Kenwood DNX996XR 6.8" DVD Navigation Receiver w/ Wireless CarPlay & Android Auto

I installed this in my 2016 F250 with the Maestro interface so setup was somewhat sketchy. Took some time to figure out how all the settings work, but it works well. Does everything I could have hoped for once it was properly set up including the Sync 1. A bad battery was responsible for some anxiety but all turned out well. The function that does not work is the handsfree phone using Apple Carplay. That is because I did not want the little Kenwood mic dangling out of the dash. I use Sync instead for hands free or touchscreen in CarPlay.

Great stereo when it comes to sound quality but the other features were glitchy and just wasn't too fitting for the sound quality. Contacted the seller who just happened to be an amazing salesman with exceptional customer service. He helped makes things right and got me a new stereo. Highly recommended doing business with him. The stereo wasn't bad, just didn't meet the expected performance of features. Custom sounds and tint is the seller for anyone who wants quality service and top notch stereos.

I don't know what that other reviewer is talking about. This unit is seriously the best head unit I have ever owned. Wifi works flawlessly on my Galaxy S8 using Android auto. I updated the FW to 2.0 and installed the 2020 maps using SD card. Traffic and weather all work you get 5 years free subscription for traffic. Has not rebooted since I've had it. My pioneer was constantly rebooting along with minimal Maestro vehicle custom settings. Maestro interface for the 996XR gives me a plethora of custom settings for my 2019 Tacoma along with the display gauges interface. Display is the best I've seen sharp and clear. Backup cam is super sharp Mirroring works flawlessly also. Did not purchase from Amazon bought from Al & Eds.

Wifi doesnt work, traffic doesnt work, weather doesn't work. Blutooth is iffy on iPhone and android. Andoid auto works but only with a select few phones, mine is not on the list but still works.... ish. The navigation is garmin but updating the maps to the newest maps is well... not possible. Following the instructions worked, but no map update is available for this unit. Even though the current garmin North America map is on 2020.3 this kenwood is at 2019.0 and according to the garmin app its up to date. So that sucks. The control over the sound with the DNX996XR is excellent though. It works well with CDs, USB Media and when it works, bluetooth. Very disappointed that the wifi doesn't work with the unit i bought here. Very disappointed that for features like traffic to work, you need a kenwood app on your phone, that probably won't work with your phone. I do enjoy having a front camera and i do enjoy the idatalink maestro integration. I have info on the stereo screen coming right from my vehicle's ECU. Tire temp and pressure, battery charge voltage, etc... basically anything a dealership could see with software and an OBD connector. That's about it though. This DNX996XR is absolutely not worth a thousand bucks. It seems the bad reviews werent haters. They were right. Kenwood has lost their way and its bad. Very bad. Oh yeah, update - 2020 March, turns out blutooth playback only comes through the front speakers and sub. The rear speakers don't get signal when blutooth is the source. Garbage. Wish i could get a refund. This kenwood randomly shuts off and back on... typical late model kenwood.

Stereo is less than a year old and glitching out.

Great head unit with a gorgeous high resolution screen. This is the primary reason I chose this display over others. Wireless carplay is great, the only issue that I have that prevented me from giving it 5 stars, is the audio output. I wish it was a flatter output with less dynamics in the frequencies when changing the volume.

First I bought my Kenwood DNR 996xr from a car stereo dealer, not from Amazon. I really liked the sound quality and the features. However, the AM FM receiver has failed, while all the other features still function just fine. I am highly qualified to do electronics repair, but there is not a service manual to be found for this product. I hoped there might be, but am more and more surprised when I find do find something like that for recent products. With the price I paid for this unit, I hate to think about having to replace it with another product, but it looks like that’s about my only choice at this point. The other I learned, is I’ll never buy another car stereo with built in GPS. The garmin GPS in this unit requires a pay for update every time you need it, and the traffic service through INRIX has been discontinued. I haven’t used the GPS now for a while because of that. I highly recommend using either the Apple Car Play or the Android app to connect to your smart phone for GPS with traffic instead. The GPS in this in unit was one of the big reasons I purchased this Kenwood DNX 996XR to begin with, of course along with the rest of it’s features. I have had no other issues with the unit except those mentioned. Audio quality is excellent and CD play back and USB stick music play back works great. However, because of the above mentioned issues, I would never buy another one of these or the newer successors. Too expensive to have to replace, that’s too bad, because I otherwise really liked it.