JVC KW-Z1000W Review
JVC KW-Z1000W JVC KW-Z1000W: Ultimate car entertainment system with wireless Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and stunning 10.1″ capacitive touchscreen. Check Latest Price
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It’s not difficult to imagine that the engineers at Kenwood wanted to do one thing and one thing only with the DDX375BT digital media receiver – and that’s to make sure that you had access to all of your media no matter where it might be sourced from.
The Kenwood DDX375BT has a 6.2 inch touchscreen display that is a little bit on the smaller side of things compared to other options but it has an unparalleled amount of media source capabilities you won’t find elsewhere on the market.
Obviously you are going to be able to play the radio over the HD integrated into the DDX375BT but you’re also going to be able to stream media (movies and music) from your mobile device wirelessly or via USB, will be able to plug USB flash drives with media into the digital media receiver directly, but can also play physical CDs and DVDs with this unit as well.
This is a real “one-size-fits-all” kind of approach to making sure that all of your media is available on the move and at your fingertips.
Let’s get deeper into what makes the Kenwood DDX375BT so special in the rest of this quick review.
You’ll get your first look at the Kenwood DDX375BT and its 6.2-inch touchscreen monitor as soon as you open up the box it comes in.
The screen itself is a VGA screen that looks crisp and colorful, with a responsive and resistive touchscreen that offers plenty of accuracy and haptic feedback while using it. The DVD receiver itself runs off of the 10 A fuse architecture and can play CDs as well as DVDs (including burned discs) with no difficulty at all.
The screen has five different positions of articulation that helps you to improve its off axis viewing angles on the fly as well. Combine that with a built-in internal amplification system and you’ll be able to improve your stock audio system inside of your vehicle without having to make any hardware upgrades aside from this one.
The unit itself on the Kenwood DDX375BT is already wired up for installation and includes a wiring harness that makes the process go rather quickly. Not only will you be able to use the built-in wiring harness to replace the OEM dashboard receiver your swapping out for this Double DIN system but you’ll also be able to use accessory wiring harnesses included in this box to extend its capabilities as well.
An external microphone with a mounting bracket attached helps you to pick up clear audio when taking calls or issuing voice commands. This as a 10-foot cable that gives you some flexibility to position your microphone throughout the cabin, though maybe not as much flexibility as some of the longer cables you’ll find on the market today.
Mounting hardware, instructional manuals, and warranty details are the other things you’ll find in the Kenwood DDX375BT box.
Having the ability to play physical media with a cutting-edge digital media receiver is a bit of a rarity these days but it is something that Kenwood implements to perfection here.
More manufacturers are moving away from physical media to digital and streaming systems only. Kenwood recognizes that some folks want to take advantage of legacy physical media while on the go and have found a way to integrate this system into their DDX375BT setup without wasting a lot of space.
You’ll obviously also have the opportunity to connect digital media to your Kenwood DDX375BT via USB wired connections and via Bluetooth 4.0 wireless connections. This means you’ll be able to hook your smartphone or tablet up to the receiver and playback your favorite music and video files but that you can also put media are a USB stick and play those files back as well.
There’s a lot of mobile phone integration between the Kenwood system and Apple or Android devices. Right out of the box this Kenwood system does not support Carplay and Android Auto but there are ways to flash the firmware on this system and updated to take advantage of these software solutions moving forward.
Even still, you’ll be able to control your mobile devices on both iOS and Android platforms when they have been hooked up to the Kenwood DDX375BT. The user interface is clear and uncluttered and you’ll be able use many of your favorite applications directly in the Kenwood environment after these devices have been hooked up.
Voice control and command solutions are refined with the Kenwood DDX375BT as well. The microphone is high-quality, picks up your voice but also eliminates background noise, and works just as well when your vehicle has all of the windows rolled up as it does with all of your windows rolled down.
Background noise does a number on most traditional voice control microphones for digital media receivers but it isn’t a problem with the Kenwood DDX375BT.
Where this system really shines is in the audio control department.
A 13 band equalizer gives you an opportunity to separate different total curves for each individual audio source, but it also includes seven different preset equalizer options if you aren’t looking to do a deep dive on audio setup all the time.
A digital time alignment processor allows you to create virtual speaker sound stages throughout your cabin as well, and the addition of pre-amplified outlets (three of them) let you hook up non stock speaker systems pretty quickly.
As we highlighted above, there isn’t a lot of support for Apple Carplay or Android Auto as we know it today with the stock version of the Kenwood DDX375BT firmware.
This hardware was made before these two software platforms really took off and you’ll have to find a custom firmware flash that allows you to take advantage of these systems if you’re really interested in them.
There is, however, built-in support for iPod, iPhone, and iPad controls and capabilities through the Kenwood environments. You’ll also find integrated Android AOA control and charging capabilities over a USB connection.
Drivers and passengers can control both Pandora and Spotify on iPhone and Android devices through the Kenwood DDX375BT environment, too. Bluetooth support allows for hands-free calling, media streaming, and voice to text capabilities if that’s something that you’re interested in.
100%! You’ll be able to charge your mobile device via the USB hardwired connection (with quick charge capabilities included as well if your device supports that) while you are playing or streaming media from that device.
The wiring harness included in the box with this Kenwood DDX375BT system does allow you to add a backup or reverse camera to the digital media receiver. The actual camera itself and the mounting system needs to be purchased separately.
You can definitely add GPS navigation to this digital media receiver in a couple of different ways. An accessory GPS antenna can be wired into the unit itself or you can hook up your mobile device (via USB or Bluetooth) and use the navigational capabilities of your phone as well.
There are a lot of digital media receiver options available on the market today, some more impressive than others.
Most have started to move away from legacy media support but the Kenwood DDX375BT has made this a big part of this devices identity. Being able to play your favorite CDs and DVDs while on the go is a huge advantage for folks that don’t want to burn through their mobile data plan streaming music, movies, or TV shows directly from their devices.
The build quality on this unit is exactly what you’d expect from the folks at Kenwood as well. This is a well-known, well-regarded company in the automotive accessory industry with a reputation for durability and reliability that other top-tier companies may or may not have.
You know exactly what you are getting your hands on when you decide to go with the Kenwood DDX375BT from a quality standpoint.
If you want to make sure that you have legacy media support with the opportunity to enjoy streaming capabilities from your phone or tablet as well the Kenwood DDX375BT is one of the few options that will suit your needs perfectly.
JVC KW-Z1000W JVC KW-Z1000W: Ultimate car entertainment system with wireless Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and stunning 10.1″ capacitive touchscreen. Check Latest Price
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