I am hoping this thread will draw some advice from you "stereo guys" on the group. I have a convertible on order and I will be wanting to upgrade the stereo after I get it.

The first thing I will do is the speakers. It is quick and easy. I am pretty comfortable picking speakers. What I need help with is the head unit.

Here are some of my goals for the head unit.

I am hoping to spend in the area of $500 or less. This is not a show car it is a daily driver.

Since it is a convertible security is a concern. A removable face would be nice. Also, something that doesn't SCREAM expensive might be nice. I also like the "stealth" faces for security reasons.

I may decide to go with only the power from the head unit and not add a seperate amp. Once you add an amp you get in to serious work, lots of wires, and raise the cost significantly. I know this is less than "ideal". I am just looking for a "good basic system" not the ultimate sound machine. (The radio I am considering does have line ouptuts in case I decide to add an amp later.)

So the features I hope to get are
Some sort of security face feature
MP3 / CDR capability
Decent power built in + line outs for room to grow
Price around $500

Given those criteria I found a stereo I am considering. Here is a link

Kenwood KDC-X859

Some of the features I like are
Faceplate is removable AND flips for stealth if you don't want to carry it.
Plays CD-Rs and MP3s.
Full bandwidth power is 4x22 (4X50 peak)
Built in crossover system (set different speaker pairs differently I think)
Source tone memory (remembers tone for CD/radio/etc.)
Very sensitive FM tuner
Decent brand

Of course all of this is from the marketing info, so it could be hype. Can anyone with some stereo know-how comment on this system about pros and cons?

Are there any other system in this price/feature range I should be considering?

 

if you are planning on spending 500 bucks on a kenwood....my suggestion would be to go for something like the Kenwood KDC-MP922 or the Kenwood Excelon KDC-X969.

check them both out here.

http://www.crutchfield.com/cgi-bin/S...=0&cc=01&avf=N

http://www.crutchfield.com/cgi-bin/S...=0&cc=01&avf=N

but....don't buy from crutchfield. they are overpriced. buy it from ebay....just find the ones that are "buy now" and "new". much better deal!

 

I bought all of my Kenwood equipment on eBay. Saved 50% over List. Did not have a problem with any sellers on eBay.
I went with the KDC-X959 for the HU. I paid less than $400 for it.
The sound is awesome!

I received the HU before getting the rest of the components. At first all I did was installed it with the factory speakers and it sounded great. So you don't have to purchase the amp and speakers to make it sound good if you don't want to.

Use the links in my signature to check out the HU and the other components.

 

Thanks for the tips. Can you tell me why you like these better than the X859? I will check out crutchfield in more detail, but at first glance I am not seeing the differences. One reason I liked the 859 is the stealth face plate so it looks like the face plate is gone even if I don't really remove it.

 

both of those flip around and have the "mask face" so when you turn it off you can't see it. i had the original one back in the day....but the gears got a little iffy and it started to slow down. they made the mechanics a lot better for the newer ones. but, the first one there has SRS WOW™ digital sound enhancements. just makes the music more clear from what i hear. it was just an opinion...i like the ones that have two faces rather than one face. i'm not exactly sure which is "better". merely an opinion of taste.

 

The X959 doesn't auto roll the faceplate. You can remove it and take it with you though.

I am not sure of all the differences. My reasoning was... I rip most of my music into mp3's and trade some with friends (obviously we send royalties to the Record Companies) that are wma. Also assumed that since the X959 was a little newer unit that I was getting later technology. I'd look at price and availability on eBay and go with my options there.

Happy shopping!

Also a big plus with me was with the X959 I was able to make my own graphics or movies and show them on my unit!
Here is what I have on it right now

 

i didn't mention the x959. i thought mask face were the ones where they flipped around and the fold down detachable ones don't flip around. i was in circuit city the other day and the x969 flipped backward when you shut it off (like my old one). unless i was drunk off my *** or tripping...it flipped backwards for me. haha.