Hi guys,

For those with DNX8120, can the unit fast-forward and rewind within an MP3 when playing from a USB drive?  I currently have a DNX7100 which does not have this, one would thing basic, functionality and I'm tempted to upgrade.
 

The DNX7100 can't do that?  I thought only Clarion's wouldn't do that!!! WOW!!!

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2002 Ford Focus
Sony CDX-GT410u
Sony XT-100HD HD Tuner
Stock speakers, no amp, no subs

Bump

 

A lot of people seem to have this unit but no one can answer this question? 

I have a DNX5120, but suspect this portion is the same between models, so I'll try when I run errands this evening.

pat----

Bump, still looking for an answer to this ..can't buy without knowing this.

Was curious so I loaded some mp3s onto a USB drive and tried it out.

Short answer: DNX8120 cannot fast forward/rewind within a track but can easily skip between tracks.

But let me also add that the USB implementation was good.  The mp3 files showed up, album artwork was visible and they sounded good as well.  The menu buttons allowed easy selection from folders, albums, etc and was a lot like the iPod interface.  For music, I rarely if ever FF or REW, I usually just select another track from the menu. (or skip to the next one)

Of course, for long files from audio books or lectures one's needs could be different.

The DNX8120 really is a great unit and I am extremely happy with mine (though I use an iPod for music instead of USB).

Edit: One more thing - I also had a DNX7100 and the 8120 is much better. I returned the 7100 due to iPod and bluetooth issues and the 8120 solved those issues completely.  The menus are also much better thought out.  Finally, it is a really easy swap out since the cage and GPS antenna are the same.
 

Sorry, life's been hectic this week (I'm oncall at work = not much sleep).  Tested the FF/REW on the 5120 as promised ... they are not options with MP3s played from USB.  As Doug H states, all you can do is skip forward or backwards to the next/previous song.  And it does so very quickly!!  I like how it restarts right at the point in a song where I shut the car off.  I could see how the lack of FF/REW would be a bother if you were trying to listen to very long "audio books" or something, but ...  I'm very happy with the MP3 from USB interface as it is since all I'm using it for listening to songs.

I'm sorry I couldn't give you better news. 

pat----

Thanks guys!

Wow I can't believe Kenwood still hasn't implemented this feature, especially in the top of the line Excelon unit! 

 
I don't listen to singles, I listen to long mixes that are at least 1 hour long and usually longer so this would be very useful. I've been using 7100 for almost a year now and would really like this feature.  8120 does have a lot of nice audio controls that I would like to use, ahh I can't believe Kenwood  ..it's a basic audio control!

I only listen to singles and it would really bother me to have to go back to the beginning if I missed some part of a song and wanted to re-listen to it.

Like I said - I knew Clarion didn't have that ability, and I had heard that Dual didn't, but I would have expected Kenwood Excelon to!!!

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2002 Ford Focus
Sony CDX-GT410u
Sony XT-100HD HD Tuner
Stock speakers, no amp, no subs

Follow-up ...

Tested again ... verified: no FF/REW in MP3s played from USB, regardless of whether you're in "2-line" or "4-line" display mode.

MP3's CAN be Fast Forwarded/Rewound through when played from CD or DVD.  Note that the buttons only show when using the "2-line" display.  When using the "4-line" display (my preference), the FF & REW buttons are not displayed, only the PREV/NEXT buttons are.  Also, it appears that album art for MP3s is not diplayed when played from CD/DVD ... neither embedded, nor folder.jpg.

Unknown about iPod since I don't have one.

pat----

I tried it with an iPod.  You can fast forward & rewind, even in 4-line display.  Why is it called 4-Line?  You only get 3.

Hmm DNX5120 has a firmware update and one of the points it mentions is  "Scan and Random playback function of USB device".  I wonder if the "scan" part means scanning forward/backward within an MP3.

tliss:

Hmm DNX5120 has a firmware update and one of the points it mentions is  "Scan and Random playback function of USB device".  I wonder if the "scan" part means scanning forward/backward within an MP3.

Scan usually means it will play 5 seconds of each track in sequence until you tell it to stop, but that is a less common feature than FF and REW through an MP3, so hopefully it means that rather than a traditional scan feature. 

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2002 Ford Focus
Sony CDX-GT410u
Sony XT-100HD HD Tuner
Stock speakers, no amp, no subs

The 8120 packs a lot of punch into a single unit, with some nice features, however they seemed to have missed a lot of the basic functionality one would expect.

Hopefully they will release atleast one firmware to address some of this before moving on to their next flagship product.