Kenwood DDX-6019 Install Review
04-19-2008, 11:52 PM
#1
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Join Date: Jan 2006
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Posts: 757
Kenwood DDX-6019 Install Review
I just wanted to offer a review of my thoughts on the DDX-6019. Taco Bill has offered a great post on doing an in-dash DVD player install (he used an Alpine unit, but I referenced most of his procedure), so I won’t waste time with that here. I will say that the Metra harness and instructions from Crutchfield made this a breeze. I just want to give some of my thoughts on the finished install.
On the whole, this is by far the best interior upgrade one can make. First, aesthetically the dash really shines with a full 7” in-dash DVD (far better than the OEM 6-disc player, and better than single DIN units w/cubby hole adapters). This is the kind of head unit that Ford should have put in from the start.
After driving around with it for the last couple of weeks, I have to say I’m amazed at how much better the music quality is over the Shaker500 I had. Perhaps I shouldn’t be (shame on me), but a quality head-unit really drives the front speakers much more clearly and pushes clean bass far more than the Shaker500 could. If you’re not a bass-junkie, then this is an excellent way to get a deeper sound without reverting to the Shaker1000 and without aftermarket subs (I still have my OEM door subs). I do have aftermarket rear speakers (Infinity Kappa 682.7CF), so that helps. New front speakers (Infinity Kappa 680.7CS) will go in once I fabricate the tweeter pods (these are component speakers, so I have to run the tweeters separate from the mid-range). I’ll do a write-up on that when I get around to it.
For my money, Kenwood is as low on the totem pole of aftermarket stereo equipment as I’ll go. Most of the rest of the Best Buy/Circuit City stuff is junk, IMO. I’ve come to really like the quality of the Infinity Kappa series speakers, and I recommend them without hesitation. Coupled with the DDX’s excellent sound control capabilities, you really get the most out of whatever speakers you have.
The DDX-6019 is not the fanciest DVD player Kenwood makes, but it is a full 7” touch-screen, it is quite affordable (currently in the $400-$450 range, as it is last year’s model), and it has all the capabilities that I wanted with an adequate internal amp (22 watts RMS/50 peak x 4 channels). Upgrades are available for navigation, satellite radio, iPod interface, Bluetooth cell phone, and rear-view camera. I hope to retire the car soon, so I didn’t go with nav and the Bluetooth, but I did go with an iPod interface and the rear-view camera.
The DDX-6019 is an in-dash DVD player, so that means you only get one DVD or CD in the unit at a time. You can add a CD changer if you want, but I figured with my iPod containing over 140 albums, a 6 or 10 disc CD changer just sounded like a waste of money and space. Unfortunately, the iPod interface leaves a bit to be desired. Kenwood could easily improve upon this part of the system. One cool feature is the ability to split video and audio. You can play the video of a DVD and listen to your iPod at the same time, or you could split the sound to the car’s speakers for the iPod or radio while running the DVD sound to wireless headphones (or even the rear speakers, but that sounds weird).
Most of my install was straightforward, but three things stood out. The first was that I routed the iPod interface cable under the center console (actually on adhesive hooks I added to keep the wire off the trans tunnel, which can get rather hot). The cable comes up through the access panel in the console compartment. I also used that panel to mount my button for an in-car trunk release (another great idea I got here on the Forum).
The second thing was that I wired the head-unit to play the DVD player any time, not just when the car is in park. For the DDX, this turns out to be amazingly simple, as you only need to give the “parking brake sensor” wire a constant ground (following the directions, it is grounded when the parking brake is pulled). With Taco’s Alpine unit you need a special gizmo that performs the cycle of braking to fool the head unit. With the Kenwood, it’s easy as pie. LEGAL NOTE: What I did is illegal in the state of Illinois, and probably every other state in the Union, so I’m not advocating this in any way, shape, or form.
Finally, I also wired in a flip-switch to activate the DDX’s “reverse sensor” wire at will. This allows me to control when I want the rear-view camera to activate (in reverse or while driving). Again, this may be illegal, but such is life. You can see the switch in one of the pictures, mounted flush just under the emergency brake handle. This is a nice out-of-the-way spot that elegantly keeps the basic look of the center console while adding functionality. For those who are wondering, no there is no real chance of accidentally flipping the switch while engaging the e-brake. I will say, however, that to mount the switch in this location, you do have to cut out quite a bit of the underlying dash-plastic to clear the switch posts. I should have taken a picture of this at the time, but I didn’t so I apologize for that.
To sum up, get an in-dash DVD player (Kenwood or better, like Taco’s Alpine unit). This should be on everyone’s must-do list. You can do the install yourself, and you will not be disappointed. Best, -j
[IMG]local://upfiles/28883/4F3EDA4F9D194A88AE63BF6D9C252182.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]local://upfiles/28883/F472D3CFCE22459482F8551D649C14F4.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]local://upfiles/28883/D511CB26D7574A13B657E731D4319A62.jpg[/IMG]
On the whole, this is by far the best interior upgrade one can make. First, aesthetically the dash really shines with a full 7” in-dash DVD (far better than the OEM 6-disc player, and better than single DIN units w/cubby hole adapters). This is the kind of head unit that Ford should have put in from the start.
After driving around with it for the last couple of weeks, I have to say I’m amazed at how much better the music quality is over the Shaker500 I had. Perhaps I shouldn’t be (shame on me), but a quality head-unit really drives the front speakers much more clearly and pushes clean bass far more than the Shaker500 could. If you’re not a bass-junkie, then this is an excellent way to get a deeper sound without reverting to the Shaker1000 and without aftermarket subs (I still have my OEM door subs). I do have aftermarket rear speakers (Infinity Kappa 682.7CF), so that helps. New front speakers (Infinity Kappa 680.7CS) will go in once I fabricate the tweeter pods (these are component speakers, so I have to run the tweeters separate from the mid-range). I’ll do a write-up on that when I get around to it.
For my money, Kenwood is as low on the totem pole of aftermarket stereo equipment as I’ll go. Most of the rest of the Best Buy/Circuit City stuff is junk, IMO. I’ve come to really like the quality of the Infinity Kappa series speakers, and I recommend them without hesitation. Coupled with the DDX’s excellent sound control capabilities, you really get the most out of whatever speakers you have.
The DDX-6019 is not the fanciest DVD player Kenwood makes, but it is a full 7” touch-screen, it is quite affordable (currently in the $400-$450 range, as it is last year’s model), and it has all the capabilities that I wanted with an adequate internal amp (22 watts RMS/50 peak x 4 channels). Upgrades are available for navigation, satellite radio, iPod interface, Bluetooth cell phone, and rear-view camera. I hope to retire the car soon, so I didn’t go with nav and the Bluetooth, but I did go with an iPod interface and the rear-view camera.
The DDX-6019 is an in-dash DVD player, so that means you only get one DVD or CD in the unit at a time. You can add a CD changer if you want, but I figured with my iPod containing over 140 albums, a 6 or 10 disc CD changer just sounded like a waste of money and space. Unfortunately, the iPod interface leaves a bit to be desired. Kenwood could easily improve upon this part of the system. One cool feature is the ability to split video and audio. You can play the video of a DVD and listen to your iPod at the same time, or you could split the sound to the car’s speakers for the iPod or radio while running the DVD sound to wireless headphones (or even the rear speakers, but that sounds weird).
Most of my install was straightforward, but three things stood out. The first was that I routed the iPod interface cable under the center console (actually on adhesive hooks I added to keep the wire off the trans tunnel, which can get rather hot). The cable comes up through the access panel in the console compartment. I also used that panel to mount my button for an in-car trunk release (another great idea I got here on the Forum).
The second thing was that I wired the head-unit to play the DVD player any time, not just when the car is in park. For the DDX, this turns out to be amazingly simple, as you only need to give the “parking brake sensor” wire a constant ground (following the directions, it is grounded when the parking brake is pulled). With Taco’s Alpine unit you need a special gizmo that performs the cycle of braking to fool the head unit. With the Kenwood, it’s easy as pie. LEGAL NOTE: What I did is illegal in the state of Illinois, and probably every other state in the Union, so I’m not advocating this in any way, shape, or form.
Finally, I also wired in a flip-switch to activate the DDX’s “reverse sensor” wire at will. This allows me to control when I want the rear-view camera to activate (in reverse or while driving). Again, this may be illegal, but such is life. You can see the switch in one of the pictures, mounted flush just under the emergency brake handle. This is a nice out-of-the-way spot that elegantly keeps the basic look of the center console while adding functionality. For those who are wondering, no there is no real chance of accidentally flipping the switch while engaging the e-brake. I will say, however, that to mount the switch in this location, you do have to cut out quite a bit of the underlying dash-plastic to clear the switch posts. I should have taken a picture of this at the time, but I didn’t so I apologize for that.
To sum up, get an in-dash DVD player (Kenwood or better, like Taco’s Alpine unit). This should be on everyone’s must-do list. You can do the install yourself, and you will not be disappointed. Best, -j
[IMG]local://upfiles/28883/4F3EDA4F9D194A88AE63BF6D9C252182.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]local://upfiles/28883/F472D3CFCE22459482F8551D649C14F4.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]local://upfiles/28883/D511CB26D7574A13B657E731D4319A62.jpg[/IMG]
04-21-2008, 09:32 AM
#3
I ♥ Acer
Join Date: Jun 2007
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Posts: 42
RE: Kenwood DDX-6019 Install Review
Thank You soooo much I have been looking at adding a dvd player and i was actually looking at the same one you put in!!! It is great to have it confirmed that it is a good choice and your write up has made me even more confident that It is a good choice thnx again!!!
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