Opinions on the Kenwood DNX693S ?

[Guru Woodman]

I received the head unit on Wednesday and built in it on Thursday. It was a somewhat painful experience. It took longer then expected and ended up scratching the console. The stock unit slipt out of my hand and touched the silver trim leaving a mark on both pieces. I am pretty bummed out about it but it is what it is. I might replace the dash parts if I can't get over it. I did some research on part numbers for the trim pieces but haven't found anything yet.
I am usually careful and it is not normal for me to make a mistake like that. I blame the heat because it has been very hot here lately (+90)

I also installed a backup camera, which was also a disappointing experience. It turned out that the camera showed the image upside down and as far as I could tell not even close to what it should be showing. And there is no way to flip the image. I drilled a hole to install it but I decided to replace ut with a higher end Kenwood camera (a CMOS 230) and choose a different location, more centred the the previous one.

The unit itself is great. The screen is crisp, there is no lag, menu's are logical and Carplay works great. And the sound is way better the the stock unit.

I am happy with my upgrade.

Here's a picture of my backup camera.

[FNCrazy]

I think I've got those silver parts blemish free (I think they're blemish free). If yours are superficial scratches and you can't feel them, I don't mind trading if you pay shipping. I plan on attempting to modify my extras, so as long as it's smooth it's fine with me. Pm me to discuss

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[Guru Woodman]

PM'd you !

[Guru Woodman]

[FNCrazy]

Originally Posted by Guru Woodman

Except for no Android Auto, Woo-hoo!

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[Guru Woodman]

The DNX893S does work with Android Auto because has a bigger 7 inch screen. But you loose the volume button.

lol, I just noticed that I have to set my clock again.


Btw, see the scratch? I do

I might consider upgrading my knee pads while I'm at it.

Silver vertical dash trim:

SU003-01929
SU003-01930

Knee pads Leather with red stitching:

SU003-01920
SU003-01919

I'm putting these parts numbers here for my reference.

[FNCrazy]

Mine didn't come with the dash trim there or knee pads. Maybe I'll get jpm to make me some.... Or, I might stay lazy.

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[Guru Woodman]

I just ordered the dash trim an knee pads at the local Toyota dealership.
Why not at Subaru you might ask? I am not even sure the Suby dealer would be able to order the stuff (especially the knee pads) and I am a pretty loyal customer at Toyota, because I have way more Toyota's then Subaru's in my fleet.

They quoted me the silver dash trim for $22.50 a piece and the knee pads were $45.50 a piece (+ 13% tax).
These are Canadian $ which roughly converts to $17 and $35 US. And no shipping costs or border hassle.

They will probably arrive tomorrow, they are usually quick.

[FNCrazy]

Awesome!

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[Guru Woodman]

I picked up the knee pads and dash trim yesterday because one pad was in back order. I got the chance to install them today. It took less then 15 minutes thanks to a great write-up on this forum. I am extremely happy with the result.

[unhappymeal]

Any ideas on how these units compare to the DDX series?

[Jmk91]

I'm a pioneer guy my self and I'll tell you why... alpine is twice as much as same equalizers and stats as equivalent pioneer and kenwood. Kenwood display isn't nearly as nice as pioneer. Kenwood does have more rms normally 22 rms vs pioneers 13 I think. Also pioneers controls to adjust bands is super easy vs kenwood. For single Dins kenwood all t h e way but pioneer mastered the double din in my opinion. I'd buy the equivalent pioneer model

[Guru Woodman]

Originally Posted by unhappymeal

Any ideas on how these units compare to the DDX series?

The difference between the DDX series and the DNX series is the navigation. The N means the unit comes standard with Garmin Navigation. The DDX does not, but you can use iPhone Maps (with Siri) or Android Auto with I presume Google maps for your navigation needs. The reason I choose for a DNX is that I am not always in an area where I have e decent cell reception and when traveling abroad I prefer not to roam my data.

Originally Posted by Jmk91

I'm a pioneer guy my self and I'll tell you why... alpine is twice as much as same equalizers and stats as equivalent pioneer and kenwood. Kenwood display isn't nearly as nice as pioneer. Kenwood does have more rms normally 22 rms vs pioneers 13 I think. Also pioneers controls to adjust bands is super easy vs kenwood. For single Dins kenwood all t h e way but pioneer mastered the double din in my opinion. I'd buy the equivalent pioneer model

People have preferences and that is fine. I have had many brands and I have never seen a screen as crisp as my current unit. Maybe because it is their latest offerings. Older units were horrible as far as menu's (I also have an older DNX6980 in one of my vehicles) and the systems sputters and lags and the screen is so-so. This newer unit has non of these problems. The Linux operating system makes snappy and the menu's are a breeze to use.

If you are considering and double DIN, go to a store that has units hooked up and play with them for a while. You might prefer a totally different brand.

[Jmk91]

Last model head unit I purchased was the 2015 models in my 6th gen celica. Maybe kenwood finally got out of the boss head unit category with double dins by now. I will check them out in my next purchase.