{"id":140,"date":"2015-03-07T17:53:33","date_gmt":"2015-03-07T09:53:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/projectkeira.com\/home\/?p=140"},"modified":"2019-11-13T18:23:24","modified_gmt":"2019-11-13T10:23:24","slug":"kenwood-excelon-dnx-892-head-unit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.projectkeira.com\/home\/kenwood-excelon-dnx-892-head-unit\/","title":{"rendered":"Excelon."},"content":{"rendered":"

The timing couldn\u2019t be better \u2013 when I was looking all over the Internet at Alpine, Pioneer, and other double-DIN head units I saw word of Kenwood\u2019s<\/strong> upcoming Excelon DNX-892 Double-DIN Head Unit<\/strong> and it had all of the features I was looking for at the time: 7-inch touchscreen, built-in Garmin navigation, hands-free phone integration, dual USB ports, steering-wheel control compatibility, and iPod control. It also had extra features I knew I would find a way to make use of: digital time alignment, full-size HDMI port, iPhone screen mirroring, programmable aux. switch, etc. Luckily, the head unit was released and I took delivery the following weekend after my main speaker installation.<\/p>\n

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Super fresh from the factory after pre-ordering about a month in advance \u2013 Kenwood\u2019s Excelon Series DNX-892 Receiver.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Since I was going with a full aftermarket head unit, I could remove the line output converter from the original setup since I could now connect the Alpine PDX-V9 amp<\/a><\/strong> directly to the Kenwood\u2019s RCA outputs. This also gave me a reason (or excuse, depending on how you look at it) to completely replace the current wiring with all new stuff including matching JL Audio RCA cables<\/strong>, direct amplifier turn-on, as well as run the wires for the new features that the Kenwood had like the hands-free microphone. Just for reference, on top of the head unit cost, the extra wires\/adapters I needed to get everything working as described in this post include:<\/p>\n

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  1. Main Harness:<\/strong> Modified Metra 20-pin Harness w\/SWC wires, $17<\/li>\n
  2. OEM Steering Wheel Control Adaptor:<\/strong> Axxess ASWC-1, $50<\/li>\n
  3. OEM AM\/FM Antenna Adaptor:<\/strong> Metra 40-NI12 (included with head unit purchase)<\/li>\n
  4. OEM USB Adaptor:<\/strong> Axxess AX-NISUSB-2, $7<\/li>\n
  5. OEM Rear Camera Adaptor:<\/strong> Axxess AX-NIS32SWC, $12<\/li>\n
  6. Aux. Front Camera:<\/strong> Pyle PLCM38FRV, $19<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
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    Lots of new stuff to install to go with the new head unit.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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    Not sure how many times my garage floor was covered with all this stuff.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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    Interior bits removed so I can install all the new wiring.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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    Strip, solder, shrink, and tape. New wiring harness for all the connections for the Kenwood receiver.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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    Removed the OEM Bluetooth mic to install the Kenwood hands-free mic in the OEM location.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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    ASWC-1 steering wheel control interface and Kenwood\/Garmin GPS antenna mounted on top of the head unit.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    At this point I had the head unit installed, and all of the factory features were retained:<\/p>\n