Kenwood DDX749WBT Review

[OnionTou]

I finally got my Toyota GT86 delivered on Thursday, the stock radio we get in Peru is absolutely horrible. The interface is bad, the EQ was pretty bad, and since I wanted a rear view camera, and bluetooth to talk, I knew I had to get a replacement.

This is the stock unit:


Friday morning I already had it in a shop changing my radio for a new one. My first choice for a radio was a Pioneer AVH8500BHS, but unfortunately that model doesn't come to Peru. The folks from toyota suggested the Kenwood DDX749WBT radio made specifically for Toyota dash size. I took the car to the folks who usually do my car audio. The general consensus was that Pioneer radios were better (performancewise, speed, etc.), but fitwise and finishwise the Kenwood DDX749WBT was better.




The Kenwood DDX749WBT is a double-DIN radio, but the mask of the radio is wider so it fits the space Toyota puts in its cars, meaning you don't need an adapter to cover the holes on the side of the radio.




Fitwise the radio looks great, the folks tell me there was no need for cable splicing (except for the antenna cable), everything is plug-n-play (I couldn't stay at the store to see how the installation was done).

This is the rear view camera that they installed. It's a cheap chinese camera, but the size and instalation was far nicer than having a big box camera like the Pioneer/Kenwood and sony cam's I've seen installed by other people.



This is the image it shows, not exactly the best quality. The camera aims very down, so it makes it hard to see further back when you back up.



EDIT: I realized the camera aims down because the part where the camera is stuck is at an angle, I'll try to put something there to see if I can fix the angle to get a better picture.End of EDIT

Back to the radio, this radio has bluetooth handsfree, the mic was installed on the steering column, right between the speedo and the tach (my apologies for the lack of a pic). I'm told the mic picks up sound really well.

Also as a bluetooth function is the ability to stream music to it. When I connected my ipad to it, I couldn't select or change playlists, apparently you can only stream files to it, like a bluetooth speaker. I don't have the kenwood ipod cable, so I haven't tested any other ipod/ipad features.

USB function is kinda slow. It takes a lot of time to read my 16gb USB, and unlike my chevrolet Orlando (my daily driver), it doesn't let you play things while it reads the USB stick, so everytime I sit in the car I have to wait 2 or 3 mins before I can start hearing music. So now i've opted for having 2 or 3 USB sticks in the car, with smaller capacity.

The buttons are small, it's kinda hard to mute the radio or change volume on the fly. its hard to find the buttons on the side of the screen, particularly when you're driving.

Sound quality is still so-so. I've fiddled with the EQ settings but since I haven't changed my speakers yet, so I wasn't really expecting much improvement on sound. I'll probably get that solved in a few months with an amp, speakers and sub (gotta save up for that).

[OnionTou]

argh.... my apologies, dropbox pics don't show. When I figure how to post pics the right way I'll be fixing this post.

[Trap63]

[Trap63]

the stock tuner is the same in Italy...Very North Korean.....blah!

[Gir]

You don't need the Kenwood iPod cable. Just plug the standard iPod usb cable into the USB port and it automatically goes into iPod mode.

[PR FR-S]

Which camera did u install? I have a Kenwood DDX 419 head unit and I'm still trying to decide. Obviusly Kenwood seems the logical choice, but they are pricier.

Gracias y Saludos

William

[mit_peid]

Originally Posted by PR FR-S

Which camera did u install? I have a Kenwood DDX 419 head unit and I'm still trying to decide. Obviusly Kenwood seems the logical choice, but they are pricier.

Gracias y Saludos

William

I installed a Rydeen Duo camera that sells for about $100 in the US. It is a little less expensive than the Kenwood offerings, feels very solid and environmentally sealed, looks very OEM, and has the ability to show parking lines.

[OnionTou]

Originally Posted by PR FR-S

Which camera did u install? I have a Kenwood DDX 419 head unit and I'm still trying to decide. Obviusly Kenwood seems the logical choice, but they are pricier.

Gracias y Saludos

William

The audio place set me a chinese generic one, I think I paid US$80 and that included the installation. The kenwood/sony/pioneer cams are larger and don't look OEM (they have a cube shape), so I ended up with that one.

During the day, the camera is pretty good. At night, the picture is very grainy. but for parking assitance it's pretty good. My camera was angled fairly downward, that's why I can park really close to the wall at home. (part of it was that the mounting point was already angled downwards).

[Perry]

Originally Posted by mit_peid

I installed a Rydeen Duo camera that sells for about $100 in the US. It is a little less expensive than the Kenwood offerings, feels very solid and environmentally sealed, looks very OEM, and has the ability to show parking lines.

What model is this?avh 5500?

[mit_peid]

Originally Posted by Perry

What model is this?avh 5500?

The head unit is a Pioneer AVH-X8500BHS.

[Perry]

Originally Posted by mit_peid

The head unit is a Pioneer AVH-X8500BHS.

did u use a bracket? where can i buy em?

[mit_peid]

Originally Posted by Perry

did u use a bracket? where can i buy em?

I believe these are the ones that came with my unit.

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Metra-95-8202-Toyota-DDIN-Multi/dp/B000K52CY2/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1373045484&sr=8-3&keywords=toyota+double+din+bracket"]Amazon.com : Metra 95-8202 Toyota DDIN Multi Dash Kit : Car Audio & Video Accessories : Electronics[/ame]

[Lordiron]

Hi, I'm buying a gt 86 in Peru and I would like to change the radio, please could you give me information about the store where you bought it? and where did you install the radio and camera ? Thanks.

[OnionTou]

Originally Posted by Lordiron

Hi, I'm buying a gt 86 in Peru and I would like to change the radio, please could you give me information about the store where you bought it? and where did you install the radio and camera ? Thanks.

I'll send you a Message to your inbox.