Kenwood KDC-MP442U WMA/MP3 CD Receiver with Satellite/HD Radio/Bluetooth/iPhone Ready Front AUX/USB Input Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I bought the KDC-MP442U to replace the stock radio in my 2002 Honda Odyssey. I found the adapter cable and dash mounting kit online and installed it myself in one evening. I liked the streamlined front panel and felt good about the Kenwood brand from my experience owning their ham radio equipment. However, while this unit contains a lot of features for the money, the user interface is not at all intuitive and needlessly complex.
First, the features I liked: It can play MP3s or WMA files from a memory stick! You can turn off many of the annoying (to me) features like the constant scrolling red dots. Many of the options are configurable, especially the audio quality adjustments (filters, speaker size, etc.). It has a lot of presets (18 for FM and 6 for AM). The audio quality is acceptable (actually not bad at all for the price). It has an internal memory for storing "Favorites" (not to be confused with presets which are different). You can enter a text description of your favorite radio stations and other content.
Now, the downside(s)...
Non-intuitive: The on/off button is labeled "SRC" (its other function is to switch between the tuner, CD player, and USB memory). You must press and hold it for two seconds to shut the radio off. There is no tuning knob, per se. To tune the radio you must press the "AUTO" button to select one of three tuning modes: MANUAL lets you push the volume control back and forth to change frequency, AUTO1 lets you push the volume control back and forth to seek to the next station with a strong signal, and AUTO2 lets you push the volume control back and forth to move between the presets. This brings me to the next problem. Setting the presets to your favorite radio stations is extremely complicated. On top of that, the manual is just plain wrong on this point. I had to call Kenwood customer service to figure out how to set the presets. (Ironically, it was one of the best customer service calls I've ever had - fluent English speaker, knowledgeable, friendly, great communication skills). Finally, fast forward / fast rewind is only mentioned once in the manual and again the manual entry is wrong. Rather than simply pushing the volume control [AUD] knob to the right or left as the manual says, you must simultaneously twist the knob while pushing it. Not at all obvious...
Needlessly complex: To illustrate, let me list the steps required to change a preset radio station:
1. press [SRC] until display says TUNER
2. push [AUD] up or down to select set (FM1, FM2, ...)
3. press [AUTO] until display says MANUAL
4. push [AUD] left or right to select station
5. press [FAVORITE] once
6. press [SEARCH] once
7. turn [AUD] to select preset number
8. press [AUD] and hold until PRESET message appears
On my the stock Honda radio, there was a single button press to accomplish the same thing. Good grief! It also comes with a remote control (do we really need a remote control for a car stereo?). I have not had great luck with the remote control. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't.
So in summary, if you want a solid car radio / USB / CD player and if you like a good deal, like solving brain teaser puzzles, and don't mind spending some extra time to accomplish some basic configuration tasks (hopefully, NOT while driving!) then this may be the car stereo for you.


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Here's a perfect way to replace your stock stereo with a digital media solution. Enjoy your favorite CDs, a one-wire iPod connection, streaming of MP3/AAC/WMA files from USB thumb drives, a front auxiliary input, and Kenwood audio perfection in a 50W x 4 stylish tuner. And there's plenty of room to grow--add Bluetooth or HD/satellite radio with Kenwood peripherals.

Dial in Your Music The KDC-MP442U will play your favorite CDs or burned CD-Rs, as well as MP3/WMA/AAC files from data CDs or USB devices. Load your flash drive with your favorite tunes and hit the road.
iPod 1-wire Connection If you own an iPod, simply connect it to a Kenwood CD receiver via the USB cable that comes with the iPod. Better yet, use the optional KCA-iP100 1-wire iPod Interface Cable for crystal clear digital audio playback. You'll supply power to your iPod as well as charge it while you enjoy your music.
FM/AM Tuner When you feel like letting someone else control the programming, switch to the radio. Features 18 FM and six AM presets for your convenience.
Bluetooth Ready Add the optional KCA-BT200 to enjoy hands-free operation of the KDC-MP342U, allowing you to keep your hands on the steering wheel allowing you better concentration on your driving. Advanced Bluetooth technology provides wireless connection and operation of Bluetooth-enabled devices, such as mobile phones and even phones that can stream music via A2DP.
HD and Satellite Radio Ready The KDC-MP442U allows you to enjoy SIRIUS (requires CA-SR20V cable + Sirius Tuner) or XM (requires KCA-XM100V + XM Mini Tuner) radio in your vehicle. Enjoy a multitude of channels featuring music, news, talk shows, sports, and traffic information with CD quality sound.
You also can add an HD Radio tuner. When you connect an HD radio tuner, features of the unit are disabled and changed to HD Radio tuner features.
Supreme When a music file is compressed, some frequencies signals are lost, particularly if it is encoded using a low bit rate. The Supreme technology is a Kenwood-original audio compensation technology that compensates for this loss and reproduces music in a more natural form, thereby making it possible to play music recorded using low bit rates (64k to 96k) in an audio-quality equivalent to music recorded using a higher bit rate (equivalent to 128k). Enjoy a natural, rich sound, even with lower compression ratios.
Front USB/AUX Connection The KDC-MP442U features a USB and AUX connector up front that makes connecting a USB mass-storage device easier than ever. For the auxiliary input, input sensitivity correction adjusts volume or input level depending on the characteristics of the input source.
Ready for System Expansion In addition to the on-board 50W x 4 amplifier, the DPX503 boasts three 2.5V pre-amp outs for expanding your system.
Remote Control Let your passengers control the music from the back seat with the included remote.
What's in the Box Kenwood KDC-MP442U, sleeve, trim ring, wiring harness, wireless remote, installation tools, installation manual, operation manual, warranty card.

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Kenwood KDC-MP638U USB/AAC/WMA/MP3 CD Receiver with External Media Control Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Very stylish with silver knobs and glossy black finish. Around the knobs glow blue, not overly bright either, doesnt bother me at night. The knobs have rubber around the edge for grip to easily turn them which is actually a nice feature because the knobs are sturdy and dont feel cheap.
The function of the screen is hit and miss. I would like to have a graphic image but if you have an image then you only get 1-line of text on the screen like artist/song title. If you want more lines of text like I do then you cant have the graphic image in the background. I want artist/song title and I like seeing the clock as well, so no background image for me. However, the text is very easy to read and you get choices of what text you want like if you want to see playtime instead of the clock, or artist album and song title.
USB works great. It comes with a decent length USB cable that I routed to a cubby hole underneath my receiver out of sight and reachable. I hooked up an 8gb flash card with only about 3gb of music so far. It recognizes it right away and begins playing your first folder. This is how the USB works. It reads FOLDERS, not playlists (or I havent figured it out yet). Right now I have 3 folders ROCK, HIPHOP, OTHER. Downside of this if you have a ROCK folder with a mix of rock music which includes Nirvana and say you have a Nirvana folder with only Nirvana music, then those Nirvana songs take up twice the space on your USB device because you cannot use playlists so the actually file needs to be on your USB device twice (one in each folder). Also, you cannot sort music, so if you only want to listen to Nirvana then you are going to have to make a NIRVANA folder and throw the music in there or just skip songs in a mixed folder until you get to Nirvana songs. You can random play songs in folders but you cannot random play ALL FOLDERS. So it wont play songs from my ROCK folder then play a song from my HIPHOP folder. This would have been a nice feature. Every now and then the USB device will just say "Reading" trying to read the next song. Doesnt happen to often and all you have to do is turn the receiver off then on and its good to go. Turning it on picks up right where you turned it off.
The Zone2 capability only works with the Auxillary input. So you cannot play your CDs in the rear speakers, and USB up front. Only the Auxillary input will play in the back speakers. Havent had to use this feature yet, but thats how it works.
Music quality inproved from my stock receiver slightly. Not a drastic improvement, but it does sound a bit more clean in the highs.
Havent tried bluetooth or sirius. Dont use the radio much but picks up my stations no problem and you can even name them on the receiver.
Overall this is a great receiver for the price.

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USB/AAC/WMA/MP3 CD Receiver with External Media Control

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Kenwood KDC-MP345U In-Dash CD/MP3/WMA/iPod Receiver with USB/Aux Input Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I usually don't do reviews, but I am so happy with this purchase I had to. I searched around for an entire month trying to find the right receiver. I think that for the money this product is hands down a total score! It has an aux and a usb. Now, when I purchased this I was thinking on using the ipod with the aux input originally. While the usb port can be used for direct Ipod connection and memory stick media (memory stick media?!) I figured I'd only use it to charge my ipod once the bat was running low. I have heard such bad things about ipod/usb functionality in radio receivers that I never thought I would actually use it. I love my ipod, and with the 32,000+ songs I have on there, being able to quickly scroll to what I want is essential, and its pretty hard to keep track of the new stuff I put on because I don't have enough time in the day to listen to all the songs, so I do a lot of rating. trying to scroll through quickly using any receiver search button seemed like a joke and you can't rate songs when you can't use the ipods native click wheel. But i digress. The point is I looked in the manual and found "hands-on/hands/off". With the ipod plugged into the usb port on the receiver I can hit 1 and 3 on the radio and switch between the modes. Now I can use the benefits of the usb port (charging, quality sound) AAAAND use my ipods native clickwheel functionality at the same time. I don't even use the aux anymore! and whenever I decide I want to listen to the ipod on random i just push button 1 on the radio and my artist/album scroll across the screen and I am still happy. The only thing so far that is negative are:
1.the screen during the day is almost impossible to see with sunlight on it. it just looks pink.
2.when using the awesome usb mode i quickly mentioned up top.....for the first 30 seconds in either hands-on/hands-off mode you get a little song distortion because it is loading up i guess. Like i said i have over 30,000 songs and if i get 2 noise interruptions for a second a piece for the first 30 seconds of run-time and thats it, i'd say this is an outstanding product for all who love using there ipods in the car! buy it. u will be very happy. also, I have 4 polk audio db and they sound outstanding with all but a tiny fragment of songs in the hip-hop genre.

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Kenwood's KDC-MP345U is a great replacement for that factory CD receiver, giving you both a USB port for simple connection of your iPod/iPhone or a thumb drive, an auxiliary input for other audio devices, playback of MP3/WMA files (via burnt CDs or from the USB port), and room to grow your system with dual preamp outputs.

Removable Faceplate The faceplate of this model can be removed and taken with you, to help deter theft. The control panel is equipped with an easy-to-read, one-line, 13-digit flourescent display for easy control and navigation.
CD and WMA/MP3 Playback Enjoy your favorite CDs and CD-Rs, or burn a disc of WMA or MP3 files and enjoy hours of music on a single disc, along with ID-3 tag display for artist and title info.
Front-Panel USB Port Plug in a thumb drive or other USB storage device for playback of your favorite MP3/WMA files, with easy folder navigation. The port will also charge portable devices, and offers control of some music phones via the receiver.
Enjoy Your iPod The USB port also provides simple connection of your iPod/iPhone allowing you to listen to your favorite music with your car stereo. Then you'll get the added benefit of advanced search features designed to let you spend more time listening to your favorite songs instead of hunting for them:Alphabet Search, Reverse Browsing, and more.
FM/AM Tuner When you feel like letting someone else control the programming, switch to the radio. Store your favorite stations as presets for instant access--mixed preset tuning allows both FM and AM stations to be preset on the same preset band.
Front Auxiliary Input Listen to external audio devices like MP3 players using the front auxiliary input.
Room To Grow The KDC-MP345U's 50W x 4 MOSFET amp is plenty powerful, but it also features dual 2V preamp outputs (front and rear/subwoofer) for system expansion. It includes a rear/subwoofer switch with a subwoofer level and adjustable low pass filter, so you can send just what you need for your system.
System Q Sound Control Five factory pre-set equalization curves (Rock, Top40, Pops, Jazz and Easy, plus a flat setting) and three speaker matching curves (OEM, 6x9, 5/4 plus a flat setting) can be combined for extreme sound-shaping flexibility. The preset curves include midrange contouring, giving music more clarity and presence. The preset curves can also be combined with the unit's bass, midrange and treble controls allowing users to personalize the sound to their particular taste.
Bass Boost Handy for listening at lower volume levels (or for those who just like a lot of low-end).
What's in the Box Kenwood KDC-MP345U, Remote Control, Wiring Harness, Installation Tools and Hardware, Owner's Manual, Warranty Card

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Kenwood KDC-MP342U WMA/MP3 CD Receiver with Satellite/HD Radio/Bluetooth Ready Front Panel USB/AUX Input Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This is my 2nd MP3 player by kenwood. My first one was a much older model and after what seems like easily 6 or 7 years of faithful service I decided to upgrade.
The usb port on the front is what makes it worth the upgrade. I can put thousands of songs onto a dirt cheap thumbdrive and not have to worry about MP3 cd's all over my car.
The headunit also breathed new life into my 11 year old factory volvo speakers. I had no idea they could sound as good as they do. I've still got plans to put a recently acquired set of boston acoustic 6.5" speakers in the front doors but I'm re-thinking my decision to also upgrade the rear door and rear deck speakers.
As far as the things about the unit that I don't like, they're very minor. For one, the 1~6 buttons control playback options and what not. The numbers of the buttons are very easy to read as they're lit up but the functions is in a gray colored text that makes it hard to read. Before actually reading it in the manual, I didn't know how to pause playback. The number 6 button does that but you wouldn't know by looking at the unit because the little play/pause label is nearly impossible to read.
also, when adjusting the bass, mids and treble, like my older unit, these only go to 8. Why 8??? Why not 10? Kenwood, this makes no sense. Stop it. Also, I'm a little disappointed to see the attenuation button absent from the unit. I used that pretty frequently on my older one but I guess they have to save something for the units that cost more than $110. :D
Anyways, minor complaints and that's about it. The unit sounds great, and aside from initially figuring out what the small buttons do, I really like it. The music is easier to hear on the interstate as well. That was an unexpected surprise.

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Kenwood's KDC-MP342U delivers playback of your CDs and CD-Rs, MP3/WMA/AAC files from disc or via the unit's front USB port, AM/FM radio, and two versatile pre-amp outputs for system expansion. Add additional Kenwood devices for Bluetooth or satellite/HD radio.


Detachable Faceplate Deter theft with the detachable faceplate, which features a 14 segment FL display and lets you turn Scrolling on or off. The rotary encoder provides easy, intuitive operation and the blue key illumination with dimmer function looks great in any vehicle.

CD and WMA/MP3/AAC Playback Play your favorite CDs and CD-Rs, or enjoy your favorite WMA/MP3/AAC digital files burned to CD or on a USB device plugged into the KDC-MP342U's front USB slot. Enjoy hours of music and ID-3 tag display for artist and title info.

iPod 1-wire Connection If you own an iPod, simply connect it to a Kenwood CD receiver via the USB cable that comes with the iPod. Better yet, use the optional KCA-iP100 1-wire iPod Interface Cable for crystal clear digital audio playback. You'll supply power to your iPod as well as charge it while you enjoy your music.

FM/AM Tuner When you feel like letting someone else control the programming, switch to the radio. Features 18 FM and six AM presets for your convenience.

Room to Grow The KDC-MP342U features two 2V pre-amp outputs for system expansion. These are switchable between front/rear/sub settings, with a subwoofer level and adjustable low pass filter, so you have a few options for setting up your system.

Remote Control Let your passengers control the music from the back seat with the included remote.

Front USB/AUX Connection The DPX503 features a USB and AUX connector up front that makes connecting a USB mass-storage device easier than ever. For the auxiliary input, input sensitivity correction adjusts volume or input level depending on the characteristics of the input source.

Supreme When a music file is compressed, some frequencies signals are lost, particularly if it is encoded using a low bit rate. The Supreme technology is a Kenwood-original audio compensation technology that compensates for this loss and reproduces music in a more natural form, thereby making it possible to play music recorded using low bit rates (64k to 96k) in an audio-quality equivalent to music recorded using a higher bit rate (equivalent to 128k). Enjoy a natural, rich sound, even with lower compression ratios.

Bluetooth Ready Add the optional KCA-BT200 to enjoy hands-free operation of the KDC-MP342U, allowing you to keep your hands on the steering wheel allowing you better concentration on your driving. Advanced Bluetooth technology provides wireless connection and operation of Bluetooth-enabled devices, such as mobile phones and even phones that can stream music via A2DP.

HD and Satellite Radio Ready The KDC-MP342U allows you to enjoy SIRIUS (requires CA-SR20V cable + Sirius Tuner) or XM (requires Audiovox CNP2000UC and CPKEN1) radio in your vehicle. Enjoy a multitude of channels featuring music, news, talk shows, sports, and traffic information with CD quality sound.

You also can add an HD Radio tuner. When you connect an HD radio tuner, features of the unit are disabled and changed to HD Radio tuner features.

What's in the Box Kenwood KDC-MP342U, wireless remote (batteries included), sleeve, trim ring, wiring harness, installation tools, installation manual, operation manual, warranty card.

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