Kenwood eXcelon DMX1057XR

Crystal Clear Screen

Love the size of the radio, the sound quality and the variety of adjustments. Easy to install for a radio with that many parts. HDMI input looks really good, close to a cellphone, sometimes lags or stutters but not too bad (might be due to the HDMI adapter I'm using).

By kumar on December 8, 2022 Verified purchase

Absolutely fantastic. Transformed driving experience.

I can't say enough good things about this unit. I put it in my 2003 Dodge Ram 2500, and it it's like driving an entirely different vehicle. I'll break up the review into different sections so this isn't a wall of text.

Screen: The screen is large, and it is as responsive as a premium smartphone. Everything is fast and smooooth. There's never a moment when I'm doing something and have to wait for the screen to register a press or where it lags behind. The bezels are a little thick compared to what you'd expect in 2024, but everything is so stiff and solid that I assume the bezels were a tradeoff for proper structure. It doesn't vibrate when driving or budge the slightest on rougher taps. I'm so used to hearing about 4k and 8k resolution these days that 720p seems antiquated, but at this size it looks great. I haven't played a movie on it yet, but general usage shows no signs of blockiness.

Controls: PHYSICAL BUTTONS. The JVC equivalent of the 1057XR has no real buttons, and imo it's worth the premium to get them. Quick volume changes or camera access are great quality-of-life improvements compared to pure touchscreens.

Sound: I left the stock amp and speakers in, and they sound great compared to with the stock radio. I'm sure it's a level below what I would get with new speakers and an aftermarket amp, but it's a large increase in quality from the original Dodge stereo. It's also hard to communicate how much adjustabilty there is. Full EQ that can be adjusted individually for each source, volume offsets for sources if you have devices that need to be balanced out for consistent volumes, and a very granular balance/fade feature. It really lives up to the Reference in the name.

Expandability: HDMI, USB, and Sirius XM are pretty standard. Nothing special there. Four camera ports can't be beat unless you start wiring in multiplexers. I don't use the dedicated dashcam input, but the two HD inputs provide amazing quality when paired with a CMOS-740HD camera. My one complaint about the unit is that it offers integrated control of Kenwood's multi-view CMOS-320 camera, but only if it's plugged into a specified input, which happens to be one of the two HD inputs. You have to choose between using a standard definition camera in an HD slot or giving up the on-screen control and wiring in a button. It seems like something that could have easily been avoided when writing the software, but maybe it can be fixed with a future update.

Features: CarPlay and Android Auto have so far been flawless. Paired via Bluetooth once and has automatically connected every time since. It does take slightly longer than just a standard Bluetooth setup, but 5-10 seconds at startup doesn't hinder anything. I could see the delay being annoying if you're in the habit of talking on the phone as you're walking to the car and then starting to drive, but for music it's fine. Voice control of Siri and Google works flawlessly with the included mic wired in. I have it mounted near the visor pivot on the driver's side. With four cameras available, it would be nice to have a 360-degree feature like many modern OEM radios, but dedicated units that do that cost around $1k, so that's maybe a bit much to ask for an add-on to a stereo that currently costs $1099 itself. I can't speak to the HVAC and vehicle controls since my 2003 is too old to have those on the CANBUS, but the capability is there if you're putting this in something newer.

Conclusion: Best stereo I've ever used, bar none. It's made driving my pickup more pleasant and also safer. I wouldn't hesitate to buy it again.

By Clay on March 6, 2024 Verified purchase

Excellent head unit

This head unit is so great. Aside from the obvious large screen and good specs, the really excellent part is the crossover and audio tuning features. The parametric EQ and the level of control makes balancing a system a breeze. I disabled all the crossovers in my amps.

The unit was open box and the description said “like-new” and it was was exactly that. This head unit has been flawless.

By Tom on March 28, 2024 Verified purchase

Amazing head unit

Can't say enough about it fits perfect in my 2016 f250 thought it would obstruct my ac vents and it didn't. Having the tilt is a plus. But the touchscreen amazing response is great features there to many to list haven't gone through all of them. Nothing beats the warranty on kenwood excelon version. I did go over budget for a head unit but I don't regret now

By michael on December 7, 2024 Verified purchase