[6spdcoupe]

I concur !

[torifile]

But doesn't that make it hard for the nav to be helpful? It just seems really low/out of line of sight.

[spmd11]

My install has AC controls below Kenwood. While not optimal compared to factory Nav, it still works. It's not irritating. Here is a point to consider. One thing I really like about having Kenwood above the AC controls is it puts the Kenwood in a position just above the gear shift lever which allows me (coincidentally, not planned) to rest my hand on the top of my BMW Performance shift knob while I make screen selections.. sort of like resting a gun on something to aim.

Also, this unit can do street names with text to speech, unlike the BMW system, which allows you to
nav without looking at screen. Turn guidance is superior to BMW system.

In my picture below, I used the flash on my iphone, so the nav screen is washed out.. but it allowed me to take a good photo of the install kit. The downside of having the kenwood uptop is that it is not flush

Originally Posted by torifile

But doesn't that make it hard for the nav to be helpful? It just seems really low/out of line of sight.

[abhi193]

I wanted the unit above climate controls. But my installer insisted that it will look more stock if its below the climate controls. I trusted him and agreed to it and i think he did a good job. As the block tapers down, the unit fits better below the climate controls

And for navigation....Yes, it is indeed too low to be looking at it while driving. But i hardly look at it..because the voice instructions are clear and accurate, i dont really have to look at th screen to find out directions.

[spmd11]

Originally Posted by abhi193

I wanted the unit above climate controls. But my installer insisted that it will look more stock if its below the climate controls. I trusted him and agreed to it and i think he did a good job. As the block tapers down, the unit fits better below the climate controls

And for navigation....Yes, it is indeed too low to be looking at it while driving. But i hardly look at it..because the voice instructions are clear and accurate, i dont really have to look at th screen to find out directions.

Where did you get your install kit? I think I might like it better than mine.. better fit, even though your kenwood is lower. Although, it would seem that your gear shift lever is in the way of reaching your screen for selections?

Steve

[abhi193]

I didnt get any separate installation kit...my installer is an authorized dealer for kenwood. I bought the unit from him and he charged me 350$(for customizing the dash) and 180$(for installation). Thats it, i didnt get anything else. I think he took a custom dash and cut it nicely to fit in my car...

And for operating on the screen...yes, its little inconvenient when the car is in Park gear, but definitely not bad...in other gears, i didnt find any obstruction to operate on the screen...

BTW, i took my unit to my installer for the reset issue. He found out that the car is automatically shutting off the power to the unit after an hour, so the unit is losing the settings.

Now he hooked up a constant power source to the unit and it works great now. With this, the issue of my rear camera not coming up immediately i start the car is also resolved.

[DrtyJersey]

Originally Posted by spmd11

Guys.. I purchased the Dynavin for my 2011 e90 several months ago, and thankfully was able to return it. I have never been so dissatisfied with a purchase.

Recently, I installed the brand new to market, Kenwood DNX6990HD. This is a a truly awesome product. I have tested every aspect of this unit for about six weeks now.. before posting my evaluation.. so this is not a first glance. The depth of the features of this system has exceeded all of my expectations and there are many neat surprises of ergonomics and engineering details. These Kenwood guys are serious about what they build. I had no idea... I wouldn't be surprised if Kenwood is a supplier of media/nav units for auto manufacturers.

A better comparison, actually, is this system vs. the BMW iDrive Nav/Media. My 3 other BMWs have iDrive. The media interface and the Navigation features and routing abilities of the Kenwood are superior to the BMW system.. the iDrive is only slightly better execution and ergonomics vs the touchscreen. This touchscreen design, execution and sensitivity is so good, that you can argue that it is at least as good as the iDrive concept.. but you can't say that the iDrive concept is significantly better.. some auto manufacturers have gone touchscreen. As a pilot, I do prefer the iDrive in most situations because I can keep my eyes on the road.. but the Kenwood touchscreen is a quicker input for many menus and selections.. and in some cases far quicker.

I would say the only downside in this comparison is that the Kenwood sits lower than I would like so one has to look down somewhat compared to the iDrive screen which is closer to the windshield. But as an aftermarket unit, this thing is simply stellar.

Kenwood vs Dyanvin comparison is ridiculous.. especially when you compare price, because they retail for about the same. The Dynavin is an amateur attempt at best, and a total ripoff at worst, depending upon how you want to look at it.


I HAVE INCLUDED 2 PDF MANUALS AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST for your reference

1. Actual product support from a legit and well established company... like for instance, a 84 page full color PDF operator's manual, one of the best manuals I've seen for any product. Also, real and professional support for the installers.

1a. Touchscreen has perfect sensitivity and works flawlessly with your finger.. no stencil required, LOL! (Dynavin)

2. I don't know what kind of processor runs this thing, but it is seriously fast... every page and every selection, from nav to audio to settings, you name it, is instantaneous fast... superior to iDrive in this respect

2a. LCD screen resolution is excellent and blows away the Dynavin

3. Ease of use is vastly superior to Dynavin and very well engineered. The integration of Garmin into the rest of the media is well thought out and professionally developed. No doubt the Garmin engineers sat down with the Kenwood engineers... seamless integration of media and navigation and both cross over in different menus and pages

3a. DVD movie play while in motion.. incredibly crisp screen resolution for movies.

3b. Screen can be split, like in BMW iDrive, so you can have a movie playing on one half and navigation on the other, etc...

4. Everything works!! Flawlessly, from Satellite radio, to Pandora, HD radio to bluetooth, steering wheel controls.

5. GPS signal is full strength and immediately ready the moment the car is started.

6. Garmin Nav system is fabulous, and is superior to the factory BMW system in many ways

7. Bluetooth works at least as good as BMW bluetooth and I think perhaps better

8. Bottom hard key is a screen brightness key, and brightness and contrast can be modified on any page. Screen brightness far exceeds the garbage that the Dynavin puts out. Note two of the pictures in this post, the sun is shining through the sunroof onto the Kenwood screen.. you can see some slight glare on the right side of the screen

9. Bottom line, this is a fine piece of work, no question... I would put it up with other quality companies like BMW, in design and execution.. in direct comparison, the Dynavin is a complete joke as to be laughable, which is a complete amateur product and probably made in a chinese garage in Shenzhen.

10. I also got an Alpine backup camera, which the DNX supports... cool option

11. I feel really bad for anyone with a Dynavin. I highly recommend the 6990HD or 9990HD, and in many ways the total product exceeds the BMW iDrive/Navigation integration. The most exciting thing, is that everything works!!!!! And works really well! Sort of like switching form windows pc to Apple, although that is a ridiculous analogy given how bad the Dynavin really is....

After installing a after market HU what did you lose from factory? I'm thinking about it myself. I got a connect for radios at cost

[superjay]

dealer cost? distributor cost? build cost?

[wdgood]

this kenwood navigation is a standard 2 din unit,not the one design for BMW,does it have plug and play harness and can bus?strange...

[spmd11]

Originally Posted by DrtyJersey

After installing a after market HU what did you lose from factory? I'm thinking about it myself. I got a connect for radios at cost

I lost absolutely nothing.. gained Aha radio, pandora, HD radio and a Navigation system with "text to speech" navigation, posted speed and actual speed and many other features that the BMW nav does not have.

[Antidogma]

I am in the process of completing the sound upgrade with Jehnert speakers and a JL XD600/6 amp.
In the next step, I would like to replace the stock HU (I have the HiFi system) with a Kenwood Excelon model.
However, it seems that unless I relocate the stock HU to the trunk, I will lose the warning chimes and the parking sensor signals, both of which go through the CAN loop.
A BMW technician told me that an aftermarket radio would not be coded to correctly interpret a CAN signal.
Have you lost warning chimes in your car when you replaced the stock HU?
And if you didn't, how your installer manage to preserve the CAN loop signals?

Originally Posted by spmd11

I lost absolutely nothing.. gained Aha radio, pandora, HD radio and a Navigation system with "text to speech" navigation, posted speed and actual speed and many other features that the BMW nav does not have.

[spmd11]

I relocated stock HU to the trunk

[Antidogma]

Oh, I see. Did you have to run the Low and High CAN bus wires from the front of the car to the trunk?
I guess you can feed all the other wires, such as power, ground and speaker wires directly to the amp in the trunk, am I correct?

Originally Posted by spmd11

I relocated stock HU to the trunk

[FSociety]

Can you guys post pictures with the dash AC control above (AC control below is what spmd11 has posted) ... I am debating on these different dash and it seems not all of them look that great ..

I found this one from this forum

[tarponman85]

Any updates on the above pioneer unit?

[SavvyByNature]

Hey guys, I'm thinking of getting this unit. Will all of the steering wheel controls work with the Kenwood unit?

[SavvyByNature]

disregard my last question. I saw it in the main post.

[AndreyT]

Originally Posted by spmd11

My install has AC controls below Kenwood...

The funny thing about the image in this post is that the EXIF plugin for Chrome shows the Google Map for the location stored in EXIF data that matches precisely the map shown in the picture

[bigaizsosexy]

Great Post!!! It has answered the may questions I had about these units!!!

[MrBun]

sweet as a nut!! thinking of getting mine done as well...

[FSociety]

Originally Posted by MrBun

sweet as a nut!! thinking of getting mine done as well...

Me too, just need to find a bezel dash that looks clean with the AC Controls on the bottom

[sherif0203]

I don't like the METRA heated seat relocation kit. Is there an alternative for those of us with 08' generation to relocate these buttons in a neater way with this Kenwood mod?

would be awesome!