iDatalink Maestro

Are the kenwood 9905s any good? Looking at this with all the fixins with my 2018 express. Like that the factory xm and back up cam are able to be used as well as the car play.

I have a 2017 RAM and just replaced my uConnect 5" with Pioneer 2330nex. I had Buy Best install the URam from idatalink and my Android Auto won't stay connected. It might depend on cable length and quality or maybe the particular aftermarket radio. It does read a USB thumb drive but Android Auto is no go.

jknappen said:

Are the kenwood 9905s any good? Looking at this with all the fixins with my 2018 express. Like that the factory xm and back up cam are able to be used as well as the car play.

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The 9905S has been getting great reviews on the car stereo forums and is the one I plan to get. I haven’t looked recently to see if Kenwood announced a newer model at CES last week.

TomT said:

The 9905S has been getting great reviews on the car stereo forums and is the one I plan to get. I haven’t looked recently to see if Kenwood announced a newer model at CES last week.

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Wiuld be great if they did then maybe they will drop the price. The 9905s a bit. Lol

jknappen said:

Wiuld be great if they did then maybe they will drop the price. The 9905s a bit. Lol

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They had a couple of manufacturer specials on it last year where you could get it for more than $100 off on Crutchfield. Just have to watch.

I’ve got the 5.0 that I want to replace. I’ve already replaced the stock speakers with JBL Club series, what a difference that made. Is swapping in the auto climate controls very difficult or expensive? That might be cool to do while replacing the HU. Would it be worth it?

Chuck Yourself said:

Has anybody looked at messing with the Alpine iLX-F309, also referred to as the Halo9? It looks real sharp and I'm kinda leaning towards it in my Big Horn with the 8.4" Uconnect.

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Its of particular interest to me for my 2009 Sport, and for those like me searching, apparently it does fit the 2009-2012s fine and doesn't stick out too far (not my car, found in google search). I have it on price-watch now, and am strongly considering this unit as an upgrade to the factory Alpine unit's small so-so quality screen.

Alpine stereo major upgrade:

Money may or may not be an issue to some, but for me it is and all things considered I went for budget / sound quality.

I did alot of web searching on different components, specs, price, etc...

Ordered some of the things in my list (even had to return a couple do to fitment issues) and eventually came up with what I have now. Here's the details:

Dash speakers (corners): Infinity Kappa Perfect 300m 3.5" Mid-ranges (center left as-is)
Front doors: CDT Audio CL-69S 6X9” mid-bass woofers
Rear doors: Infinity Reference REF-9622IX
Sub box under rear seat: (MTX dual 10" enclosure) with JL Audio 10w3's
Front door pillars and overhead: Hertz Energy ET 26.5 Tweeters

For processing, interfacing, and amps:

JL Audio HD 900/5
Kenwood Excelon XR600-6DSP
iDataLink Maestro ADS-MAR
iDataLink Maestro AR-CH2

Power distribution and wiring:

MESA AKCO 0 Gauge OFC Amp Kit
MESA FDBUQM Dual Power/Ground Distribution Kit
Stinger SHW516B-500 16GA Speaker wire
Stinger SHW512B-250 12GA Speaker wire
MESA RM6 6' M-Series Twisted RCA Cables
MESA PWCB4 4AWG OFC Power Wire
MESA RM1F2M 1F-2M M-Series Twisted Y-Adapters

Right at $2k while retaining the stock head unit and all functionality of the factory controls/systems.

Here's a basic layout of the system:

Can you get guage/cluster info on a aftermarket radio on a 3rd gen ram? specifically 2006