Kenwood eXcelon KDC-X693 – Radio / CD / MP3 player / digital player – Full-DIN – in-dash – 50 Watts x 4
Features:
- CD player with built-in MOSFET amplifier (22 watts RMS/50 peak x 4 channels)
- plays CDs, CD-Rs, and CD-RW discs, including discs loaded with MP3,WMA, and AAC files
- detachable face
- inputs: rear USB and auxiliary inputs
Product Description
Flip TDF (Theft Deterrent Faceplate)Full dot multi-line displayVariable color illuminationSpectrum analyzerMusic searchFavorite memoryRotary encoder for easy operationSupplied with remote control unitSource tone memoryRear AUX input with input sensitivity adjustAttenuator (-20dB) with smooth volume return3-band Parametric EQDigital crossover systemDigital time alignmentKenwood customized iPod EQHighway soundSupreme+Rear USB 2.0 input for thumb drives, external HDD and compatible iPodsAlphabet searchPercentage skip searchReverse browsingAll random playbackWMA playback (Windows Media Audio)ID-3 tag display24bit D/A converter0-bit muteCD-R/CD-RW compatible
Average rating: 3.5
Price: Too low to display
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Tagged with: digital • eXcelon • FullDIN • InDash • KDCX693 • Kenwood • PLAYER • Radio • Watts
Filed under: Kenwood
First, I’ll discuss my issues with the head unit, then move onto the thievery of the supplier Car Toys. The new Kenwood kdc-x693 has great sound quality, especially at high volumes, but that’s about it. The user interface is so hard to use, especially while driving. The right side button is ridiculous, you have to press it in directly in the middle without pressing it slightly in any up, down, left, or right direction or else you will select the wrong thing. The unit makes an awful lot of static noise thru the speakers. The ipod feature takes a good 20 seconds to start working once the car is started, it just says “Reading” for what seems like forever, which sucks because I paid an extra $30 for their so-called “hi-speed” ipod cable. Treble and mids cannot be adjusted seperately (at least not easily and quickly), you just have to choose between the preset eq’s. Overall, a huge disappointment. So i tried exchanging the poor unit with Car Toys for another brand cd player, one that was going to cost me more money, but they told me that there policy was no returns or exchanges on kenwood units. After fighting with the customer service rep, as this was stated nowhere on amazon when i purchased it, i was told a manager would contact me later, at his convenience. A day later I got a call back from the same rep, saying he spoke with his manager and had great news! They would exchange my unit and cable for another unit, but were going to charge me a mere 25% restocking fee! This equates to approximately $60!!! Should have bought from crutchfield….So now i’m stuck with a crummy unit from a lying, thieving company. Purchasers beware…..
Rating: 1 / 5
Kenwood Excelon KDC-X693 CD receiver
This is one of the greatest head units I ever came across. The sound quality is excellent and you get the response you are looking for when you adjust the Equalizer setting. You also have the option to use the Built in DSP or to by pass it, there are also preset equalizer settings to chose from if you are in a hurry to get a right setting. The display can be changed in a number of ways to suit your needs, so to can the color of the display. The sound quality from USB flash drives or External Hard drives as well as the ipods, are also excellent. The content on these devices loads almost instantly, so you don’t have to wait a period of time before you start to hear your music. All in all, you only realize the through beauty and performance of this unit when you start to use it. I have no regrets with this product and i would recommend it to anyone who wants quality for their money. My review on this product, 5 stars all the way.
Rating: 5 / 5
I’ve been using this unit for about 10 days, here’s what I think of it:
PROS:
Customizable EQ, you are not stuck with presets if you don’t want them.
1) Sound Quality!!!
2) The design and aesthetics. This unit is absolutely stunning and beautiful to look at. I love glancing at it when I’m driving.
3) Good customization options–especially for the colors and display.
4) USB is in the back. I am so glad about this. I plan on buying a massive USB stick and hardly changing it out. I ran the USB wire to my glove compartment and I don’t have to mess with it. It is also out of sight for any thieves. It would of sucked if it was in the front.
5) The lights and colors! I know I already said this in #2, but I can’t get over how cool this looks at night when it’s lite up.
6) Build Quality.
7) Kenwood Support. Got my email answered in one day on a Saturday!
Cons:
1) Volume decrease/increase is to fine. Wish it changed on a greater increment. But this is minor.
2) It’s really hard to push in on the right knob to make it click. It has to be a perfect horizontal 180 degrees, or it doesn’t register as an inward click
3) Ipod mode has more functions then USB mode. Why? IE: change the scrolling increment for songs/albums.
*4) This is the big one, the USB mode interface needs work and more functionality! Here’s what I mean:
a) The thing I use most on this unit is the USB mode. It is really hard to navigate through the songs. There is a ‘search mode’ which make it easier to see what your searching for, but it is not on by default. you have to enable it every time you want to use it and it turns off as soon as you choose your song. Without search mode, it’s difficult to see what songs/albums your navigating through.
d) THERE’S NO SHUFFLE FOR ROOT DIR. MUSIC(USB Mode)! There is a shuffle but only on the level per an album, but if you want to shuffle through all your songs and albums…you can not..unless you want all your songs in the root directory.
5) It’s really a pain to switch radio stations. You can mark your favorite radio stations and turn the right dial to get to them…which is good. What is bad is, you first have to turn the knob, then turn it again to the favorite radio station you wanted, then click the knob inward to choose the radio station. What couldn’t Kenwood make it to where you could just turn the knob and it would instantly go to the next favorite radio station?
The remote helps.
In summary, I love looking at this unit. I love hearing music from this unit. I wish the USB mode had the search function permanently on and even more functionality for USB mode. I am hoping Kenwood will release a firmware upgrade to make this happen.
Rating: 4 / 5
I’m certainly not going to try to rebut every comment in the first review, because some things are purely subjective. This brief review will describe why I like this unit.
First, for me sound quality is 50% of the whole equation. Overall the sound is a 9.5 out of 10. Also, you can directly control the EQ settings by using Manual mode. You are NOT stuck with only a collection of presets as the previous reviewer implied. For me, once I set the overall EQ settings, I never fiddle around with individual bass and treble settings.
Second, the unit is dead quiet. I got mine installed at a professional car stereo place, one that has been in business for 50 years.
Third, it does take about 15 seconds to initialize the IPod unit, not all that unreasonable in my view.
Finally, for a unit like this that has, say 100+ settings (and very limited buttons) the user interface is CRITICAL. Unlike the other reviewer I have had no problems navigating the right-side control button (and I have very large fingers). It will take a bit of time to get used to how to navigate through the various settings. However, once you do I think the overall interface is just fine (borderline excellent).
The only reason I’m not giving this unit 5 stars is that the preset buttons (for both radio and Sirius stations) require at least two operations to move around. The “Favorites” settings help, but you only get 6 setting for all modes. I’ve seen better, but it’s not enough to contain my overall enthusiasm for this unit.
** Update ** After using this unit for two weeks, I’m upgrading my review to 5 stars. The remote gives instant and easy access to any preset in the Sirius or AF/FM mode. Since you can have 6 presets per Sirius bank (there are four), navigation is as easy as can be.
Rating: 4 / 5