Now that I can post this in the correct section
I had the 9960 installed yesterday, so there are still a few things I have to learn about it. If you have questions I will try to get answers in a reasonable time frame.
The installation took about a day, as there was much experimenting to get everything to work.
I guess that first I must mention that my XLR is a 2008 model, so I can't guarantee that other years will behave the same.
OK, what I lost is OnStar. The mute works, but we can't get sound FROM the OnStar (or phone). Sound going out works fine. If anyone has info about this the installer would like to know so we can get it fixed.
The second thing I lost is the radio communication to the HUD. The HUD works fine, but no data from the radio.
The cruise control on this model has a bus connection in the Bose amplifier (not the radio head), so the amp is still in the car, but the CD changer and the radio head are in a box in the closet. There is one feature of the cruise that doesn't seem to work now, but I never used it. That is the red light in the HUD if you turn off cruise without disengaging it first. This may just be me remembering it wrong since I seldom use cruise going to work.
Now the gains:
Bluetooth! Works great with my iPhone. SMS does not work through bluetooth, but I think that is an Apple issue. At least Kenwood says it is.
Garmin nav! FAR FAR better than the factory nav. Even better than the 2010 CTS nav, which is the best that GM has ever made.
iPod control! It controls my iPod Video beautifully. Even the album artwork come through. And iPod videos! It will not directly control my older iPhone 3G with IOS 4.0, but the Video works, so I don't care.
USB music! It has a USB port for a standard thumb drive with music. Even searches folders and groups music into albums.
HD Radio! I have wanted to get HD radio for a while now. The installer had one of last years models at a price I couldn't pass up.
The radio controls on the steering wheel all work except the band select. I have the newer wheel with the ten buttons. The station up/down and the volume up/down do what you would expect. The former voice button acts as a mute or attenuation button.
Overall I am very happy with it. The installation looks good and professional. The sound is much better. I can even HEAR the bass before I feel it now!
I was going to post pictures, but the weather has been rainy here in North Texas since I picked it up. I refuse to let the car fill up with water just to put down the top and take pictures
I will try to post the snaps I took with my phone and provide a link in a bit.
I had the 9960 installed yesterday, so there are still a few things I have to learn about it. If you have questions I will try to get answers in a reasonable time frame.
The installation took about a day, as there was much experimenting to get everything to work.
I guess that first I must mention that my XLR is a 2008 model, so I can't guarantee that other years will behave the same.
OK, what I lost is OnStar. The mute works, but we can't get sound FROM the OnStar (or phone). Sound going out works fine. If anyone has info about this the installer would like to know so we can get it fixed.
The second thing I lost is the radio communication to the HUD. The HUD works fine, but no data from the radio.
The cruise control on this model has a bus connection in the Bose amplifier (not the radio head), so the amp is still in the car, but the CD changer and the radio head are in a box in the closet. There is one feature of the cruise that doesn't seem to work now, but I never used it. That is the red light in the HUD if you turn off cruise without disengaging it first. This may just be me remembering it wrong since I seldom use cruise going to work.
Now the gains:
Bluetooth! Works great with my iPhone. SMS does not work through bluetooth, but I think that is an Apple issue. At least Kenwood says it is.
Garmin nav! FAR FAR better than the factory nav. Even better than the 2010 CTS nav, which is the best that GM has ever made.
iPod control! It controls my iPod Video beautifully. Even the album artwork come through. And iPod videos! It will not directly control my older iPhone 3G with IOS 4.0, but the Video works, so I don't care.
USB music! It has a USB port for a standard thumb drive with music. Even searches folders and groups music into albums.
HD Radio! I have wanted to get HD radio for a while now. The installer had one of last years models at a price I couldn't pass up.
The radio controls on the steering wheel all work except the band select. I have the newer wheel with the ten buttons. The station up/down and the volume up/down do what you would expect. The former voice button acts as a mute or attenuation button.
Overall I am very happy with it. The installation looks good and professional. The sound is much better. I can even HEAR the bass before I feel it now!
I was going to post pictures, but the weather has been rainy here in North Texas since I picked it up. I refuse to let the car fill up with water just to put down the top and take pictures
I will try to post the snaps I took with my phone and provide a link in a bit.