings, but they are there and seem easy enough to configure. 5 band equalizer is a little limiting, it has set frequencies, but decent enough. The menu navigation takes a little getting used to due to lack of buttons but once you get the hang of it, it is no problem. Built in HD radio is nice but not really many stations here, which I found to be odd. (DC area) If you do purchase it, I HIGHLY recommend turning off the "Supreme+" option. It's like bass and tweeter boost from hell. If you are planning on using USB flash drive keep in mind the folders are limited to 255 files. However, Kenwood has a decent little playlist creator that gets you around that limitation. That's about all that comes to mind off the top of my head.

 

[kingmanbc 10+ year member]

how much? Haha:d

600

 

[osmith 10+ year member]

I have the x995 and I like it. Everything you've read about screen glare is true, it's tough sometimes. If you set the colors and contrast right then you should be fine. I am using red to match my dash lights and can see it pretty well outside of direct sunlight. It has a ton of options and I mean a ton. Definitely download the manual from Kenwood site and take a look before you buy. I have not had a chance to really nail down the TA settings, but they are there and seem easy enough to configure. 5 band equalizer is a little limiting, it has set frequencies, but decent enough. The menu navigation takes a little getting used to due to lack of buttons but once you get the hang of it, it is no problem. Built in HD radio is nice but not really many stations here, which I found to be odd. (DC area) If you do purchase it, I HIGHLY recommend turning off the "Supreme+" option. It's like bass and tweeter boost from hell. If you are planning on using USB flash drive keep in mind the folders are limited to 255 files. However, Kenwood has a decent little playlist creator that gets you around that limitation. That's about all that comes to mind off the top of my head.

Awesome input! Thanks for the breakdown!!

 

[USAFbro 10+ year member]

How easy is it to navigate the menus?

that is the only thing. it takes some time to learn it, but once you do, its easy. and your friend in the passenger seat wont mess around with it cuz he'll be mad confused lol

 

[osmith 10+ year member]

600

Yeah, that's about double my price range, lol. If I could afford it I'd love to have it.

 

[osmith 10+ year member]

that is the only thing. it takes some time to learn it, but once you do, its easy. and your friend in the passenger seat wont mess around with it cuz he'll be mad confused lol

Haha, good point! Are there any other negatives you can think of?