Kenwood Excelon X998 HEad Unit
 

So I though I would post a brief review of the new Kenwood Excelon X998. I've had it in the car for about 6 weeks or so.

Fit and finish is pretty good. Polished black finish frame is a nice touch. It's understated so it doesn't attract unneeded attention. Overall looks compliment OEM finish. Detachable face and covers for the CD and Front USB are nice as they keep dust out. The color variation offered has color that matches the dash speedo colors. Reverse color variation and the ability to change text and number of lines is very cool. There is a lot of choices and options with this HU. Very close to perfect to OEM color choices and better than Alpine in color variability. Radio door closes with no problems.

Functionality is awesome. The sound is much better with stock speakers as you fine tune the 13 band EQ. I still need to play around with some of the crossover functions to set it to optimal sound with the stock system. Time alignment is also nice although I wish you didn't have to measure distances but rather detect distances automatically. BT works very well. I guided the microphone wire under the drivers side dash and place the mic on top behind the steering wheel. Streams music very well from iPhone. Rear USB and Front USB both work well and charge iPhone. I haven't used the iHeart, Aha or Pandora functions yet. Playing music through presets and folders when connected to iPod are easy to use once you learn button functionality. Also has the pre-outs you need for additional amp and speaker upgrades.

I'm using the Modifry PnP harness and DCI with this unit. I also have the SVC but haven't connected it yet. Install is pending. The ATT mute function works well along with multi tap feature of mode and volume buttons. I finally figured that out. Works well and kudos to Bob at Modifry for offering such a nice product. Easy installation and great functionality.

I would definitely recommend. Purchased for $240 on Amazon. Great price for all the bells an whistles.

Pros: fit and finish, sound, EQ functions, ability to changes multiple lines of text, color variability, BT connections and sound, dual front and rear USB and aux function, crossover functions.

Cons: hard to read text under direct sunlight, no preset buttons to push for convenience, detachable face bit touchy to install on the go.

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Great review! The Modifry DCI really brings everything together and makes the HU feel like an OEM part. Have you tried setting up the DTA on the KDC-X998 yet?

I really like the new line of Kenwoods, but struggle with the backlit displays that have been used in the last several generations. I tried out a KDC-X994 in 2011 but just couldn't get used to the narrow viewing angle of the display and how washed out it became in the direct sunlight. In the end I sold the sold the KDC-X994 and reverted to an old KDC-X991 because of the motorized tilt OEL display. Hopefully Kenwood will switch to a different display soon.

* KDC-X994 viewed head on
* KDC-X994 viewed from the angle of the driver

No I haven't adjusted DTA yet or the cross over/gain functions. What have you set them to for optimal sound?

The display is a bit better on the 998 versus earlier models but I agree they need to go to an entirely different display.

I think optimal sound is going to be different for each person due to preference, location of tweeters, types of speakers and whether a sub-woofer is installed. I was asking about DTA because I never figured out the best way to set them up, and have only configured position, SRS, WOW and space settings for now.

Just installed my 898 the other day and am quite pleased with it! How did you get the mute feature to work? That's the only function I haven't figured out yet.

S2K.01, are you using a Modifry DCI as well?

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

Yes I am. I got the plug and play harness and set the switches on the back of the DCI according to the instructions.

Edit: I pulled the stereo out and moved switch #1 and ATT mute now significantly decreases the volume but doesn't completely mute. Works good enough for me though.

The ATT feature doesn't mute it all the way. That's is how it works. Also you have make sure you don't use the HU mute button and turn the car off with the mute on. The ATT mute feature will not work until you shut the car off and rest the head unit.

For mine it still works, it essentially reverses the operation of the indicator light on the button. While not a big deal, that would bug me so I always fix it right away if I make that mistake.

Thanks for the response!

I too recommend this line of head units. This is my first Kenwood and I like it a lot. I agree with everyone that the display could be brighter but the pros outweigh the cons for me and I much prefer the look over other head units in this price range.

:thumbup: