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iPhone/iPod integration options

anthrax323 said:
As a quick aside, how's the sound quality on the Kenwood's integrated amplifier? Or are you even using the built-in amp? I know it has a 24-bit DAC but that doesn't say a whole lot on its own.
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supposedly the best in the US market as of right now (save for nakamichi and the like.. but those are REAL big $). i searched a few forums and asked a few car audio nut friends of mine and they've said the kenwood excelon's are a very close second to what eclipse was. but eclipse is no longer sold in the US.
 
Yeah I'll get some pics and post them on this thread tomorrow sometime. As far as the built-in amp I couldn't say, it's been hooked up to two amps since day one.
 
Thanks for the info guys. One last question - does the X994 charge the iPod/iPhone? I know that there was a transition from 12v to 5v for charging following the first iPhone and want to make sure I don't need to buy a cradle that does the conversion.
 
93XJLI said:
http://www.crutchfield.com/App/Prod...Wrapper.aspx?i=113KDCX994#CD Changer Controls
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Wow, that's more info than is on Kenwood's site... A footnote on there concerned me (namely the iOS 4.0 incompatibility with the 3G and 3GS), but a quick call to Kenwood alleviated that concern. Turns out the incompatibility has been fixed in iOS 4.1.

So, I guess I've found the ideal setup:

  • Dice G2 cradle (simple pass-through, DCR-50)
  • Kenwood KDC-X994 ($229 through this site)

Ah, simplicity is a beautiful thing. Thanks again for all your help guys.

*EDIT* Looks like hookedontronics.com has a spotty history at best, and is not an authorized Kenwood dealer. Given the risks associated with buying gray market crap (namely that Kenwood will basically not honor the warranty), I guess I'll spend an extra $70 and order through Crutchfield for peace of mind...
 
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So I just bought the KDC-X994 from Sound Station and Security here in Raleigh (on Glenwood) because they gave me about an 8% discount to compensate for tax in order to match an online reseller price ($300 and some change vs. $299.99 with free shipping)... Not phenomenal, but definitely appreciated.

All I can say is that I'm thrilled by it thus far. Installation only took a few minutes (I've done this once or twice before) and within another minute it was paired to my iPhone via Bluetooth, synced over my contacts, updated the date and time, and was ready to roll. The display has been adjusted to match the car's off-white/yellow/green illumination, and the USB dongle is in a temporary spot until my Dice G2 gets here on Saturday.

For those who have been looking for a good iPod/iPhone/Bluetooth head unit, I can safely say this thing is fantastic (then again, I am about an hour into ownership at this point). Call quality is good over Bluetooth, and should be a heavily used feature once I install the mic (holding off until my new Valentine One gets here early next week to do all behind-dash, A-pillar, and headliner pulling at once). The only annoyance I've found thus far is that once you end a Bluetooth call, it'll automatically resume the music player on the phone (over Bluetooth nonetheless)... I'm sure there's a reason it's doing it, now I just need to figure out why.

I'll post pics once the G2 is in to help give others inspiration/ideas.
 
anthrax323 said:
The only annoyance I've found thus far is that once you end a Bluetooth call, it'll automatically resume the music player on the phone (over Bluetooth nonetheless)... I'm sure there's a reason it's doing it, now I just need to figure out why.
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My Motodroid has this same problem. I NEVER use the music player on my Droid, but for some weird ass reason every time I make a Bluetooth call my phone will start playing some random song. I don't like using the radio's interface to make calls, I've found it to be faster and more efficient just to deal with my phone then put it in the cup holder and turn off the random music player after I'm done with the call.
 
SyCo said:
My Motodroid has this same problem. I NEVER use the music player on my Droid, but for some weird ass reason every time I make a Bluetooth call my phone will start playing some random song. I don't like using the radio's interface to make calls, I've found it to be faster and more efficient just to deal with my phone then put it in the cup holder and turn off the random music player after I'm done with the call.
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Okay, glad to hear I'm not the only one :p

I guess I'll just need to play around with it some more... There might be a setting hidden somewhere deep in the mind-numbing menu interface of this thing, so if I find it I'll definitely let you know.
 
One thing that's nice about USPS: Saturday delivery.







And with a 3rd gen Nano for grins:



The Dice cradle is nice, but I'm a bit disappointed in its build quality (cheap plastic that feels like it's about to snap when trying to change device sleeves, and the aluminum emblem plate almost came off while removing the protective plastic film). All in all, I'm quite happy though - I can reach the phone with my fingertips while still keeping my hands on the wheel and my eyes close to the road.
 
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Clean install, looks good. Did you mount the Kenwood bluetooth mic yet? I ran mine up the driverside a-pillar and clipped it into the sun visor, seems to be a pretty good location for it.
 
Thanks man, I'm really digging it so far... If I could switch from satellite maps to terrain maps on Google Earth I'd be quite happy :p

I haven't mounted the mic yet, as I'm saving that for tomorrow (my upgraded Valentine One arrives with a new hard wire kit so I want to do all that at the same time). I'm also re-upholstering an overhead console I got to hopefully install it at the same time... This one is assembled from a ZJ unit and a non-trip computer Caravan unit, and I'm planning on using the blank plate from the latter as a switch mounting or remote CB head location (I also hope to wire in a 5V Micro USB charger into the garage door opener spot as a place to store and charge my Bluetooth headset).

Big plans, not enough time :)
 
Just fyi, some of the Caravans (and equivalent models from other CPDJ makes) had those electronic rear windows, the switches for those were mounted in the OHC. My OHC for the 98 is patched together from a 99 XJ trip computer and some CPDJ minivan overhead that had the switches in it, I am planning on using them to control some lights (probably front/rear fogs.)
 
Yeah, I bought a ZJ overhead console to give me the option of using a blank plate or eventually wiring those momentary switches up to something useful. Definitely a good call though.

I did look at the X305S, but eventually decided against it because of the fact that it forces you to use the headunit's controls for the iPod/iPhone and it doesn't have a CD player. Also, the X994 includes solid Bluetooth integration, so it ended up being the ideal solution for me (going with Alpine would've been too costly given what I want to spend).
 
just installed mine and a set of matching front speakers (had a few month old set of polk 6.5s from my old XJ i threw in the rear, put new ones in the front) and holy WOW. i'm running a 10" polk DVC sub powered by a 460W infinity amp as well.

this deck rocks. i'm in love with the interface, the 5 band EQ is outstanding, the sound quality is superb, the amount of ways to fine tune the speakers is ridiculous. adjustable crossovers for every speaker, and you can adjust how fast the crossover drops off! just amazing. i cant turn this deck up all the way bc it hurts my head its so loud, and i have no distortion at all.
 
Yeah, I'm quite pleased as well. This is a pretty superficial perk, but I like the adjustable screen and button backlighting as well - I think I finally found the same weird bluish-green hue that is used elsewhere in the XJ and am planning on taking a picture tonight.

At this point, the Valentine One is in - time for me to bring out my box-o-consoles (and console parts) to work on piecing together a final solution.

This is an odd question, but hear me out - if someone has a 97+ overhead console to reference, would you mind taking a straight-on picture of the front and rear map lights? Use a flash if possible - the prisms/lenses are different front to rear and I'd like to get the right ones in the right places on the first try if at all possible (my dumb ass took them all out to clean them without marking anything).
 
anthrax323 said:
Thanks for the tip - bookmarked it for the next time I go through something like this. Looks like a solid solution.
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I just came across them the other day. I want to be able to hook my iPod to my work van but if I swapped in a whole new receiver the garage guys would probably blow a gasket. Out of sight, out of mind, however, is another story.
 
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