Need opinon on new head unit.

Need opinon on new head unit.

So I've been debating on a new head unit for my car for almost 2 years. I've narrowed it down to two.

1. Eclipse avn6620

Click here for more info

2. Kenwood Excelon DNX8120 or 7120

Click here for more info

Both are double din all in one units that does pretty much everything. GPS, DVD, Mp3, Ipod, etc. I've owned different kenwood's in the past and I"ve never had any problems with it. Its also a well known name and some of the pro's for this product is its faster, flash memory based HD, garmin navi built in, more customizable settings (there are apparently even settings for settings), more features, more expandability... but expensive.

The Eclipse on the other hand is cheaper but slower, high-speed dvd based navi, less on customization, but...eclipse does have the quality advantage. Eclipse units, as many of you may know already are built in Toyota and Lexus models. Eclipse outsourced their navigation engine and operation to Denso which is an automotive or OEM level navigation. This is the "expensive" (high level) approach to navigation, which is the only acceptable method in Japan (but American consumers don't usually understand). Their unit runs on a high speed DVD ROM.

I've been eyeing the eclipse units for 5 years now but I seem to crash my car before i get the units and all my money goes into repairing the new used car I buy afterwards.. Knowing what upgrades Eclipse has given the Lexus models, I am still hesitant to buy now but i'm getting close to buying one of these so I need your Opinion. Which should I buy?

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If anyone is going to recommend something else other than the two mentioned above, I don't mind you posting the make and model of the head unit but also please research the specs of the two I have mentioned first and give good explainations as to why I should not choose the two I am looking at.- Thanks.

i like kenwood....

Both look pretty dead even when balancing the pros and cons. However, the Kenwood seems to be more cost efficient. That would be my pick.

I own a kenwood excelon hu, it's sarite

why would you say its more cost efficient?

It's faster and more expandable than the Eclipse. Garmin Navi built in means it's upgradeable to the newest version.

If i had to choose between those two i would go with what Rollatuner110 says and go with the Kenwood.

How ever I had the avic z1 in my jetta and the z2 in my honda and I loved it. To me it is the best one out there. You get a 10 gb of hard drive storage where you can rip your cds to it. 20gbs for the nav. It is a few bucks more but you get the back up camera and bluetooth adapter aswell. To me by far the best pick. As of July 1 you need hands free in your car or you get a ticket.


http://www.crutchfield.com/App/Product/Item/Main.aspx?search=avic z2&i=130AVICZ2X

I'd go w/ the Kenwood. I don't like DVD-based navi because you can't use CD's while it's navigating. I'd prefer the Garmin navi interface anyway. Plus (like rollatuner said) you can upgrade it w/ an SD card very easily.

Plus, I'm kind of a kenwood nut. Been using their HU's for about 4 years now.

the eclipse is a dual dvd therefore you can do both at once if you want to.

I too am a kenwood fan and i like Garmin navi but here are some information which were not listed that you guys have mentioned about the kenwood.

The Eclipse can be updated but you usually have to pay a little (like $10) and they don't have updates as often as Garmin.

The Sound quality on an eclipse is superb. Although on paper-spec wise, both are very similar, the actual output of the sound is different. Its like if Kenwood was like an altec lansing, Eclipse would be like a bose. (this is keeping in mind using stock speakers. I'm just talking about how it handles the sounds)

Also on Ebay, I found the eclipse for half the price of the kenwood which means I can get an Ipod adapater and bluetooth adapter and rear camera and still pay less than kenwood unit by itself.

If I get the rear camera, Eclipse's camera is by far the best i've seen so far, especially when used at night. The only reason it looks a bit crappy on the screen of the eclipse is because the screen resolution is lower than other brands.

Lastly, head units aren't made like they used to. I would rather buy a used unit for 5 years ago than what we have now. The build quality was much better. Same with car speakers and stuff. Every car audio mechanic has agreed with me on this. Oh and I believe the eclipse is made in Japan. LOL

Anyway, Although I've just listed all the pro's of the eclipse, I too am leaning toward the kenwood right now. I just need to physically get my hands on one to play around with to make a more final decision. Thanks for the input and keep more coming.. its very educational for me.

I'd go for the Eclipse.

That's because you're a JDM nut. LOL

both are alright. i'd go with eclipse.

I've never had any problems running Eclipse equipment - also nice that many of the Toyota OEM headunits are made by Fujitsu-ten. I had two Kenwoods that looked really nice, but both died within a two year timespan. Just didn't want to work - completely died, out of the blue.

Eclipse is OEM on most Toyotas these days.