I love my 6140 Rating:5 out of 5 stars This unit is so much fun….I have everything hooked up (XM, IPOD, Navigator, Bluetooth, etc.) except for the rear camera. The controls are easy and I’m glad there’s a volume knob. I just wish they had an adaptor for my 09 Vibe to hook up the steering wheel controls. Make sure to hook up the Navigator antenna on the outside of the car or you could have problems getting the satellite signal.
Good Product, Good Features, Not so good manual and user interface Rating:4 out of 5 stars Just installed Kenwood DNX6140 in the car along with a flip down monitor for back seat DVD viewing. My prime usage is during road trips and weekend driving, kids get to watch DVD in back while we listen to iPod/itouch in front and NAV displays the direction. The handsfree phone was a plus. So this unit does all that, has tons of features but the manual and user interface is a bit confusing. The NAV is garmin – simple to use and there is a analog NAV button to switch to it any time you want. Handsfree is parrot which is also pretty easy to use. The thing works beautifully with iphone (both for phone and music) and
also with my itouch (displays playlist etc). If you are using it along with flip down LCD screen in the back, you need to select “dual zone” which is under audio menu when you have the source select screen.
Kenwood would do well to actually publish a higher level “normal use cases” book so people can use the common features they want to use. Otherwise, the product seems to have all the features that are needed – has the looks etc.
Blue Tooth compatibilty may be a serious problem Rating:2 out of 5 stars I just had the DNX6140 installed in my Porsche Boxster. The Radio/DVD section sounds great,love the Nav unit, XM has no problems, great back up camera. Wil pick up a 32gb USB drive for mp3 files.
However, the BlueTooth section is a disgrace. The BT locks up my LG Incite (8 mos old) and requires it to be reset. My wife’s phone a HTC3125 (StarTrek)(2 yrs old)gets dropped and the BT won’t reconnect. Spoke w/ Kenwood they supposedly have heard of no problems (my installer was at a loss), they suggested down grading to an earlier firmware. To do this I had to take a BT equipped laptop (installer didn’t have one) to the car to install the firmware. This did not solve the problem. The installer swapped out the unit today thinking we had a bad BT unit. Guess what, the new one is no better.
Called Kenwood, no answer except to change phones. Nice option conssidering what a new phone will cost!!!!!
Would I buy this again? Probably not Rating:3 out of 5 stars Okay unit. I recently hooked it up in my 2010 fj cruiser with no problems. It installed very easily. I am going to make a quick list of the problems I have come across on this unit:
Auto dimming does not dim enough…very bright at night.
virtual buttons (stereo, USB, cd, etc) are too small to easily utilize while driving.
USB input works…when it feels like it. (it will go from playing music to reading “no device”) at random. I have to unplug the drive and plug it back in to be found.
Aux input on the front of the unit does not work…it just doesn’t work (anyone know if I am doing something wrong? Plug in cable, input to music device and try to play it)
Bluetooth is quite terrible. (using Palm Pre) incoming voice sounds great, but I get complaints that my voice sounds “robotic and tinny”. I have tried moving the mic to different locations with no effect. I have tried a samsung instinct with the same result. Also, being able to dial from the stereos phonebook comes and goes at random…sometimes it works, sometimes it’s grayed out on the screen.
The sound on this unit is great and so is the Garmin Navigation.
It’s just feels like this unit is “buggy” and could use some firmware upgrades (mine is current)
Overall it is a good stereo with plenty of options, but could use some finishing. I felt like I was using a piece of equipment in it’s beta testing stage.
Kenwood DNX6140 is a winner in every way! Rating:5 out of 5 stars The Kenwood DNX6140 head unit is amazingly useful and easy to use. I looked a long time before ordering my first DNX6140 from Crutchfield, which I installed in our ’05 Toyota Sienna. I was so impressed that I ordered a second unit (the DNX5140) from Amazon (at a better price) and installed it in my Toyota MR2. I liked the two of them so well that we installed another DNX6140 (also purchased from Amazon) in our VW Passat. The only problem now will be having to buy three map updates each year or two, since Garmin doesn’t yet offer a multiple unit map upgrade.
Pluses include the proven Garmin navigation system, which I was already familiar with, and which influenced my decision to buy the Garmin over some other non-Garmin units. The audio system is excellent, with all the inputs, outputs, and adjustments you could possibly need. It sounds GREAT! I also installed Kenwoods CCD-2000 backup cameras on all three cars, and find their backup camera display on the head unit an excellent safety feature. Also, the backup screen comes up very quickly after starting your vehicle, which was not the case with a previous backup system I had installed. FM and AM performance is top notch. Tone settings are individually memorized for each function (DVD, FM, iPod, etc.) Oh, the iPod interface is excellent, this is actually my favorite feature. The DNX6140/5140 controls your iPod remotely so you can keep it safely stored out of sight. It includes all iPod functions, and displays album artwork on its screen.
Finally, the Parrot Bluetooth interface is excellent. It mutes audio and routes your call through your cars front speakers (adjustable,) and its steering wheel column mounted noise canceling microphone sends out good voice quality to your caller. It can be set to auto answer after a ring or two, and you can program in auto-dial numbers.
Note: The Kenwood DNX5140 is virtually identical to the 6140, except that it doesn’t include the Parrot Bluetooth hands-free option, at a lower price. I put a DNX5140, with Kenwoods KCA-BT200 Bluetooth adapter in my Toyota MR2, and it turned my DNX5140 into a DNX6140 but for a lower price than the the 6140.
The Kenwood DNX6140/DNX5140 are both EXCELLENT units!
4 out of 5
Posted in
I love my 6140
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This unit is so much fun….I have everything hooked up (XM, IPOD, Navigator, Bluetooth, etc.) except for the rear camera. The controls are easy and I’m glad there’s a volume knob. I just wish they had an adaptor for my 09 Vibe to hook up the steering wheel controls. Make sure to hook up the Navigator antenna on the outside of the car or you could have problems getting the satellite signal.
Good Product, Good Features, Not so good manual and user interface
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Just installed Kenwood DNX6140 in the car along with a flip down monitor for back seat DVD viewing. My prime usage is during road trips and weekend driving, kids get to watch DVD in back while we listen to iPod/itouch in front and NAV displays the direction. The handsfree phone was a plus. So this unit does all that, has tons of features but the manual and user interface is a bit confusing. The NAV is garmin – simple to use and there is a analog NAV button to switch to it any time you want. Handsfree is parrot which is also pretty easy to use. The thing works beautifully with iphone (both for phone and music) and
also with my itouch (displays playlist etc). If you are using it along with flip down LCD screen in the back, you need to select “dual zone” which is under audio menu when you have the source select screen.
Kenwood would do well to actually publish a higher level “normal use cases” book so people can use the common features they want to use. Otherwise, the product seems to have all the features that are needed – has the looks etc.
Blue Tooth compatibilty may be a serious problem
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
I just had the DNX6140 installed in my Porsche Boxster. The Radio/DVD section sounds great,love the Nav unit, XM has no problems, great back up camera. Wil pick up a 32gb USB drive for mp3 files.
However, the BlueTooth section is a disgrace. The BT locks up my LG Incite (8 mos old) and requires it to be reset. My wife’s phone a HTC3125 (StarTrek)(2 yrs old)gets dropped and the BT won’t reconnect. Spoke w/ Kenwood they supposedly have heard of no problems (my installer was at a loss), they suggested down grading to an earlier firmware. To do this I had to take a BT equipped laptop (installer didn’t have one) to the car to install the firmware. This did not solve the problem. The installer swapped out the unit today thinking we had a bad BT unit. Guess what, the new one is no better.
Called Kenwood, no answer except to change phones. Nice option conssidering what a new phone will cost!!!!!
Not sure what I will do now!
Would I buy this again? Probably not
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
Okay unit. I recently hooked it up in my 2010 fj cruiser with no problems. It installed very easily. I am going to make a quick list of the problems I have come across on this unit:
Auto dimming does not dim enough…very bright at night.
virtual buttons (stereo, USB, cd, etc) are too small to easily utilize while driving.
USB input works…when it feels like it. (it will go from playing music to reading “no device”) at random. I have to unplug the drive and plug it back in to be found.
Aux input on the front of the unit does not work…it just doesn’t work (anyone know if I am doing something wrong? Plug in cable, input to music device and try to play it)
Bluetooth is quite terrible. (using Palm Pre) incoming voice sounds great, but I get complaints that my voice sounds “robotic and tinny”. I have tried moving the mic to different locations with no effect. I have tried a samsung instinct with the same result. Also, being able to dial from the stereos phonebook comes and goes at random…sometimes it works, sometimes it’s grayed out on the screen.
The sound on this unit is great and so is the Garmin Navigation.
It’s just feels like this unit is “buggy” and could use some firmware upgrades (mine is current)
Overall it is a good stereo with plenty of options, but could use some finishing. I felt like I was using a piece of equipment in it’s beta testing stage.
Kenwood DNX6140 is a winner in every way!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
The Kenwood DNX6140 head unit is amazingly useful and easy to use. I looked a long time before ordering my first DNX6140 from Crutchfield, which I installed in our ’05 Toyota Sienna. I was so impressed that I ordered a second unit (the DNX5140) from Amazon (at a better price) and installed it in my Toyota MR2. I liked the two of them so well that we installed another DNX6140 (also purchased from Amazon) in our VW Passat. The only problem now will be having to buy three map updates each year or two, since Garmin doesn’t yet offer a multiple unit map upgrade.
Pluses include the proven Garmin navigation system, which I was already familiar with, and which influenced my decision to buy the Garmin over some other non-Garmin units. The audio system is excellent, with all the inputs, outputs, and adjustments you could possibly need. It sounds GREAT! I also installed Kenwoods CCD-2000 backup cameras on all three cars, and find their backup camera display on the head unit an excellent safety feature. Also, the backup screen comes up very quickly after starting your vehicle, which was not the case with a previous backup system I had installed. FM and AM performance is top notch. Tone settings are individually memorized for each function (DVD, FM, iPod, etc.) Oh, the iPod interface is excellent, this is actually my favorite feature. The DNX6140/5140 controls your iPod remotely so you can keep it safely stored out of sight. It includes all iPod functions, and displays album artwork on its screen.
Finally, the Parrot Bluetooth interface is excellent. It mutes audio and routes your call through your cars front speakers (adjustable,) and its steering wheel column mounted noise canceling microphone sends out good voice quality to your caller. It can be set to auto answer after a ring or two, and you can program in auto-dial numbers.
Note: The Kenwood DNX5140 is virtually identical to the 6140, except that it doesn’t include the Parrot Bluetooth hands-free option, at a lower price. I put a DNX5140, with Kenwoods KCA-BT200 Bluetooth adapter in my Toyota MR2, and it turned my DNX5140 into a DNX6140 but for a lower price than the the 6140.
The Kenwood DNX6140/DNX5140 are both EXCELLENT units!