flyaudio vs rosen vs. kenwood

Rosen and flyaudio should have a better "look" Easier to install. You won't need a dash kit, wiring harness or steering wheel control adapter.

Kenwood lets you economically add HD or satellite. Lets you add traffic. Uses Garmin navigation. Map updates are readily available. Some people are able use the non-kenwood Garmin maps. Why 6960 vs 6160?

I'm in the same situation. I think I'm going with the Kenwood 7160.

 

I'm new to all this upgrading stuff, so please excuse the "newbie-ness" of my questions! lol.... Always had high-dollar cars that came with everything possible but the kitchen sink; however, the economy has caused me to be more economically inclined with the Prius purchase... You say, "Kenwood lets you economically add HD or satellite. Lets you add traffic." Could you explain what you mean by "adding HD or satellite", plus the adding traffic statement? Thanks! I assume that the Kenwood is all touchscreen, pretty much, whereas the Rosen and Flyaudio are a larger percentage of factory-ish knobs and buttons? Is the Kenwood tilted down to prevent glare? or is it cocked back so the sun can shine right in the windshield onto the screen? Also, has anyone tried the "hood" on an aftermarket headunit, or does it ONLY work on the factory one? One more thing, I keep asking if anyone has gotten their aux port to work with an aftermarket headunit, and (if so) how.... Thanks!!

 

Keep in mind, the Rosen install takes even a decent installer 15 minutes to put in (all in time).

At that price, i'd go Pioneer/Kenwood/JVC. I've run the similar to Rosen/Fly HU - and while it is cool, and has some cool stuff, it is still very much on the bleeding edge of software - and coming from China, that means it isn't perfect.

THe Rosen/Fly are map upgradeable for free, and you can even choose a different software - but that means you need to have some software knowledge.

I think the Rosen's of the world are best for people who feel very very comfortable with the Windows (CE) interface. If you can move files, and don't mind tinkering, it could be better than the major brands.

If I was spending $1K, i'd go with a more main stream approach...

 

Unless something has changed Flyaudio doesn't offer integrated SAT or HD radio. Rosen charges something like $250 for SAT. You can add Sirius to the Kenwood unit for around $100. HD radio is also available.

You can add lifetime traffic to the Kenwood units for $100-$150. Traffic is included with the higher end units.

You can't really upgrade the Rosen/Fly maps for free. You could probably find pirate maps on the web but you could also pirate Garmin maps and use them on the Kenwood. People who want to steal maps can go with any of the units.

 

the rosen unit has a beautiful 7 inch screen...
but its hella expensive, so worth it IMO becuz it fits soooo nicely in the dash...

 

So dealer support (fixing a broken unit) sounds good - i'd ask about aftermarket software support (forums for people running their own GPS software - meaning iGo, TomTom, Garmin, features like TTS (text-to-speech) et al...

Software on these units has two parts. WinCE6 (for GPS, files etc), and a proprietary low level for radio, sound etc. Ask how it is upgraded...

For problems found, go to the various threads, I have many many posts on problems and features I liked.

As for looks (knob no knob) - you decide. At first, I didn't like the 7" look - but now that I have remotes, steering control etc, there's no reason for the knob - so I prefer a bigger screen...

 

is iphone/ipod navigation good on the rosen???
i really want it but idk about the interface of the ipods though
does it show song names, artist, album?
select songs without going to your phone?

 

I'd like to hear how the traffic works out - I have the Pioneer Z120 - with MSN, and it's useless.

I heard Kenwood is also far from perfect (???) - please let us know.

Funny thing - with Android or iPhoine OS', you get instant traffic - so I am wondering how it compares to the 'sigalert.com's of the world... Or for that matter, seems Google maps now have excellent overlays...

I think the next real step is having a browser in-car....

 

I can confirm the traffic is bad on the pioneer, I regret paying for the module to get it. I headed straight into a traffic jam that did not appear on my screen until 20 minutes later. I heard on the kenwood navtaq some units have comercials. Let me know how traffic is? It might be worth me getting a little garmin or tomtom if the traffic is great, but use my unit for moving maps dirrections. My bluetooth on the pioneer z120 works fine. I'm happy with the unit besides a few little things.

 

Does it work well? I may have to get a cradle for my iphone so I can check traffic.

 

Let me know how it works out. Specifically how fast is start up? How is the ipod integration. My pioneer got stolen. I have a hole in my dash. I'm trying to decide whether to get another pioneer which I was happy with, or if the 7160 or 9960 would be better for me.

 

It works perfectly, it easy to use, quick, and surprisingly easy to see...

There are many free apps for the iPhone - and I think the latest Google maps has traffic overlay.

I use it every day I'm on a freeway...

 

I was torn between the two also... but I finally made my decision... pics will be up soon.

 

dex d