Kenwood, Pioneer or Eclipse?

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Mar 22, 2009 | 02:23 AM

JMc

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From: "This is not a psychotic episode, but a cleansing moment of clarity."

Kenwood, Pioneer or Eclipse?

I'm having a tough time deciding what to install in my 2002 vert. I hear great things about the Kenwood 5120 or 5140, but my local dealer, who sells all three, says that the Pioneer units have a much better user interface with easier to access functions without having to go deep into menu structure. He's trying to talk me into waiting for the new Eclipse AVN-726E which according to him, blows everything else out of the water. For more than twice the price of a Kenwood 5120 or the Avic 700, it darn well better.

I also like adjusting the volume with a wheel rather than push buttons, which makes both the Kenwood and Pioneer more attractive.

But the real disappointment for me is that none of these units seem to have automatic volume level adjustment, which comes in very handy with a vert.

I'm also curious as to which looks the best or at least is readable in full sun, for those top down driving days.

Any advice or suggestions would be most welcome.

Last edited by JMc; Mar 22, 2009 at 02:47 AM.

Mar 22, 2009 | 02:41 AM

RichDash

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From: Sacrametno CA

Eclipse used to be flat out bad ***, i used to run nothing but eclipse or alpine head units in the 90's and into the early 2000's. As of the last few years hte eclipse quality has gone to poop though. Of course alpine has gone much the same route. I am not a fan of pioneer at all since they have had so many grounding issues over the last few years as well. For these reasons I am now running kenwood units in my vette, truck and boat... For the money you cant go wrong and they are solid units. The i-pod interface it a bit of a pain in the *** but i have not found a interface for ipods that isnt to this day. As far as sun goes they are all going to be poo poo...

Mar 22, 2009 | 02:53 AM

JMc

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From: "This is not a psychotic episode, but a cleansing moment of clarity."

Thanks for the reply. I have an Eclipse 5495 that I had installed in my wife's Jag and pulled it before we sold that vehicle, but I don't want to install it in the Vette. The motorized screen was frequently a PIA and having to play CD's in real time to load up the 30 gig HDD was a real PIA. The green button lights is the final straw. Matched the Jag's green gauge lights just fine, but not the Vette.

I know that the Kenwood's nav function is way better than the Pioneer. But the new Eclipse unit coming out looks interesting. I just don't want to spend that much on another Eclipse, though. There were enough things about the 5495 that bugged me that I learned my lesson.

Not glad to hear that the iPod interface on the Kenwood is "meh", since I will be using one as my primary music source, but better to know this going in, I guess. Thanks again.

Mar 22, 2009 | 12:23 PM

pentavolvo

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From: Dyer IN

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as far as the kenwood ipod interface being meh i have to disagree 100%. i install kenwood and pioneer navs all the time for customers and both of them have killer ipod interfaces. me personally i prefer the kenwood i find the navigation to be better

Mar 22, 2009 | 12:59 PM

JMc

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From: "This is not a psychotic episode, but a cleansing moment of clarity."

Pioneer vs. Kenwood:

Do either brand respond better/more accurately than the other to voice commands?

Does one have better/more useful voice commands than the other in terms of music selection and do these commands include adjusting volume? Also, does one do a better job than the other at ambient noise cancellation when using bluetooth for phone calls? Remember, I have a vert and sometimes the top will be down, so this is important. Thanks for all the help.

Mar 22, 2009 | 02:44 PM

pentavolvo

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From: Dyer IN

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gotta go pioneer if u want voice commands

pionner does have a longer boot time though

Mar 22, 2009 | 11:43 PM

jdmvette

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From: Bugs Bunny should'a made a left turn here

i love my 5120.

have no other comparison references, tho...besides the stock cd player.

as far as your volume compensation goes, you can add this accessory:

Mar 29, 2009 | 07:48 PM

GS-Zero

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From: Salt Lake City, UT

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The Pioneer AVIC-F series has a very slow user interface. There will be times when you tap the screen and have to wait a good two or three seconds before it responds. Not only that, but it takes a full 46 seconds to boot up. The AVIC-D3, in my opinion, was a much better unit. It responded quickly and efficiently and, once again in my opinion, looked a hell of a lot better in both its user interface and its external appearance. The Kenwood DNX-5120 and the newer model, the DNX-6140 are very good units. I have a DNX-5120 in my 350Z (which I'm in the process of selling to get a C6) and it's never once given me any problems. It never locks up and, er... Once again, in my humble opinion, has a better user interface than any Pioneer 2DIN head unit. Easy to use while not trying to be idiot-proof like the AVIC-F series with its almost insulting three button main menu, customizable with not only variable key illumination but also changeable wallpapers and variable colors throughout the interactive menus and best of all, you don't have to use hack software to bypass e-brake. As far as Eclipse is concerned, their double DIN head units are good, but don't offer much in regard to their level of GUI intuitiveness.