I went to CarToys down here in houston and was playing with a demo AVN 2454 and couldn't figure out how do a POI search by category. I don't think the AVN 5435 has this feature either.

Suppose your trying to list every Italian resturant near by?? This would be another drawback if these units don't have this feature.

 

ill try it in the morning...

 

Well I think I'm leaning towards the Kenwood.

I like the 5495 but the extra $500 to rip cd's isn't worth it to me. I could just buy an ipod or music keg. I only have 600 mp3's, so a mp3 DVD would be sufficient.

I really liked the 5435 appearance and all-in-one design but it doesn't look like it can category search through POI and has limited mp3 compatibility.

Also I've been reading that the ddx7015 is being discontinued and being replaced by ddx6017. Its not being released until next month but distributor's are already selling them.

All the specs look the same, except this one is silver. I figure silver would match better with 05 dash too.



ELECTRONIC SLIDE MONITOR MECHANISM
6.5" TOUCH SCREEN
TOUCH-SENSITIVE PANEL CONTROL
PLAYABLE: DVD/VCD/CD/MP3/WMA
SIRIUS AND HD RADIO READY
DIGITAL AUDIO TEXT AND DIGITAL VIDEO
DOLBY DIGITAL, DTS DIGITAL OUTPUT
3 PREOUTS (2.0V)
RGB INPUT FOR NAVIGATION SYSTEM
DVD +-R/RW CD-R/RW PLAY BACK CAPABILITY
AV INPUT x 1/ AV OUTPUT x 1
MAXIMUM POWER 50W x 4
WIRELESS REMOTE CONTROL
TV TUNER (OPTIONAL)

 

Where do we put the navigation unit in the car?

 

You could virtually put it anywhere as long as it's in a fixed horizontal position, but I think I'm going to mount it in my trunk.

 

If that Kenwood really works well and the street price is $1000... hmmm... very tempting if it has an ipod connection option!

 

Looks like it (as a 2005 model) should let you use the $100 connection cable/charger. It's a relatively small box that might fit behind the dash and connect to an ipod in the glove box or someplace else out of the way...

 

I think your talking about KCA-IP500. There some going on ebay for $90 shipped.



The Kenwood model DDX6017 is compatible with the KCA-IP500 interface

The Kenwood model DDX6017 will display the iTune track title (other information may be displayed, depending on the exact specification of the head unit)

 

I emailed kenwood tech support and got some more info...

The difference between ddx6017 and ddx7015, is that the ddx6015 does not have an optical input for the optional DSP/Surround Sound Decoder. If you wont be using this, the ddx6017 may be more suitable for you.

Also they stopped producing ddx7015 but, its still being marketed through 2005. The ddx6017 will be released in June.

They also have a ddx8015 coming soon. This will have the DSP/Surround Sound Decoder built into the unit.

 

who honestly cars? its for a car? dont think you need surround sound for a car? thats just my opinion...

 

I agree, I barely watch dvd's in the first place...but if you have an Escalade maybe this might be a factor.

 

but we talking about in a G...

 

Is it possible to put kenwood's navigatioin unit in the glove box?
Cuz I think putting it in the trunk would be kind of hard for DIY.

Thanks

 

Yeah, the upper glovebox would be fine. It just has to be horizontal in order fot the gyros to work properly.

 

So I went to another car audio store that had both the AVN 5435 and ddx7015 on display, and the AVN's screen win's hands down.

The kenwood is not bad but the AVN is definitely better. Especially when you look at it from the side the AVN still looks bright and crisp and the kenwood looks kinda dull.

I'm going to go back there tomorrow with a mp3 CD to see how bad the mp3 support is. If its mp3 playback is decent enough, it might make this decision a little harder....

Also some more info on the ddx6017. Its not part of excelon product line so instead of a 2 year warranty, it comes with just 1 year.