Kenwood DNX893S in the XLR

[stormshadow71]

Please explain how to do that, I'm not sure what you mean by turn the gain down where would you do that from on a original head unit that came with the XLR TY!


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Gain adjustment is on GMOS-06. Small screw adjustment you turn up or down. Shows how on the instructions, but if you didn't install it, the shop that didn't set it for you
I did go into setting on sound adjustments in radio menu to adjust the HTZ for front and rear speakers... Made a big difference

 

[05 GRAND DADDY]

Gain adjustment is on GMOS-06. Small screw adjustment you turn up or down. Shows how on the instructions, but if you didn't install it, the shop that didn't set it for you
I did go into setting on sound adjustments in radio menu to adjust the HTZ for front and rear speakers... Made a big difference

Is that explained in the XLR Manual?
That is how to adjust the HTZ

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[rexster314]

Is that explained in the XLR Manual?
That is how to adjust the HTZ

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He's referring to setting the GMOS adapter that's used for an aftermarket head unit. Nothing to do with a factory head unit such as yours

 

[stormshadow71]

Love this head unit!


So many cool options on this! Changed the background picture to this nice Cadillac logo. Plugged a USB in with 1200+ songs and reads very quickly. One of the best upgrades I could have done! I just hope that I don't blow the speakers out lol. Thumbs to all!
Oh, I left the GPS antenna inside, on top of the head unit and it works just fine.

 

[rexster314]

Getting rid of these clunky OEM units is quite possibly the best thing you can do to update these cars

 

[graytoad]

I stopped by a local car audio specialist shop and he asked me to find out about what was used for a mounting bracket as there are none listed for this unit to fit the XLR. He was also having trouble finding 2009 XLR listed in any of the references most of the listings were 2004 thru 2006. I am assuming there are no differences in the different years other than the 09 did have blue tooth added?

So what was used for mounting the unit? Did part of the factory brackets work or did something have to be fabricated? Apparently they have retro fitted many Cadillac's but never an XLR that he can remember.....not surprising though. (Radio-Active has been around for at least 20 years and are the Go-To shop for custom work) He is trying to give me an realistic quote for install. Your input would be appreciated Rexter, Stormshadow or anyone else who has done this conversion.

 

[rexster314]

I stopped by a local car audio specialist shop and he asked me to find out about what was used for a mounting bracket as there are none listed for this unit to fit the XLR. He was also having trouble finding 2009 XLR listed in any of the references most of the listings were 2004 thru 2006. I am assuming there are no differences in the different years other than the 09 did have blue tooth added?

So what was used for mounting the unit? Did part of the factory brackets work or did something have to be fabricated? Apparently they have retro fitted many Cadillac's but never an XLR that he can remember.....not surprising though. (Radio-Active has been around for at least 20 years and are the Go-To shop for custom work) He is trying to give me an realistic quote for install. Your input would be appreciated Rexter, Stormshadow or anyone else who has done this conversion.

Well, you're correct in that there are NO listings for any parts necessary for aftermarket radio installations. In my case the installers used the factory cage for the head unit and I'm fairly certain they fabricated the side filler plates. The parts necessary for adapting the Kenwood are listed in my first post in this thread. You may or may not need that trigger switch to turn on the Bose system. I followed the parts list from another earlier post, but a couple here did not use it and it seems the radio works find with the Bose system. Print out my first post here and show it to your stereo guy. If he's any good at all, it will make sense to him.

 

[XLRATING]

Initial stages of working on installing the Kenwood. Looks scary to me! - but Mike knows what he's doing.

 

[joe1239]

Looks like the Kenwood DNX893S is going to work in my XLR. They are buttoning up everything now after about 3 hours. Added a backup camera and Sirius/XM. I'll update as soon as I take possession of the car.

Follow up:
First off, the guys at Houston Car Stereo on Hillcroft in Houston are jam up guys, willing to do anything to make a happy customer. Their leather sofa in the waiting room never made me tire of sitting.

We used the Metra GMOS-06 network adapter, PAC-TR7 and the PAC SWI-RC steering wheel adapter.
The owner was very good in trying these adapters out, even though every catalog does not list them as suitable for our XLR vehicles. At the very least I would get an updated Nav unit in my car with sound bypassing the Bose system using the Kenwood's amp along with a much needed backup camera. If everything worked as hoped for, I would retain OnStar, Bose, and all the other things that go along with it. I would also retain control over the steering wheel controls as well. After a couple of hours in the shop, the owner came out and said everything was working, Bose, OnStar, backup cam but they had no sound output. I immediately pulled up the wiring diagram that is in the thread "App Radio" and showed it to the tech. He had me text him the link to h is phone, he pulled it up and within 10 minutes we had some serious sound coming from the Kenwood. So I have a new Kenwood Nav unit, with HD radio, Garmin navigation, Android Auto, bluetooth phone and music plus DVD that can play while driving if the passenger/co-pilot wants to watch a movie. I'm not sure I'm going for a Sirius/XM tuner as I have it on my cell phone and can port it over to the Kenwood via bluetooth, time will tell and it's an easy add-on later
The steering wheel controls work for the volume up/down and instead of "Source" for the smaller button it's a scan button for whatever media source
I'm listening to at the moment.
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<iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/177311048" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen></iframe>
<p><a href="https://vimeo.com/177311048">20160802_165607[1]</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/user35609895">Rex McCall</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>

I've had one in my 2007 XLRV for about a year now love it.

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[XLRATING]

Question for you all who have done this switch: I want the iPod connection for playback purposes in the armrest portion of the console, not the cup holder/lighter part. That's how it is in my CTS coupe & I like it that way, no need to touch the iPod except to take it in & out, everything operates through the steering wheel controls &/or radio buttons while the iPod stays out of sight. So I want the iPod staying in the XLR armrest console too, without wires running out from the console to the iPod sitting elsewhere.

Is this doable? It looks like from all the pics in this thread that everyone is running it through the cup holder.

 

[Fireduck69]

Yes, I ran extension cable with USB and HDMI ports into console. Found on eBay for about $12.

 

[Fireduck69]

 

[XLRATING]

Thanks for the details - showed that to Mike, he & I dry fitted the cable that came with the unit & it looks like it will reach. So don't know if we still need an extender. We're also looking at leaving the CD changer out as that will give more room on the backside.

 

[rexster314]

The Kenwood cables were a perfect fit. Remove arm rest console tray, run the cables down and push them up under console, fish them through, cut access holes in the tray and you're there. Button everything back up. Since they both look somewhat alike, I put a single wrap of red electrical tape around the USB cable, since that's what I use. Don't have anything Apple, but it was run as well.

 

[rexster314]

I've had one in my 2007 XLRV for about a year now love it.

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My install was 8/2/16, works perfect, Android Auto is cool. There was an update for the Kenwood last October if you haven't done it

 

[XLRATING]

The Kenwood cables were a perfect fit. Remove arm rest console tray, run the cables down and push them up under console, fish them through, cut access holes in the tray and you're there. Button everything back up. Since they both look somewhat alike, I put a single wrap of red electrical tape around the USB cable, since that's what I use. Don't have anything Apple, but it was run as well.

Good - that verifies what the dry fit was showing. Thanks for the info.

 

[Fireduck69]

Flush cables installed in console

 

[XLRATING]

Thanks for the pic - Mike said I have time to figure out what I want.

Speaking of time, since the entire middle section of the car is out, decided now was a good time to clean out the stupid sticky disintegrating foam from the vents (horizontal piece in the middle of the vent; the foam around the outside is actually in ok shape). Basically need a tongue depressor size stick to get it out. Going to gently blow air through the backside before reinstalling to be sure it's all out. I hate that stuff!

 

[rexster314]

I've done the same thing in addition to the arm rest vents as well. When we first got the car, every day on startup I'd get little balls of goo fly out of one or more vents. Get on our clothes and the seating area. Just old age makes the foam disintegrate, pretty much like I'm disintegrating

 

[XLRATING]

Blah! My car is destroyed! (Not really, install is still in progress, but it's still scary looking - especially since every time I come home it's been taken apart even more).