Kenwood eXcelon KDC-X492

Like other reviewers I've found this stereo to be extremely unintuitive to manipulate and set which is a real shame because the sound quality is very good.

For example:
- the ON button is the second little button to the right of the big knob (almost impossible for me to find in the dark) and it's labeled something like SCF, or some other unrelated acronym, so the first couple times I tried to find the ON I pressed other things (like the knob, which really, really, really stands out and looks like it SHOULD be the ON/OFF/VOL control)

- the OFF button is the same button that you press *briefly* to switch media formats but press it for a couple seconds and the machine turns OFF...

-pushing the knob in, the most obvious action to do when staring at all the doodads on the units face, moves you through a series of settings menus that are further manipulated by pushing the knob left, right, up, or down, or by pressing some of the other little buttons that look just like the radio preset buttons... no way to really know how to get to the menu you need without the manual and even then the buttons are so similar it's too involved to do while driving and impossible to memorize for future minor adjustments

Other CONS:
- the blue lighting is damned annoying at night - it does dim when the car's headlights are turned on but it's still way too bright; I'm going to have to do something stupid like tape a sheet of dark plastic over the thing at night to keep from feeling like I'm getting some young geeks laser pointer shined in my eyes from afar while I'm watching the road

- the unit's lights and display are totally off when the radio is not on --- very annoying when I want to know the time quickly, or even when I want to turn the darned thing on without turning on the interior lights!!!

- if the display is set to clock and you want to be shown the station's setting (frequency) you either have to change the radio frequency a click manually and then go back to the original frequency or go through a short series of button pushing to switch the display from clock to radio frequency - not easy when driving in town and you have to look at the unit to press the right buttons



This review is gripe heavy given what I feel is a good unit that warrants a solid 4 stars out of 5. Maybe I'll feel better about the unit when I get more opportunities to make adjustments and learn some basic/important options by memory. I guess I just feel that with the media formats and sound quality this unit could have been one of the best available at a very good price had Kenwood thought a little more about ergonomics and interface.

I wanted a direct, plug in, replacement for an 8 year old Kenwood already installed so considering other brands wasn't an issue. For this installation, must haves were a USB input for my thumb drives and MPG/WMA capability for CDs, so my choices in this price range were between this or a KDC-MP438U. The X492 has a higher pre-out output and the price (caught it on sale) made this unit the winner over the MP438U. Sound is great but I gave it only four stars for a few good reasons: The blue lighting around the jog knob and external inputs is distractingly bright (with no way to turn it down or off) and the clock only displays on "standby" (otherwise known as "off" in an earlier day) after you punch a button a couple of times. Why it can't be visible all the time is beyond me. Additionally, the instruction booklet could be clearer on how all this good stuff works and, at this point, the GUI seems a little complex.

Kenwood has developed a "dual mode" feature for this unit (and other I suspect) which I think would be ideal for families with kids. Easily selectable, in dual mode different sources can be listened to through the front and back speakers. With the included remote control, the kids can play what they please (iPod, whatever) through the back speakers while the adults can do what they want in front. Good idea.

All in all this is a good sounding unit that has a nice quality feel. Great for the price and I'd do it again faced with the same circumstances.

The Excelon series is Kenwood's finest. This stereo gives you USB input, is bluetooth ready and has an aux in plug. It also comes with a remote and is easy to use. I highly recommend buying one if you're looking for a reliable USB car stereo for a great price.