DNX890hd Review
06-14-2013, 11:00 PM
#1
Burning Brakes
Thread Starter
DNX890hd Review
Hi,
My fancy new Kenwood unit has served me well over the past week. Overall I’m very happy and would give it 8.5 stars out of 10.
Several reviews on Amazon and other sites were mixed due to rushing the unit to market before all the glitches were ironed out. I installed the new firmware update and have not had any lockups or weird behavior. Here goes:
GUI: The HU has some excellent straight forward options and then there are several features that are not very straight forward and make little sense. I've designed interfaces before and to me it’s apparent that engineers designed the interface with little user input. That said the opening menu screen is very easy to navigate and colorful. There are several smaller icons (touch screen) featuring DVD, XM, HD Radio, Telephone, Nav, setup, blue-tooth, etc. With three in your face larger icons that sits atop the smaller icon bar.
The larger icons can be customized so you can have your most accessed icons at your fingertips - literally.
Speed: The radio starts up with the car and takes about 20 seconds to come alive. The icons are responsive, and screens and functions load quickly.
Cameras: Put the car in reverse and presto the camera gives the driver a full view of any obstacles in their way. Switching between the front and rear camera is enabled with the touch of the screen. Pulling into a spot requires the "aud" button to be pressed and held which enables the front camera. I bought two cheap cameras off Ebay and they work great. No need to spend 400.00 for Kenwood cameras.
Sat: From all my research and experience reception is not the greatest with our Vettes. Anyway, the HU does a good job - for the most part in implementing sat radio. The good - there are 24 presets for all your fav stations. Another excellent feature is that a true fav list can be edited so the user can block channels that don’t tickle their fancy. No need to see them in your rolling list. I blocked every Spanish station, country music, etc. There is also an option to go straight to an XM channel or surf up and down the channels. Another fancy option is built in memory. Let’s say you are doing 50 in 1st gear and jamming to Stairway to Heaven when the phone so rudely ruins your fun. Two rings and the phone automatically answers to reveal an angry wife who wants to talk about her day. After 10 minutes of talking her off a ledge you hang-up and realize you missed a favorite tune. Not a problem. The radio records several minutes of content and allows you to go back and review what was recorded.
The bad: The user only has access to 6 presets at a time. To access the other presets it requires the user to change the toolbar, click on Band (changes presets) and then re-open the preset toolbar. There are many ways to make this less clunky. Another positive is that all the presets load into a scrollable screen for faster access so this is a bit of a work around. I find this a bit difficult to navigate with my sausage like fingers. A button to do auto scrolling might have been a brilliant option.
DVD: I popped in Aliens vs Predator and found the sound and video to be excellent. I really haven't spent too much time with video but what I saw worked well.
HD Radio: Has many of the same features as XM radio. There is a seek function that will populate your presets with the strongest stations. Reception was ok. I haven't found the indicator to let me know which stations are broadcasting in HD. I'm sure it's there.
Telephone: I was pleasantly surprised to find that my phone connects automatically every time I enter the car with no dropouts. I had lots of problems with my BMW and Audi. The phone easily downloaded my contacts, has 3 presets for quicker dialing, last dialed calls, auto answering of incoming calls, etc. There are several adjustments for your mic volume, noise reduction, etc. I've gotten great feedback on sound quality.
Pandora: I was easily able to pull up my own custom station and then stream it to my HU. The sound quality was great.
Aha Radio: I really haven't played with this but will. I believe the app will organize all your music and audio content.
Nav: I have the nav antenna mounted where the front dash speaker was and reception is excellent. The NAV unit is awesome. As you drive you’ll be greeted with icons for restaurants, gas stations, etc. Just click on an icon and the nav unit asks the user if they want to be routed to that location. There are many options and they all work great. I haven't played with the traffic alerts but I think you need to subscribe for this data.
Adjustments: There is a cool equalizer that is user defined with preset adjustments for pop, rock, natural, jazz, etc. There are also several audio settings that are basically useless. However, the Sub adjustments are nice. You can add gain, boost bass, etc. I would have liked a way to set crossovers but this is easily done on the amp(s). There is also a two zone option that doesn’t make sense to me. I would strongly suggest a bass **** to adjust bass on the fly. The HU also has adjustments to change the screen angle to reduce glare. While there are also functions to change the start up screen, light colors, etc.
Ipod: The unit has two USB connectors. On is for an ipod and the other is for updates to the firmware. I tried my friend’s Ipod and I was able to stream video, have full functionality of his ipod. I can also use my Galaxy Note 2 as a pseudo ipod or even load songs from a flash drive.
Notes: The unit ships with firmware version 1.3 and I quickly updated to 1.6. It was fairly easy but the flash drive needs to be formatted in Fat 16 or 32. If it is using NTSC the update will not work. Also there are 20 files that you should see after you download the firmware. Kenwood has excellent customer service. I never waited more than 2 minutes and I've called several times. The manual is horrible, even the techs admit this. Several options are not even listed in the manual. I ended up educating the tech on the presets.
Sound: The sound from this unit, with my alpine amps is good. Not great but good. I have 6 x 9 JBL speakers in the doors, 3.5" JBL top of the door and 5.25" in the back. I may buy a 10" woofer and mount it along with a crossover and a 4omh professional tweeter to see if I can improve the sound. Most of you would probably rate the sound as excellent but I'm pretty picky and don't like any muddiness when the music becomes more complex and plays loud. My speakers are all 2ohm so the amp runs a little hot. The sub is 4ohm and runs cooler. Not what I wanted to see so going to a 4ohm load may take some of the strain off the 4 channel MRX amps. There is a newer deck out - the DNX990hd. It supports wifi, web browsing, and youtube video streaming. Wifi would require that I subscribe to hotspot service or that I park near a store with wifi. I saw no value in this since I have a Smartphone, with a large screen, and have no desire to surf the web on my HU. Tip - make sure you buy from an authorized Kenwood dealer since your warranty is voided if they are selling grey market equipment. Lastly, the remote sucks. You have to move a slider to enable the remote to control different options in the HU. Example, audio and DVD need to be switched on before you can control them with the remote. The slider is mall and the labels are hard to read. I dropped my remote behind the seat and then crushed it with the power seats. I put a nice hole in the remote. I bought another one for around 30.00. Not a big deal. Also, I ended up mounting the XM puck on the outside of the car. This is the only place I could get good reception.
Update: I really like this HU. It works well and is easy to use. The XM reception is not the best but I blame this on my location and where the sats are in the sky. Overall I'm very happy with all its features and how they work. I also adjusted the gain, on my amps, and am really enjoying the sound that comes from my system. The JBL 6 x 9 speakers gives excellent sound. I also have the 5.25" crossed over to just produce mid-bass which keeps them from going to low and distorting. I also raised the crossover of my sub so it produces frequencies from 20hz to 400hz. It adds dimension to the music and fills in the bottom notes. I highly recommend the Polk 8" MM driver. It delivers clean and fast bass. I also like my Alpine amps but they do run a little hotter than I thought. Lowering the gain on my amps helped to keep them running cooler.
My fancy new Kenwood unit has served me well over the past week. Overall I’m very happy and would give it 8.5 stars out of 10.
Several reviews on Amazon and other sites were mixed due to rushing the unit to market before all the glitches were ironed out. I installed the new firmware update and have not had any lockups or weird behavior. Here goes:
GUI: The HU has some excellent straight forward options and then there are several features that are not very straight forward and make little sense. I've designed interfaces before and to me it’s apparent that engineers designed the interface with little user input. That said the opening menu screen is very easy to navigate and colorful. There are several smaller icons (touch screen) featuring DVD, XM, HD Radio, Telephone, Nav, setup, blue-tooth, etc. With three in your face larger icons that sits atop the smaller icon bar.
The larger icons can be customized so you can have your most accessed icons at your fingertips - literally.
Speed: The radio starts up with the car and takes about 20 seconds to come alive. The icons are responsive, and screens and functions load quickly.
Cameras: Put the car in reverse and presto the camera gives the driver a full view of any obstacles in their way. Switching between the front and rear camera is enabled with the touch of the screen. Pulling into a spot requires the "aud" button to be pressed and held which enables the front camera. I bought two cheap cameras off Ebay and they work great. No need to spend 400.00 for Kenwood cameras.
Sat: From all my research and experience reception is not the greatest with our Vettes. Anyway, the HU does a good job - for the most part in implementing sat radio. The good - there are 24 presets for all your fav stations. Another excellent feature is that a true fav list can be edited so the user can block channels that don’t tickle their fancy. No need to see them in your rolling list. I blocked every Spanish station, country music, etc. There is also an option to go straight to an XM channel or surf up and down the channels. Another fancy option is built in memory. Let’s say you are doing 50 in 1st gear and jamming to Stairway to Heaven when the phone so rudely ruins your fun. Two rings and the phone automatically answers to reveal an angry wife who wants to talk about her day. After 10 minutes of talking her off a ledge you hang-up and realize you missed a favorite tune. Not a problem. The radio records several minutes of content and allows you to go back and review what was recorded.
The bad: The user only has access to 6 presets at a time. To access the other presets it requires the user to change the toolbar, click on Band (changes presets) and then re-open the preset toolbar. There are many ways to make this less clunky. Another positive is that all the presets load into a scrollable screen for faster access so this is a bit of a work around. I find this a bit difficult to navigate with my sausage like fingers. A button to do auto scrolling might have been a brilliant option.
DVD: I popped in Aliens vs Predator and found the sound and video to be excellent. I really haven't spent too much time with video but what I saw worked well.
HD Radio: Has many of the same features as XM radio. There is a seek function that will populate your presets with the strongest stations. Reception was ok. I haven't found the indicator to let me know which stations are broadcasting in HD. I'm sure it's there.
Telephone: I was pleasantly surprised to find that my phone connects automatically every time I enter the car with no dropouts. I had lots of problems with my BMW and Audi. The phone easily downloaded my contacts, has 3 presets for quicker dialing, last dialed calls, auto answering of incoming calls, etc. There are several adjustments for your mic volume, noise reduction, etc. I've gotten great feedback on sound quality.
Pandora: I was easily able to pull up my own custom station and then stream it to my HU. The sound quality was great.
Aha Radio: I really haven't played with this but will. I believe the app will organize all your music and audio content.
Nav: I have the nav antenna mounted where the front dash speaker was and reception is excellent. The NAV unit is awesome. As you drive you’ll be greeted with icons for restaurants, gas stations, etc. Just click on an icon and the nav unit asks the user if they want to be routed to that location. There are many options and they all work great. I haven't played with the traffic alerts but I think you need to subscribe for this data.
Adjustments: There is a cool equalizer that is user defined with preset adjustments for pop, rock, natural, jazz, etc. There are also several audio settings that are basically useless. However, the Sub adjustments are nice. You can add gain, boost bass, etc. I would have liked a way to set crossovers but this is easily done on the amp(s). There is also a two zone option that doesn’t make sense to me. I would strongly suggest a bass **** to adjust bass on the fly. The HU also has adjustments to change the screen angle to reduce glare. While there are also functions to change the start up screen, light colors, etc.
Ipod: The unit has two USB connectors. On is for an ipod and the other is for updates to the firmware. I tried my friend’s Ipod and I was able to stream video, have full functionality of his ipod. I can also use my Galaxy Note 2 as a pseudo ipod or even load songs from a flash drive.
Notes: The unit ships with firmware version 1.3 and I quickly updated to 1.6. It was fairly easy but the flash drive needs to be formatted in Fat 16 or 32. If it is using NTSC the update will not work. Also there are 20 files that you should see after you download the firmware. Kenwood has excellent customer service. I never waited more than 2 minutes and I've called several times. The manual is horrible, even the techs admit this. Several options are not even listed in the manual. I ended up educating the tech on the presets.
Sound: The sound from this unit, with my alpine amps is good. Not great but good. I have 6 x 9 JBL speakers in the doors, 3.5" JBL top of the door and 5.25" in the back. I may buy a 10" woofer and mount it along with a crossover and a 4omh professional tweeter to see if I can improve the sound. Most of you would probably rate the sound as excellent but I'm pretty picky and don't like any muddiness when the music becomes more complex and plays loud. My speakers are all 2ohm so the amp runs a little hot. The sub is 4ohm and runs cooler. Not what I wanted to see so going to a 4ohm load may take some of the strain off the 4 channel MRX amps. There is a newer deck out - the DNX990hd. It supports wifi, web browsing, and youtube video streaming. Wifi would require that I subscribe to hotspot service or that I park near a store with wifi. I saw no value in this since I have a Smartphone, with a large screen, and have no desire to surf the web on my HU. Tip - make sure you buy from an authorized Kenwood dealer since your warranty is voided if they are selling grey market equipment. Lastly, the remote sucks. You have to move a slider to enable the remote to control different options in the HU. Example, audio and DVD need to be switched on before you can control them with the remote. The slider is mall and the labels are hard to read. I dropped my remote behind the seat and then crushed it with the power seats. I put a nice hole in the remote. I bought another one for around 30.00. Not a big deal. Also, I ended up mounting the XM puck on the outside of the car. This is the only place I could get good reception.
Update: I really like this HU. It works well and is easy to use. The XM reception is not the best but I blame this on my location and where the sats are in the sky. Overall I'm very happy with all its features and how they work. I also adjusted the gain, on my amps, and am really enjoying the sound that comes from my system. The JBL 6 x 9 speakers gives excellent sound. I also have the 5.25" crossed over to just produce mid-bass which keeps them from going to low and distorting. I also raised the crossover of my sub so it produces frequencies from 20hz to 400hz. It adds dimension to the music and fills in the bottom notes. I highly recommend the Polk 8" MM driver. It delivers clean and fast bass. I also like my Alpine amps but they do run a little hotter than I thought. Lowering the gain on my amps helped to keep them running cooler.
Last edited by traderfjp; 07-09-2013 at 11:24 PM.
07-10-2013, 12:47 PM
#3
Instructor
Member Since: Oct 2010
Location: Belleville Illinois
Posts: 231
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My 890HD is working fine and I am enjoying it. With that said....I don't think I would buy another one----or any other brand again unless the technology gets a LOT better. Its just a matter of time before a cell phone or notebook/ipad will be commonly used as a head unit. My phone is much more advanced in technology than my $1K plus stereo and my ipad even more so. My 890hd will be fine until the day comes when you portable devices will double a your car's head unit. For now I am happy but not "overjoyed".
Last edited by radbluesfan; 07-10-2013 at 03:30 PM. Reason: 890HD NOT 990 HD
07-10-2013, 01:54 PM
#4
Burning Brakes
Thread Starter
The 990hd is very similar to what we have but supports wifi. I have no desire in using wifi with my HU so it wasn't a consideration when I purchased my HU. I bought a grey market unit so it only cost me 800.00. The company that sold it to me has been in business for a long time and offers a 3 year warranty with all grey market units sold. I'm curious about what you don't like about the 890? I think it is a bit over complicated but once the learning curve is mastered the GUI makes more sense. Kenwood support is excellent too and they will answer most questions.
My 890HD is working fine and I am enjoying it. With that said....I don't think I would buy another one----or any other brand again unless the technology gets a LOT better. Its just a matter of time before a cell phone or notebook/ipad will be commonly used as a head unit. My phone is much more advanced in technology than my $1K plus stereo and my ipad even more so. My 990hd will be fine until the day comes when you portable devices will double a your car's head unit. For now I am happy but not "overjoyed".
07-10-2013, 03:47 PM
#5
Instructor
Member Since: Oct 2010
Location: Belleville Illinois
Posts: 231
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
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I fixed my typo "990hd" on my previous post to 890hd. I like my 890 hd fine---its just a bit behind on features and speed compared to a cell phone that's 1/3 the price. My DNX890HD is a replacement I was given, plus cash, for a DNX9990HD that crapped out and could not be repaired after 2 trips to kenwood and 3 months of BS. I had an option for a refund but opted for the 890HD. So, I knew what I was getting. The music sounds great, the EQ is great, and the other audio functions are all great. If you want a brief list of things I don't like or wish were improved.
Slow boot up time at startup
slow between songs and menus
album art is hit or miss---often not matching the song playing
navigation is hit or miss on accuracy
using Siri is inconsistent, sometimes works perfect and sometimes not
menu screen has icons I never use but cannot be removed
radio reception is poor and HD radio reception also inconsistent
My car is not a DD. I never listen to the radio. I only listen to MP3s. The sound quality is great and the other things that I do not like are not a deal breaker because I don't use my car for anything other than a toy---same with the stereo. There are not many options out there better than the KW Excelons. My point is that an average cell phone has better and faster features and user interfaces.
Slow boot up time at startup
slow between songs and menus
album art is hit or miss---often not matching the song playing
navigation is hit or miss on accuracy
using Siri is inconsistent, sometimes works perfect and sometimes not
menu screen has icons I never use but cannot be removed
radio reception is poor and HD radio reception also inconsistent
My car is not a DD. I never listen to the radio. I only listen to MP3s. The sound quality is great and the other things that I do not like are not a deal breaker because I don't use my car for anything other than a toy---same with the stereo. There are not many options out there better than the KW Excelons. My point is that an average cell phone has better and faster features and user interfaces.
Last edited by radbluesfan; 07-10-2013 at 07:10 PM.
07-10-2013, 07:47 PM
#6
Burning Brakes
I've had my 890HD for about three weeks now... I'm still getting used to the features but agree that this is a nice unit. I do wish though that I could add contacts to my phone book that are not listed in my cell phone... I've tried to use a "passport" USB portable hard drive versus a flash drive but for some reason all I get is "USB reading" and nothing else. I do though like having the USB connections... Fortunately my XM reception is clear... The boot up time isn't an issue for me...it seems about the same as the Pioneer unit I had. I like the slide show feature while music is playing...kinda cool. There really is alot to like about this unit....great review BTW
07-10-2013, 10:17 PM
#7
Burning Brakes
Thread Starter
Try copying all the files on your drive to your desktop and then reformat your drive to fat32. Do a full format not a quickie format. Then copy over your files and see if it plays.
May I ask what antenna are you using for XM and where is it located?
I need to find out how to change the clock from military time to standard time. Also, I don't know if you've played with this feature but you can create a fav list too for all your xm stations. I love this feature.
Thanks for the kind words on the review.
May I ask what antenna are you using for XM and where is it located?
I need to find out how to change the clock from military time to standard time. Also, I don't know if you've played with this feature but you can create a fav list too for all your xm stations. I love this feature.
Thanks for the kind words on the review.
I've had my 890HD for about three weeks now... I'm still getting used to the features but agree that this is a nice unit. I do wish though that I could add contacts to my phone book that are not listed in my cell phone... I've tried to use a "passport" USB portable hard drive versus a flash drive but for some reason all I get is "USB reading" and nothing else. I do though like having the USB connections... Fortunately my XM reception is clear... The boot up time isn't an issue for me...it seems about the same as the Pioneer unit I had. I like the slide show feature while music is playing...kinda cool. There really is alot to like about this unit....great review BTW
07-13-2013, 11:28 AM
#8
Burning Brakes
Try copying all the files on your drive to your desktop and then reformat your drive to fat32. Do a full format not a quickie format. Then copy over your files and see if it plays.
May I ask what antenna are you using for XM and where is it located?
I need to find out how to change the clock from military time to standard time. Also, I don't know if you've played with this feature but you can create a fav list too for all your xm stations. I love this feature.
Thanks for the kind words on the review.
May I ask what antenna are you using for XM and where is it located?
I need to find out how to change the clock from military time to standard time. Also, I don't know if you've played with this feature but you can create a fav list too for all your xm stations. I love this feature.
Thanks for the kind words on the review.
07-13-2013, 01:17 PM
#9
Burning Brakes
Thread Starter
I noticed you're in Vegas which would explain why your XM reception is better than mine. I'm glad u got your tunes working. How is your FM reception? Mine is not that good. I need to add another amplified antenna to see if that helps. Not looking forward to pulling the radio.
07-14-2013, 02:55 AM
#10
Burning Brakes
I noticed you're in Vegas which would explain why your XM reception is better than mine. I'm glad u got your tunes working. How is your FM reception? Mine is not that good. I need to add another amplified antenna to see if that helps. Not looking forward to pulling the radio.
07-16-2013, 05:35 PM
#11
Drifting
Yes, the DNX890HD is a great head unit. I put one in my wife's Cayenne and ever since I've been eying the crappy factory stereo in my '08 Z06. If I keep the Z06 a few more years, I'm going to add something like this.
The Garmin NAV is awesome.
One note: my DNX890HD died after about 6 weeks. Kenwood was very fast to respond to my queries and instructed me to take it back for replacement. The installer replaced it last week without hassle.
So far I'm happy (though I hope this one lasts more than 6 weeks).
Glad to hear they work well in Corvettes!
The Garmin NAV is awesome.
One note: my DNX890HD died after about 6 weeks. Kenwood was very fast to respond to my queries and instructed me to take it back for replacement. The installer replaced it last week without hassle.
So far I'm happy (though I hope this one lasts more than 6 weeks).
Glad to hear they work well in Corvettes!
07-16-2013, 09:44 PM
#12
Burning Brakes
Thread Starter
It's nice to know that Kenwood stands behind its products. Did the unit just go black, was it locking up??
Yes, the DNX890HD is a great head unit. I put one in my wife's Cayenne and ever since I've been eying the crappy factory stereo in my '08 Z06. If I keep the Z06 a few more years, I'm going to add something like this.
The Garmin NAV is awesome.
One note: my DNX890HD died after about 6 weeks. Kenwood was very fast to respond to my queries and instructed me to take it back for replacement. The installer replaced it last week without hassle.
So far I'm happy (though I hope this one lasts more than 6 weeks).
Glad to hear they work well in Corvettes!
The Garmin NAV is awesome.
One note: my DNX890HD died after about 6 weeks. Kenwood was very fast to respond to my queries and instructed me to take it back for replacement. The installer replaced it last week without hassle.
So far I'm happy (though I hope this one lasts more than 6 weeks).
Glad to hear they work well in Corvettes!
07-17-2013, 04:19 PM
#13
Drifting
All music functions continued to work.
09-04-2013, 06:38 PM
#15
Safety Car
I have the Kenwood 890 HD as well as the GMOS04 and Maestro SW Control Module connector as well as the SXV200 to use the existing antenna along with some kind of Metra face plate, but would love a link to install instructions of all this stuff into a Non Nav 08 Z06 with XM/Sirius, and bose speakers that at this point I want to keep.
It is supposed to be plug and play except for one wire, but there is a heck of a lot of wiring going on with no idea how it all fits together nor how it fits on a Z06 vs a base coupe which I have found some links for. And I don't relish rewiring the whole car to add Nav (I have 3 portable units) at the same time as losing HUD as well as my 6 disc changer.
Every time I look at this box full of stuff I get hives. I do have the Helms manuals but they aren't really to helpful given everything to install all this is aftermarket stuff.
I suppose I should just buckle down and take things apart and hope that all the connectors actually are enough different so it becomes apparent where things go.
This thread is a very good review but not exactly a glowing "this is so good you gotta do it" recommendation. More like "it is OK, but so was the stock system." And the stock system has the huge advantage of already being wired.
If I am misreading the posts from those that have done the install please feel free to correct me, as right now I am not terribly excited about wasting a weekend installing all these parts.
There apparently was a link to a FAQ for the install in the DIY section of the C6Z06 section but that link has been inoperative for the past month or so.
It is supposed to be plug and play except for one wire, but there is a heck of a lot of wiring going on with no idea how it all fits together nor how it fits on a Z06 vs a base coupe which I have found some links for. And I don't relish rewiring the whole car to add Nav (I have 3 portable units) at the same time as losing HUD as well as my 6 disc changer.
Every time I look at this box full of stuff I get hives. I do have the Helms manuals but they aren't really to helpful given everything to install all this is aftermarket stuff.
I suppose I should just buckle down and take things apart and hope that all the connectors actually are enough different so it becomes apparent where things go.
This thread is a very good review but not exactly a glowing "this is so good you gotta do it" recommendation. More like "it is OK, but so was the stock system." And the stock system has the huge advantage of already being wired.
If I am misreading the posts from those that have done the install please feel free to correct me, as right now I am not terribly excited about wasting a weekend installing all these parts.
There apparently was a link to a FAQ for the install in the DIY section of the C6Z06 section but that link has been inoperative for the past month or so.
09-04-2013, 09:13 PM
#16
Tech Contributor
Do you have and want to keep onstar? If not, get a C2R-GM24 for a much easier install.
Basic are covered HERE, but yours will be slightly different.
Connect orange HU dimmer wire to grey/black at Traction Control button.
C6Z is identical to all other C6 for radio.
C6 radio prints are HERE
Pins A6 and A7 of big plug are for steering wheel buttons, there's another recent thread where someone had trouble with maestro wires. I forget what the answer was, but they had to call maker to find out what wires went where in C6. Try a search.
Connect blue 'amp remote' wire from HU directly to wire at pin B3 of big plug (on GMOS side of plug, but between plug and GMOS, not between GMOS and HU). That will bypass GMOS with amp trigger so you will NOT need to install a relay.
Plenty of us here to ask for help if you get stuck
Basic are covered HERE, but yours will be slightly different.
Connect orange HU dimmer wire to grey/black at Traction Control button.
C6Z is identical to all other C6 for radio.
C6 radio prints are HERE
Pins A6 and A7 of big plug are for steering wheel buttons, there's another recent thread where someone had trouble with maestro wires. I forget what the answer was, but they had to call maker to find out what wires went where in C6. Try a search.
Connect blue 'amp remote' wire from HU directly to wire at pin B3 of big plug (on GMOS side of plug, but between plug and GMOS, not between GMOS and HU). That will bypass GMOS with amp trigger so you will NOT need to install a relay.
Plenty of us here to ask for help if you get stuck
09-04-2013, 10:43 PM
#17
Safety Car
Thank you Markcz. I think some moral support and a question or two will make it all work. I did pull the 20 lbs of stuff out of the boxes and did test fit the Maestro to the Kenwood and figured out a lot of that on the test bench.
Getting the radio out will likely answer a lot of other questions as I will see where things are unplugged and that should simply let me plug them into the Kenwood.
It does appear the stock radio has the XM/Sirius in it and my package has got the tuner that plugs into everything.
It is a prewired package from Double D so how hard can it be?
I am assuming I will be able to use the stock XM antenna witout a problem so that is likely one of those...."oh, I just plug that in there..." things I will see.
To avoid making the car as heavy as a pig I will need to go on a diet to lose the 20 lbs (well maybe 10 lbs) all this electronic stuff will add to the car.
I don't yet have a backup camera but the idea sounds neat enough I may do that. That will add some interior reconstruction to get that feed to the back but I think everything else in the Z06 is up front somewhere.
I will look at that thread you recommend.
Getting the radio out will likely answer a lot of other questions as I will see where things are unplugged and that should simply let me plug them into the Kenwood.
It does appear the stock radio has the XM/Sirius in it and my package has got the tuner that plugs into everything.
It is a prewired package from Double D so how hard can it be?
I am assuming I will be able to use the stock XM antenna witout a problem so that is likely one of those...."oh, I just plug that in there..." things I will see.
To avoid making the car as heavy as a pig I will need to go on a diet to lose the 20 lbs (well maybe 10 lbs) all this electronic stuff will add to the car.
I don't yet have a backup camera but the idea sounds neat enough I may do that. That will add some interior reconstruction to get that feed to the back but I think everything else in the Z06 is up front somewhere.
I will look at that thread you recommend.
09-05-2013, 09:45 PM
#18
Tech Contributor
Reception is pretty good if you put the aftermarket antenna under the grill in the center of the dash. It will fit fine and stays in place with some double-sticky tape.
09-06-2013, 01:50 AM
#19
Safety Car
If the OEM box and antenna are in the back, I would presume that it somehow connects to the OEM radio in the dash. Wouldn't the oem unit also connect to the Kenwood as an aux input? Then I wouldn't need my V200 which of course I am going to have to find space for in the front of the car.
09-06-2013, 04:31 PM
#20
Tech Contributor
The ONLY piece from the oem XM setup that can be used is one of the two antenna leads (yellow IIRC), the rest of it is dead weight once stock radio is removed.
