More Buyer Ideas on Kenwood Ddx814

Hard to figure out a rating. I basically really like the unit; it looks and sounds great, Garmin NAV is unbeatable. That all gets 5-stars. But Kenwood seems to have spent all of their time and effort on the details and left out the basics. I think it’s great that you can change the panel color by adjusting the red/green/blue levels, but to adjust the volume on the NAV system requires digging through several menus. I’ve sent 3 different messages to customer service to get explanations on things which should be pretty obvious but aren’t. User-friendliness rating of 1-star, instruction manual would get 0-stars.
I installed the unit myself in a 2004 Mitsubishi Eclipse. Best Buy wanted $300 more for the unit and about $250 for installation. Very simple process but I’d definitely suggest buying a car-specific wiring harness kit (I got one from Crutchfield). I ended up only having to cut two car wires to get almost everything working (I don’t have the rear camera): one splice for an optional steering wheel interface and one to the parking brake switch under the console. If we decide to sell the car, we can throw the old radio in, reconnect those two wires and be good-as-new in about 20 minutes. The antennas for the NAV and XM ran unbelievably easily behind the steering wheel, through a removable fuse panel and up through a seam to mount on the dashboard at the base of the windshield. No issues with getting signals at all.
The sales info from Kenwood indicates that the unit is XM-ready, Sirius-ready, and HD-ready. What they don’t tell you is that it’s only ready for one of those three as they all use the same port. Don’t expect to access XM and HD.

The Kenwood DNX6140 head unit is amazingly useful and easy to use. I looked a long time before ordering my first DNX6140 from Crutchfield, which I installed in our ‘05 Toyota Sienna. I was so impressed that I ordered a second unit (the DNX5140) from Amazon (at a better price) and installed it in my Toyota MR2. I liked the two of them so well that we installed another DNX6140 (also purchased from Amazon) in our VW Passat. The only problem now will be having to buy three map updates each year or two, since Garmin doesn’t yet offer a multiple unit map upgrade.

Pluses include the proven Garmin navigation system, which I was already familiar with, and which influenced my decision to buy the Garmin over some other non-Garmin units. The audio system is excellent, with all the inputs, outputs, and adjustments you could possibly need. It sounds GREAT! I also installed Kenwoods CCD-2000 backup cameras on all three cars, and find their backup camera display on the head unit an excellent safety feature. Also, the backup screen comes up very quickly after starting your vehicle, which was not the case with a previous backup system I had installed. FM and AM performance is top notch. Tone settings are individually memorized for each function (DVD, FM, iPod, etc.) Oh, the iPod interface is excellent, this is actually my favorite feature. The DNX6140/5140 controls your iPod remotely so you can keep it safely stored out of sight. It includes all iPod functions, and displays album artwork on its screen.

Finally, the Parrot Bluetooth interface is excellent. It mutes audio and routes your call through your cars front speakers (adjustable,) and its steering wheel column mounted noise canceling microphone sends out good voice quality to your caller. It can be set to auto answer after a ring or two, and you can program in auto-dial numbers.

Note: The Kenwood DNX5140 is virtually identical to the 6140, except that it doesn’t include the Parrot Bluetooth hands-free option, at a lower price. I put a DNX5140, with Kenwoods KCA-BT200 Bluetooth adapter in my Toyota MR2, and it turned my DNX5140 into a DNX6140 but for a lower price than the the 6140.

The Kenwood DNX6140/DNX5140 are both EXCELLENT units!

Great speakers for the money plan to purchase more in the future and they look cool too!

I installed these speakers in my ‘71 Triumph Spitfire, paired with a new Clarion stereo. The speakers look great and sound really good. I may get another pair for the front, but for now the rear set is fine. I am rockin’ with the top down and the music sounding good!