Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I replaced the dying, lackluster factory radio in my 2005 Hyundai Elantra with this Kenwood. For the less than $100 price, I am duly impressed. The unit sounds as good as it looks. Even with the factory speakers, the improvement is amazing over the factory radio. It has plenty of power and with dual pre-amp outputs (rare on lower priced radios), it is ready for an amp and sub, not that I see myself adding one, but it's there.
It plays your MP3 and WMA CD's with ease. Loading time is quick, and it also has a feature which will improve frequency response on low bit-rate MP3 files. The remote control is a nice touch, again- not too common on lower end radios. What I really like is the VFD display. You can read this BRIGHT and CLEAR text in any light, and unlike LCD's, VFD's don't "dark out" in extreme heat, nor "lag" in extreme cold. I love the retro look of VFD, but really appreciate the clear bold text which makes reading it easy. The front mounted 1/8 line in is a plus, and the blue backlight makes it easy to spot at night for plugging in my MD walkman.
What really impressed me is the quality of the tuner. FM front end is one of the best I've ever used. I can hear stations the factory radio was deaf to, excellent selectivity. Even driving in downtown Atlanta amongst the dozen nearby 100Kw FM's, this Kenwood never gets overloaded. I was listening to a station from Macon over 70 miles away with ease, the factory radio couldn't handle this and would get overloaded from the nearby transmitters. The quality of the FM is superb, excellent frequency response and S/N ratio. AM is pretty hot as well. This is a good choice for FM DX'ing.
The built-in MOSFET amplifier has plenty of power at 22w x 4, and will drive most speakers with ease though you should be careful if using factory speakers as this amount of power could easily overload them. Installation is easy as is with any 1/2 DIN radio. In my Hyundai I did have to use a simple kit so there wasn't any gap in the dash fascia. Most Toyota, Nissan, and Honda installs should take less than 30 minutes if you have the correct wiring harness adapter.
Hats off to Kenwood, for the price I am more than satisfied. Bring back more VFD's!
Click Here to see more reviews about: Kenwood KDC-MP242 WMA/MP3 CD Receiver with Satellite/HD Radio/Bluetooth Ready Front Panel AUX Input
Kenwood's KDC-MP242 is a perfect way to add WMA/MP3 playback to your vehicle and leave room to grow. This CD receiver delivers playback of your digital files from a data disc, AM/FM radio, two pre-amp outputs for expansion, and quality Kenwood sound on a budget. Add additional Kenwood devices for Bluetooth, a direct iPod connection, 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 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.
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-MP242 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 Auxiliary Input Listen to external audio devices like MP3 players using the front auxiliary input, which is illuminated so it's easy to find in the dark.
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.
iPod Ready Add the optional KCA-iP500 for a direct iPod connection and enjoy your iPod music while it charges.
Bluetooth Ready Add the optional KCA-BT200 to enjoy hands-free operation of the KDC-MP242, 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-MP242 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.
What's in the Box Kenwood KDC-MP242, wireless remote (batteries included), sleeve, trim ring, wiring harness, installation tools, installation manual, operation manual, warranty card.
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