# KDC-X993 review



## newlinux

Hello,


I've been on avsforum for a while, but mostly in the TV reception areas and the HTPC areas. I've been a car audio enthusiast longer than I've been into those, so I thought I would contribute here as well...


I recently had a Kenwood KDC-x993 installed (built in bluetooth, USB/iPod control, etc. etc.). It replaces my KDC-x979 from a few years back. here are my first impressions after a couple of days:


Pros:


1. Visually it is great. The display can have 4 or 5 lines of text which is great for a single DIN, and one of the reasons I purchased it. You can modify the colors of the left and right side of the unit independently from the readout, and you can even enter your own RGB values to create custom colors (1-10).


2. The bluetooth works well. My callers are able to hear me clearly. It automatically downloaded my phonebook. Pairing was easy, and is now automatic with my phone.


3. It works with my old SIR-KEN1 Sirius tuner. I contacted Kenwood and asked if it would work with SIR-KEN1 and they said it wouldn't and I would have to buy a new satellite tuner (SCC1 and kenwood adapter, KCA-SR50). Well, I told the installers to test it first, and it does work with the SIR-KEN1. The SIR-KEN1 isn't compatable with the "Best of XM" service however, according to Sirius.


4. It works with the Kenwood music Keg (phatbox). The installer thought it wouldn't work with this new deck, but I was pretty sure it would. My understanding of the Music Keg is that it uses the CD Changer interface and protocols, so if kenwood deck supports a CD changer it should support the kenwood music Keg. The installer supposedly tested it and told me it didn't work, and offered to remove it for me so I could sell it. I almost did it, but I'm glad I didn't. When I got in my car to test it it worked fine... Just had to switch to the CD changer src. Wonder what he was trying to do - look for a Src called Music Keg?


5. Sounds great. Good eqs, and a good set of audio settings, although not all that different from my x979.


Cons:


1. The voice recognition for the voice calling doesn't seem to work well with my voice, but I've found this common with many voice activated devices.


2. If you have a USB drive connected, no matter what mode (SAT, Tuner, Disc changer, etc.) you leave it on when you turn off the head unit, the next time you turn it on it starts with the USB drive as the source. Kind of annoying. When USB is not connected it starts on whatever source it was on when you turned it off. Couldn't find a setting to change this.


3. This deck doesn't have any ability to tilt the display. So glare can't really be adjusted for.


4. The USB interface only supports FAT16/32 (and ipods). Those are pretty slow filesystems once the size of the drives get bigger. I've seen a lot of complaints about the time it takes to read large USB drives on various systems. If you are using FAT32 this is probably the reason. It takes a long time (in computer terms) to read the FAT on larger drives. It would be nice if it supported NTFS (or even EXT3 or XFS - being as I prefer Linux).


Observations (a little pro and con in some cases)


1. Coming from a KDC-X979, the interface takes some getting used to. No longer have preset buttons or the soft menu at the bottom (I understand this compromise was most likely to have more lines available in the display). But basically almost everything is controlled by two knobs, and getting to various functions takes some getting used to (some things require turning knobs, some require pressing the knob in directions like a joystick, some require pressing the knob like a button, sometimes holding for 1 or 2 seconds for some funcitons). One great thing is that from basically any src with the turn of a knob you can get to any of 6 global favorites (presets) that can be radio/satellite stations and phone numbers to call.


2. The Ipod/USB drive interface is quite useful. I was told by the installer I would need separate power source for anything other than a flash drive because these suckers only supply 500Ma of current (most hard drives, especially 2.5" and 3.5" need more current than that). However, I figured a 1.8" hard drive wouldn't need that much power. I have an old 20GB 1.8" hard drive and case hanging around so I tried it, and it works fine. I think most 1.8" need only 450mA of current, so no need for an external power adapter. If you want large capacity hard drive storage and don't have a music Keg, I recommend 1.8" drives.


This has gotten long. I hope this information is useful to someone else considering this deck.


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## jheyerman

I got an x993 too, and also have a music keg. I think you must be using a switch (KCA-S220A or S210A) since you are running a sat tuner as well as the keg? I want to confirm as I published this thread:

http://forum.phathack.com/index.php/topic,2127.0.html 


and am curious if you are not using a switch? That might also be why your old sat tuner worked even though KW said it would not...


Thanks.

Jeff


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## newlinux

I don't think it is using a switch (can't be sure cause I didn't install it). The SIR-KEN1 has a passthrough for CD changers which I believe the Music Keg is using. I never paid for a switch, so I'm pretty sure.


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## newlinux

One other thing I have discovered with this unit - there appears to be no mute/attenuator function on the head unit (although you can do it with the remote).


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## Noubourne

I had my X993 installed yesterday. I did not have the optional Sat radio or HD radio items installed. One question I have is whether I would need an adapter to install HD radio on it - or if there are enough of the aux connectors already on the back of the unit.


I'm using a 32GB thumb drive with FAT32 and all my music folders organized by artist. With about 19GB of music on there, it seems pretty fast to me. It seems to take less than a second to load folder names for a search, it reacts immediately to folder selections and immediately displays the contents and begins playing very quickly when I push the button.


I am using the Patriot Xporter 32GB drive, which does rank fairly high in random read access times - it also was fairly inexpensive, at $70 for the 32GB. I strongly suspect random access and fast read times will play heavily into the performance of reading the file system for searches and then playing the files.


If you have access time issues - have you considered the thumb drive performance - as opposed to blaming the HU? While I definitely know far less about how Kenwood has implemented it's USB2.0, it's a very mature format and generally USB2.0 speed issues are due to the device performance more than the USB2.0 connection itself or the controller used.


The display is nice - I like the text options although it is not perfect for me - because I can't find the Artist-only text option - which I would prefer as opposed to the Album/Art option. I have enough room to put them each on their own line - but I can't seem to make it happen. I just got it yesterday - so I will keep working on it some more.


I had to turn the contrast all the way up to be able to read it in daylight. I am not a fan of the glossy front - but I suppose I should have sprung for an LCD touch interface if I thought that was a really big deal. When it's not in direct sunlight - it's really quite brilliant, and I like the color options. They're neat.


I get far better radio reception with this than I did my stock HU. Haven't mentioned it to the installers, so perhaps they did something to help me out.


I really like the audio control options. Being able to adjust speaker distances to provide decent balance in the vehicle is really outstanding. Access is fairly easy for most big items - like sub level and listening position adjustments. I set up the crossovers to my liking already. LOVE having these advanced features!!! SQ is very important to me.


I have not had a chance to adjust the PEQ yet - but I intend to take in a test CD and my SPL meter to do at least some rudimentary EQ - and I am very very excited at being able to do some EQ in my vehicle. I do get some harshness on the high end now, so I think this will help a lot.


I've got a pair of 10" JL subs in a powerwedge with a 300w amp in the trunk - and then some aftermarket Kenwood 6x9s and stock front 6" and tweets in my 2006 Corolla S. The sound seems very good - with nice midbass punch from my 6x9s and decent support on the low end from my subs. I look forward to replacing my stock front 6" and tweets with a good kit - I have my eye on a madisound kit with active crossover.


So far, I am really liking it. I now have ZERO CDs in my car - and every album I own is on my thumb drive. It's really a great feeling to get rid of CDs and not have to deal with skipping or scratching to look forward to. I wish the remote had a search button - because I really prefer to use the remote rather than reach over and use the knobs for finding and playing music. LOVE the remote. Not a huge fan of the push-click controls - it seems sloppy. I'm sure I will get used to it.


Aside from the aux question - is anyone using an iPod with this? Do you just bring the regular iPod USB-charge/sync cord along and plug it in? For road trips I have friends who have iPods and I wondered if that's all you need to do - or if I should be shopping for a USB/iPod adapter cable of some sort.


Thanks and I hope this helps!


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## newlinux

I don't have problems with the head unit USB, and I'm not sure where you got that I was blaming the headunit. Also, when I say large, I meant 100GB+, not 32GB. 32GB is probably okay for a FAT file system. The speed and access time problems will be due to the drive, not the head unit. USB 2.0 will not be the bottleneck for sure, but it will be the drive and the filesystem. The issues I brought that would be the cause of the head unit will be powering hard drives (not flash drives, as they don't require nearly as much current) and the fact that it only supports FAT16/FA32. As the drives get larger, FAT filesystems become really slow. Windows will only let you format 32GB or smaller partitions as FAT (you can do larger using other OSs with FAT). If it supported NTFS or another more robust filesystem, the filesystem speeds of larger drives wouldn't be as much of a bottleneck. This is independent of head unit.


I found that reversing (setting it to negative) the display helped a lot with daytime readability. It is nice to have the ability to switch it from negative to positive (or vice versa) when turning you headlights on.


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## Noubourne

I see what you mean about the file system now. Sorry if I misunderstood.


It does support iPods of all sizes - I suppose that would be something most people will use - although I don't like iTunes so I have stuck with Sansa players so far. Drag and drop is simple and far exceeds anything I have seen in iTunes. Just wish my friends would stop buying iPods and forcing me to learn it to teach them!


I did not know you could set the display to change with the lights. I will have to check that out. I also find that negative works better in the day.


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## newlinux

If you set it to Nega 2 (when lights are off it is negative, when lights are on it is positive) or PosI 2 (reversed), then it switches with the lights (actually it is interior lights, according to the manual, but since my interior lighting come on with my parking/headlights - its the same in my car).


I avoid Ipods too. Simple mass storage capable flash drives (and flash drives mp3s) and hard drives are good for me...


I have about 100GB worth of music, but between my 20GB music Keg and and 1.8" 20GB usb drive I have enough music







.


Hey, does your also always start off in USB mode when you leave it connected, regardless of what mode you left it in?


Yeah, the push click is a little difficult. I've gotten used to it, but I wish I had some of control features of my x979 back..


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## Noubourne

Actually I have it set to that now - I just hadn't noticed it! It does switch when I turn on my lights. Pretty cool. I wondered what those Neg/Pos 1/2 settings were for.


I have just started using the remote to control it. The click knob - even the rocking on it - just seems sloppy to me. My first guess would be that it is purposefully designed to be loose to try to provide differentiation between a push-click and a tilt-click - but it just comes off sloppy to me. The tilt seems fine. The push bugs me - just like it does on Xbox and PS3 controllers.


I am not sure if this is why - but I really think this unit sound better than any unit I've heard in cars before - not that I've heard a lot. I wonder if the crossover is part of it. I'm still just totally impressed each time I play a new song on it. I did the majority of my library from CD or FLAC to Insane MP3 codec - and I have yet to find an album that doesn't sound just fantastic. Well - except maybe some of my old school tunes like Bauhaus and Dead Kennedy albums that were bad to start with.


I remembered your comment and tested it if it remembers the source or not. When I leave it on Tuner - it starts back up on Tuner. Same for USB - in fact it starts back up playing the same song in exactly the same spot (and I would be upset if it didn't!). Have you contacted Kenwood support about it? I sent in a couple questions - they responded right away the next day - even on a Saturday when I wasn't expecting a response.


Good luck.


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## newlinux

I'll send them a message about the source issue. It works as I think it should (going back to the same source I ended with, so long as I don't have my USB drive plugged in. But if I have it plugged in, no matter what source I leave it on when I turn it off, it always starts with USB. Seems a little odd, and sounded like a malfunction since it doesn't work that way with other things.


Yeah, the push part of the button is the most problematic for me too. I'm with you on that.


For me the sound is pretty much just as good as it was with my previous deck. But my previous deck was a top of the line eXcelon too (although a few years old now), and many of the EQ and crossover controls are very similar. But both this deck and my other eXcelon are the best I've had in terms of sound quality by far...


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## Noubourne

Well - I'm coming from an Eclipse 5441 from like the 90s. I must say when I got that deck - it blew away every previous deck I had owned. Not really a comparison. I actually got it in response to a $400 Alpine unit getting ripped for the Eclipse security features - and it literally blew away the Alpine for sound for $100 less.


I was really wanting Eclipse again, but they make so few decks that I had a hard time finding one to my liking. All the ones I liked were out of my price range. When my local shop told me they had several car audio geeks using the Kenwood units and being satisfied with their pre-outs, I decided to gamble on the switch - and I'm very happy with it. I realize trusting a salesman can be a problem - but on the other hand it's a quality shop who stands behind their work.


Of course, now my car has component mids and tweets up front - which could mean a lot - but even the clarity from the rear 6x9s seems better. Anyway - new car, new head unit - everything but the speakers has changed, so it's not a surprise that there is a noticeable difference.


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## vestalsin

Im having a bit of a problem with the USB on the KDC-X993. I have a WD My Book hard drive that is powered from a power supply, I hooked up the USB to the USB plug on the radio and then got an extension cord and powered up the HDD. THe radio recoqnized it and I was able to play all my music, SO I then went to best buy and bought a WD My Book USB powered Hdd and hooked it up, the light comes on the shuts off and on the radio it says Over Load then after that it shows USB Error. So whats the problem, is the HDD getting too much power or is it not getting enough power? I didnt want to have to buy a power invertor for the car and have to use my bulky HDD....Please someone help! You can email me as well at [email protected]


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## newlinux




> Quote:
> Originally Posted by *vestalsin* /forum/post/16392567
> 
> 
> Im having a bit of a problem with the USB on the KDC-X993. I have a WD My Book hard drive that is powered from a power supply, I hooked up the USB to the USB plug on the radio and then got an extension cord and powered up the HDD. THe radio recoqnized it and I was able to play all my music, SO I then went to best buy and bought a WD My Book USB powered Hdd and hooked it up, the light comes on the shuts off and on the radio it says Over Load then after that it shows USB Error. So whats the problem, is the HDD getting too much power or is it not getting enough power? I didnt want to have to buy a power invertor for the car and have to use my bulky HDD....Please someone help! You can email me as well at [email protected]



This is probably the situation I described above. Pretty much only 1.8" hard drive and flash drives will work without external power.


That hard drive probably requires more current than is output from the head unit (is it a 3.5"?). It won't work consistently (or maybe even at all) with just power from the head unit. What you could do is buy a Y usb adapter and plug that into your hard drive so that your hard drive has 2 USB outs. Then get one of those car USB chargers that plug into your cigarette adapter. Then

plug one end of the Y adapter into the head unit, and the other into the usb car charger, and you should be good.


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## evident

thank you so much for this writeup. i've been desperately trying to find reviews online for this thing. i am stuck deciding between this unit and the pioneer deh-p710BT that just came out. The biggest difference between the two is that the kenwood has a 24bit DAC and the pioneer only has a 16bit one, theoretically giving kenwood the edge in SQ. however, kenwood doesn't have a true XM sat replacement, as the XM Direct 2 tuner is pretty lousy and the pioneer has their own XM tuner. I am also used to pioneer head units as well, so i am still going back and forth on which one to choose. otherwise, both head units offer mostly the same feature set.


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## diableri

Thanks for the opinions on the 993.


Like _evident_ above me, I am stuck trying to decide on whether the 993 is the Head for me. I HATE the knob interface and don't like the idea of the remote but this is the only HU that the only shop in town I trust uses for all the stuff I want. I'm basically trying to decide whether or not to risk the push/tilt/etc knob control being OK once I am used to it or springing for a much more expensive touch screen HU.


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## sdmfer

Im getting this installed in about an hour. This was an impulse buy for me today, but i figured screw it!!! I've been looking for a deck with all the features I wanted since january. The only thing is I was bouncing back and fourth between this one and the kenwood 742 BT. Oh well., hopefully i like this one.


Thanks to all above for the posts. This helped me in my decision.


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## adamjt

Anyone else having trouble with the sound quality on the receiving end of a phone call with this unit?

On my end it sounds great, but on the callers end I send like I'm in a tin can apparently. The same phone on a nissan bluetooth system sounds great.


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## sdmfer

My buddy says I sounded like I was on speaker phone nad cutting in/out a bit, Im wondering if a different MIC placement might be a solution? Either that or I wonder if its possible to upgrade the mic itself???


Looking for others feedback as well or maybe some special settings somewhere in this huge weird menu


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## newlinux

my callers hear me well - even on the freeway. my mic is right above my rear view mirror.


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## sdmfer

Hmmm, interesting. Thats good to know. I have mine mounted on the drivers side pillar, Im wondering if my voice is bouncing around a bit against the side window, windshield etc. Maybe I should move mine to the rear view mirror/sun visor area....


car is a 05 Jetta TDI


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## liquidgraph

The KDC-X993 seems like a really good choice from your explanation.

Te ability to have 5 lines of tect, and bluetooth, USB capabilities available, seems like a great choice.

I dont think that because it defaults to USB if connected when started is that annoying for me.

What matter most for me is the quality of sound and multi-functionality which seems to be greatly available in the KDC-X993 , thank you for your review.


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## sdmfer

Yah I screwed around with it a little more today with the sound settings for the ipod. I think i have this input really dialed in. Sounds really good. now i have to "dial in" the other inputs (ie. Aux, CD etc)


Anyways, here is a quick review that I posted on a VW site since I was asking aorund there for their thoughts. Here's what I had posted over there










Just sat in my car for about 45 min setting the thing up "somewhat". JESUS do aftermarket decks have a BILLION options nowadays. This thing has more setting than I know what to do with, anywhere from setting the distances I sit from each speaker, right down to acronyms I've never heard of before, Anyways, the sound seems pretty good so far (better than stock radio), but havent cranked it yet on the road. I have stock speakers with a 10", 10 yr old Pioneer sub.


So far...

pros:

- multi (and I mean MULTI) color display. I can even have the left knob blue, the right knob green, and the display red. Cool feature.

- iPhone syncs no problem.

- Thumbdrive 4GB filled works no problem

- Sirius radio through the rear AUX

- Each source remembers your sound settings (AUX, CD, radio, USB, etc)

- 2 year warranty, if anything breaks or stops working, its a straight replacement.


Cons:

- $hitty menu layouts. Hard to navigate menu system, but I have read this same complaint about most new receivers...I'm sure this is a set it and forget it type of deck though.

- only made one phone call through Bluetooth, my buddy said I sounded ok, but sounded like I was on speakerphone though. (note-I havent adjusted the mic gain and noise reduction settings yet)

- as everything, the manual is kinda crap, flipping pages back and fourth

- remote - feels good, but would have been nice to easily navigate the menus with the remote, not even sure if I can do this yet.


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## Jabbster

The following is from C'Fields Hands on Reasearch tab:

*USB Port:* The Kenwood KDC-X993 features a rear-panel 2.0 USB type-A port on a 38" pigtail. The USB port enables connection and control of a portable USB mass-storage class device with AAC (8-320 kbps), MP3 (8-320 kbps), and WMA (48-192 kbps) music files. The USB port is compatible with all USB mass storage class devices that support the FAT16 or FAT32 file system. Your USB device should only have a maximum of 8 directory levels, 255 folders, and 255 files per folder with a maximum of 65,025 files and folders. When your USB device is connected to this unit, it can be charged up provided that the KDC-X993 is powered on.


Has anybody reached a limit of files or folders on this unit when using USB drives?

I rip my stuff mostly at 256 kbps, and I have no idea how many files or folders I have. Just wondering if getting a USB drive larger than 32 MB would benefit the HU, or if it would exceed the HU's maximum file limit.


(I have this unit on order, unfortunately it's backordered!)

Thanks,


James


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## sdmfer

anyone what the mic gain and NR settings on the mic should be at? I still have people saying I sound kinda $hitty...


The range is from -2 -> +2 on both settings......is there any other setting i should be looking at to optimize the phone audio coming from me?


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## evident




> Quote:
> Originally Posted by *evident* /forum/post/16461397
> 
> 
> thank you so much for this writeup. i've been desperately trying to find reviews online for this thing. i am stuck deciding between this unit and the pioneer deh-p710BT that just came out. The biggest difference between the two is that the kenwood has a 24bit DAC and the pioneer only has a 16bit one, theoretically giving kenwood the edge in SQ. however, kenwood doesn't have a true XM sat replacement, as the XM Direct 2 tuner is pretty lousy and the pioneer has their own XM tuner. I am also used to pioneer head units as well, so i am still going back and forth on which one to choose. otherwise, both head units offer mostly the same feature set.



don't hesitate to pick up this head unit. it is simply amazing. time alignment built in makes a huge difference when you are looking for sound quality.


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## newlinux




> Quote:
> Originally Posted by *newlinux* /forum/post/0
> 
> 
> If you set it to Nega 2 (when lights are off it is negative, when lights are on it is positive) or PosI 2 (reversed), then it switches with the lights (actually it is interior lights, according to the manual, but since my interior lighting come on with my parking/headlights - its the same in my car).





> Quote:
> Originally Posted by *newlinux* /forum/post/16366805
> 
> 
> I'll send them a message about the source issue. It works as I think it should (going back to the same source I ended with, so long as I don't have my USB drive plugged in. But if I have it plugged in, no matter what source I leave it on when I turn it off, it always starts with USB. Seems a little odd, and sounded like a malfunction since it doesn't work that way with other things.
> 
> ....



I've sent my unit in for repairs/replacement. the starting on USB no matter what source I left it on was annoying (problem I mentioned earlier), but then the POSI2/NEGA2 switching stopped, so I didn't want to take any more chances and sent the unit in. I'm hurting without it... I love this unit.


Kenwood support was good. I sent them a message and the said I probably have a bad unit and told me to send it in. They responded quickly.


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## galret

Chihuahua Sounds in El Paso did a great job. They also installed the Sirius module and new 6 1/2" components up front and 10" sub in the back (visible, unfortunately). Used the HU's internal crossovers and external amps. The mic for the bluetooth went in the map reading light module near the rear view mirror, as the factory Bose system uses this module for the same purpose. HD radio module is on back-order.


Pros:

1. Great sound. DSP algorithm in the Kenwood KDC-X993 appears to be first-rate on this unit. The soundstage is well-defined and the sound comes through with little coloration. The sound from my IPOD is particularly impressive using the HU's electronics.

2. Ability to set speaker distance from main listening area and favor either the front driver, front passenger, or "front."

3. Lots and lots of settings to tailor sound, including 5-band equalizer, "Highway Sound," and "Supreme+" settings. These can be set for each source.

4. Five lines of text.

5. Unit downloaded my entire phonebook immediately after pairing the phone (took about 15 seconds). Synchronizes automatically every time I get in the car. The microphone is quite sensitive (set to default gain and no noise reduction) and people tell me the sound is "very good." The caller, on the other hand, doesn't sound as clear to me as the factory bluetooth in the Mercedes.


Cons:

1. Display is VERY hard to read, due to glare, in almost any sunlight situation. Tried switching from positive to negative display with same results. The face is too shiny and the display is too dim, even at maximum intensity. Kenwood really needs to address this. Maybe a firmware update??

2. The unit is not easy to operate while driving. I guess that's one advantage most OEM units have: they are designed for drivers, having large buttons that are intuitive to use. These after-market units, while offering much better sound, are too complicated to use while operating a vehicle. I am going to try using the remote as others have mentioned they do.

3. The Sirius sound is disappointing, though I don't believe the Kenwood unit is to blame. I've always known Sirius compresses their music, sometimes severely, but actually listening to it on a decent after-market system, when compared with a CD or even my IPOD, makes me wonder if I'll pay for another year's subscription. I wish Sirius would make sound quality a higher priority.


Hope this helps.


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## Noubourne

Bluetooth phone:


I finally bought a Satan phone and boy was setup a chore. I had to try about 30 times to get the bluetooth device registration/connection to take. Really seems like no reason for this - however - once it was set up, that is it. It connects automatically all the time now and I love it. I just need to go back to the manual and figure out how to ignore calls - because sometimes it answers them when I'd rather let it go to voicemail.


I originally messed with the Mic Gain and NR features - I think I turned the Mic Gain up and NR to +2 - and people told me it cut out a lot and sounded like I was underwater. One friend would hang up on me when he heard me on it - he refused to talk to me on it.


After tinkering a bit with these two settings, I was able to get it to a point where he can no longer tell that I'm on it - at least not right away. Now phone quality is acceptable - although I don't dare try to talk with the windows open, and it does help to have the A/C/blower off as well. I suspect this will vary by car based on the noise floor. A Corrolla is not exactly a silent ride...


I have hit the max folder limit. I have about 23GB of music on a 32GB thumb drive, and after adding some music at one point I noticed that some folders would not play or appear empty - turns out I had hit the limit. I consolidated my music into one folder per artist (no more album folders) and that solved it. Luckily I have all my tracks tagged properly so each album appears in order. Most of my stuff is ripped at 320kbps "Insane" setting using MediaCoder. It sounds really, REALLY good.


Still very happy with this unit overall. Great for the price to be sure!


There are two things I would like to see changed: First is the glossy curved glass front panel that makes it impossible to read on sunny days (and my car is tinted!). Second is that push-click control knob. As stated previously - I always just use the remote. Picking up the remote is as much work as leaning over to muck about with the knob in my book.


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## sdmfer




> Quote:
> Originally Posted by *Noubourne* /forum/post/17061138
> 
> 
> Bluetooth phone:
> 
> 
> I originally messed with the Mic Gain and NR features - I think I turned the Mic Gain up and NR to +2 - and people told me it cut out a lot and sounded like I was underwater. One friend would hang up on me when he heard me on it - he refused to talk to me on it.
> 
> 
> After tinkering a bit with these two settings, I was able to get it to a point where he can no longer tell that I'm on it - at least not right away. Now phone quality is acceptable - although I don't dare try to talk with the windows open, and it does help to have the A/C/blower off as well. I suspect this will vary by car based on the noise floor. A Corrolla is not exactly a silent ride...



hey there, just wondering what settings you now use for the mic gain and NR ? I cant get mine to sound good on the other end. Some people dont want to talk to me while Im on it....


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## sbb_f1234

the microphone ok ? maybe you can change it ..


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## sbb_f1234

quick reply is comforting how do they deal with the issue ? need to send back .?


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## newlinux




> Quote:
> Originally Posted by *sbb_f1234* /forum/post/17195873
> 
> 
> quick reply is comforting how do they deal with the issue ? need to send back .?



Ask me a couple of questions, ran through a couple tests, decided unit was defective and sent it in for repairs/replacement. It will have been 4 weeks since I sent it in tomorrow. I had the store I purchased it from send it in, so I did not have to pay shipping. I was told it would take 4-6 weeks.


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## sbb_f1234

thought it take long ,but if you can get it repaired free ,i think it is not bad.


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## sbb_f1234

maybe they are using air mail or something slower..


----------



## newlinux

Seems long to me too. I hope it is ready soon. I really miss having that stereo in there and I sold my old excelon. So I have this old pioneer in there, and I don't even have it connected up to my sub and it can't control much, so really all I get is a few radio stations and the ability to play CDs, which I haven't bought in years (I only buy music digitally, and then use the USB or music keg to play music).


----------



## Cornflakeguy

I have been searching for some updated patch from Kenwood, or an answer as to how to do this because I can not figure out WHY they would do this on purpose.


When going through the iPod menus with the remote you can not CHOOSE things. You have to press in that stupid button on the head unit to choose a selection to move forward.


So lets say I plug in the ipod and want to go to my "Jams" playlist.


I plug in the ipod, it's starts playing from whenever. I have to hit Search on the HU, turn the knob to scroll to PLAYLISTS, press the button IN, then scroll to JAMS, then press button IN to choose that playlist.


I have not been able to find a way to do this with the remote only. Even if I'm sitting still its HARD to press that stupid button in straight, 9 x's out of 10 I drift to the left or the right and have to scroll to get back to my selection.


This IMHO makes the remote worthless. Navigating thru the iPod menus is the hardest thing to do on this HU and it could be much easier with just using the remote.


Anyone else experience this?


----------



## sdmfer

Hmm, interesting. I'll try today and let you know about the selecting with the remote issues.


I like this deck overall. Originally I was 100% dead set on getting the pioneer 7100, but wasnt able to as it was only available in the US. Turns out my friend got the pioneer recently and I had a chance to mess around with it. I'm glad i ended up with the kenwood. Better display and the Kenwood believe it or not actually seems more user friendly...lol. With the pioneer i was like WTF when trying to adjust something for him.


There's still a lot of stuff I have no clue on how to do with the 993....I wish there was more instructions somewhere. Ie. how to make a phone call through the head unit...lol.


----------



## newlinux

I wish the head unit had a mute/attenuate button, and that the favorites could hold more then 6. I have a couple of extra phone numbers I'd like to be available from the favorites menu. But overall, I really like this unit.


----------



## sdmfer

it does have a mute button. on the remote and (i think) on the head if you push in the right dial when a tune is playing.


----------



## sdmfer

man just downloaded the manual from Kenwood. What a piece of garbage this manual is. It doesnt tell you how to do ANYTHING.


If you guys agree i say we start sharing questions/answers here on how to perform various functions. ie. Set up deck to make a hands free call....or how to set up the voice recognize thing.


----------



## newlinux




> Quote:
> Originally Posted by *sdmfer* /forum/post/17460699
> 
> 
> it does have a mute button. on the remote and (i think) on the head if you push in the right dial when a tune is playing.



Yeah, I know there is one on the remote. On the head unit, I'm pretty sure what you just described is the pause button, not a mute/attenuator.


----------



## newlinux




> Quote:
> Originally Posted by *sdmfer* /forum/post/17460763
> 
> 
> man just downloaded the manual from Kenwood. What a piece of garbage this manual is. It doesnt tell you how to do ANYTHING.
> 
> 
> If you guys agree i say we start sharing questions/answers here on how to perform various functions. ie. Set up deck to make a hands free call....or how to set up the voice recognize thing.



I've got voice dialing and hands free calls setup. Might be my voice, but the voice dialing pretty inaccurate for me, so I don't use it. The manual was good for me in setting all that up. What do you want to know with setting up the hands free stuff?


----------



## Lachlan

I've had my eye on this unit for some time, just waiting for the price to drop. Quite a few are showing up on e*bay now under the $200 mark. Someone supposedly in Prague seems to be auctioning off a couple of them, but he has no feedback and very little time as a seller. I think I'll stick with a US vendor.


----------



## sdmfer




> Quote:
> Originally Posted by *newlinux* /forum/post/17460811
> 
> 
> I've got voice dialing and hands free calls setup. Might be my voice, but the voice dialing pretty inaccurate for me, so I don't use it. The manual was good for me in setting all that up. What do you want to know with setting up the hands free stuff?



damn, i thought I was subscribed to this thread....oh well i am now.


Anyways, Im using the Iphone 3G, and for the life of me cant figure out how to use voice dialing....you would think I just push the phone button on the head unit, then say Call home, or phone home etc. But no workie.


Any ideas? What phone are you using?


----------



## newlinux




> Quote:
> Originally Posted by *sdmfer* /forum/post/17528248
> 
> 
> damn, i thought I was subscribed to this thread....oh well i am now.
> 
> 
> Anyways, Im using the Iphone 3G, and for the life of me cant figure out how to use voice dialing....you would think I just push the phone button on the head unit, then say Call home, or phone home etc. But no workie.
> 
> 
> Any ideas? What phone are you using?



I've got a cheap old motorola v365 flip phone.


AFAIK it doesn't use the voice dialing already on the phone - you have to go into the phonebook after it is loaded on the head unit and setup new voice tags (for individual numbers you can do categories too). You get there through the BT->Voice Tag menu item (in the function menu). You make calls with BT-Voice Recognize... Say the name you setup, then it brings up the phone book entry, and then you STILL have to press the control knob for 1 second to make the call. Another reason I don't use the voice dialing. I just set up the numbers I call most frequently in my favorites - wish it had more global favorites than 6.


----------



## sdmfer

hmph, thats retarded. Its actually harder to use the voice dialing, then to actually dial the phone. Also more dangerous. .lol.


Jesus, with the iphone laying on the passenger seat, 2 button presses and I have the number dialed.


----------



## dnfm

A google search turned up this thread looking for more info on the deck, so I thought I'd chime in with my $0.02.


My main reason for purchasing the x993 was mainly because it was the only deck on the market that had the specific features I wanted: RDS, Red face (or something that could be made red), bluetooth and mp3 playback.


Overall, I like the deck. Some minor issues I have with it that I hope will be fixed in future firmwares, but here's my review:


Pros:

- The face colour change option is pretty sweet.

- 5 lines of text == nice.

- RDS works quite nicely.

- The ability to set it up to change from reverse with the car's dim/lighting is awesome since I can have it be in reverse during the day so it's readable, and not reverse at night so it looks better.

- Sounds great

- Making/receiving phone calls via Bluetooth works nicely.


Cons:

- The controls feel clunky.

- It's not just your voice, the voice recognition for voice dialing is a complete and utter writeoff.

- The inability to randomise an entire USB device that *isn't* an iPod is an epic fail.

- The deck's insistence on flashing other ugly colours when any event happens -- HF connect, HF disconnect, phone calls, etc.

- When my HF goes out of range, the deck flashes 'HF Disconnect'.. relentlessly. There appears to be no way to make this go away. And it won't reconnect to the phone should the phone come back -- this I don't know if it's the deck's fault or the phones, but I believe it's the deck since I'm pretty sure it didn't do that on my last deck.

- When I get an SMS, the deck flashes, "SMS RECEIVED" (again, in an ugly colour). This message will never go away. Unless you do something on the deck. But there's no button (that I can find) that will make the text go away that won't affect something else. I can turn the volume knob, but then the volume will change. Smack a button, it will to into a menu, etc. Traditional UI design would suggest the first event when something is flashing will dismiss the flashing and do nothing else.

- Sometimes, when I get in the car and turn it on, the deck will turn on, link up with my phone, and start flashing "SMS RECEIVED" even if there isn't an SMS waiting at all.


The issue you have with it going back to USB regardless of where you left it mine doesn't appear to have. It does what it's supposed to.


So .. there's my $.02


----------



## headshot

I have to post my thoughts on Kenwood & Alpine here, as I've had experiences with both over the past decade+.


Last year I got a new car ('08 Liberty) and sold my Xterra which had been fitted with all Kenwood except a Kicker 5-channel amp (40wx4 + 100w). The day that was installed was magnificent! Crystal clear for average speakers (Excellon) and the Keg under the seat was a Godsend, even though I had to use 3rd party software to sync iTunes playlists from my Mac, it worked great.


On to the Liberty:

I got the Limited which came with a BS 'Premium' audio setup, what a joke. The Satellite's bit-rate was a disapointment too. But I knew I was gonna outfit this better than the X. I also realized I hurt my speakers in the past with such low wattage, and pushing it fried them over time. So I set out to piece together what I thought was going to be a super system, not the best but upgradable if need-be.


Alpine 505 DVD

Diamond Hex 6.5 comps for both front & rear

Kicker 4 channel 185w

Kicker 500w mono paired with a Bravox 12" box in back

FatMat insulation


Somewhere in here is a very very weak link. The sound is undynamic, flat, nothing that shimmered with clarity like the Kenwood's I've had in the past!! Quite a bunch of coin I dropped for something that absolutely is unimpressive. So now I have to figure out which component here is not performing like my systems of past...


I almost hope it's the head unit. I know Alpine is supposed to be just as good SQ as Kenwood if not better...I have been thinking that this is a unit that was really geared more for bells & whistles and A/V rather than SQ. The pre-outs were only like 2.4v but jumped to 4v with the addition of the Imprint sound calibrator. I paid $1200 for that thing and am almost ready to try a $220 Kenwood X993 discussed here to throw in just to see if that's the culprit.


I can't imagine it's the Kickers fault because the Kickers I've had in the past have been very nice sounding. How can the SQ become worse over the course of 10 years?


Finally, the speakers: The silk tweeter installed in the pillars and rear doors are decent, tenor sax sounds incredible. These are far more subdued sounding high-end than I recall the Kenwoods being in the Xterra. This would be the hardest component to replace in cost and time. The panels are a real ***** to get back on, and soldering etc...

I thought the fatmat insulation would improve the sound, but even still I have some rattling coming out of both the tweets and the mids...


Can anyone shed some light on the differences between the Alpine unit mentioned and the X993? The interface & GUI on the Alpine is so lame for something that's a year old, it's really very archaic compared to the fluid response of an iPod. Even though the iPod interface connects, there are so many features that they forgot, like folder #, track#, you can't see the end of the titles if they're long etc...


Are the iPod connectors in these units the same digital purity as a CD in the deck?


Thanks for your input in advance!


----------



## sdmfer




> Quote:
> Originally Posted by *dnfm* /forum/post/17571931
> 
> 
> - When I get an SMS, the deck flashes, "SMS RECEIVED" (again, in an ugly colour). This message will never go away. Unless you do something on the deck. But there's no button (that I can find) that will make the text go away that won't affect something else. I can turn the volume knob, but then the volume will change. Smack a button, it will to into a menu, etc. Traditional UI design would suggest the first event when something is flashing will dismiss the flashing and do nothing else.



One thing I do when the headunit starts flashing like crazy is just to flip down/open the face then close it again. stupid idea but works. Then if you want to resynch the phone without turning the car off/on again, go into standby, then down to phone/device selection and select/mark the phone with a "-" beside it. It should then reconnect.


----------



## Noubourne

I have run into the HF Disconnect thing a couple times. Turning the car on/off works - and since I had to get out of the car to make it disconnect - it's not much of an issue for me - just turn the car off and back on and I'm back in business.


I don't use voice dialing on the stereo - I dial from my 3GS. I don't have to look down that way - until the 3GS gets voice recognition wrong, which is a good 70% of the time. Anyway - far easier to dial from the phone, which I do rarely anyway.


As for iPhone/iPod navigation with the remote - I also figured out you have to push that button on the head unit to pick a selection. It SUCKS - because I use the remote to avoid the down-press. Definitely the worst interface control ever.


Luckily, I almost always use a USB stick for music - frees my phone up for all the other crap it is capable of anyway - and I don't like burning the battery up for nonsense, since battery life is so precious. Also, I have far higher bitrates (320 variable) on my USB stick, so I far prefer to use that.


I have decided to put together another USB stick with different music on it to handle the music variability issue. Mine is all organized by Artist and Album - I guess I'm an album purist - since that's how I prefer to listen.


However - IIRC you can shuffle any lowest-level FOLDER with USB. I'm pretty sure I could shuffle an album (my lowest level folder). So you could put together folders with one type of music and shuffle that. You could put multiple folders on a USB stick - and get multiple sticks if necessary. Not as convenient as shuffling other ways - but again - for me this is a non-issue since I like listening to the albums the way the artists put them together.


Music over A2DP sucks major - don't use it. Horrific artifacts on the high end, and compression and distortion on the low end too. Thought I could stream Pandora to my stereo - useless.


I slowly became aware of some missing highs on my USB music comparing it to my home sound system. I noticed it mostly in cymbals. I finally discovered that the DSP on the Kenwood was stomping all over my fairly high-quality USB source (FLAC to 320kbps variable). Once I turned off the DSP on the Kenwood, the cymbal crashes REALLY opened up a lot, and to my ears the clarity improved greatly. Maybe it works well for hacked up low bitrate audio off an iPod/iPhone source, but for me I have it disabled and probably won't turn it on again.


----------



## sdmfer

Thats weird. I notice no sound quality degradation when streaming via bluetooth from iphone. I rarely use it because I prefer to have the track info on the headunit.


----------



## Noubourne




> Quote:
> Originally Posted by *sdmfer* /forum/post/17738835
> 
> 
> Thats weird. I notice no sound quality degradation when streaming via bluetooth from iphone. I rarely use it because I prefer to have the track info on the headunit.



Maybe there is something wrong with my phone then? I wanted to jam something sharp in my ear after about 1 minute. At first I couldn't tell - but then I noticed it and couldn't get it out of my head. Of course, I can tell that there is a difference even when the iPhone is plugged in, because of the low bitrate (192) I use on the phone to preserve space. For crappy in-ear headphones, it's basically undetectable - but the Kenwood is more revealing of flaws (and rightly so!).


I tested it carefully - I can definitely hear further degradation over bluetooth in my vehicle. I even tried putting the phone on the dash - right up next to the receiver - anything to fix it - nothing worked.


----------



## sdmfer




> Quote:
> Originally Posted by *Noubourne* /forum/post/17739802
> 
> 
> Maybe there is something wrong with my phone then? I wanted to jam something sharp in my ear after about 1 minute. At first I couldn't tell - but then I noticed it and couldn't get it out of my head. Of course, I can tell that there is a difference even when the iPhone is plugged in, because of the low bitrate (192) I use on the phone to preserve space. For crappy in-ear headphones, it's basically undetectable - but the Kenwood is more revealing of flaws (and rightly so!).
> 
> 
> I tested it carefully - I can definitely hear further degradation over bluetooth in my vehicle. I even tried putting the phone on the dash - right up next to the receiver - anything to fix it - nothing worked.



Hey dude, keep in mind this: check your EQ settings on your iphone (setting->Ipod->eq...etc). I found that you CAN'T use the ipod eq on iphone when connected to the kenwood via usb cable but you CAN use the eq on the phone when streaming. Maybe (just maybe) you have an EQ preset selected and it only sounds $hitty going through the kenwood....know what I mean? Let me know the results.


----------



## Noubourne




> Quote:
> Originally Posted by *sdmfer* /forum/post/17741682
> 
> 
> Hey dude, keep in mind this: check your EQ settings on your iphone (setting->Ipod->eq...etc). I found that you CAN'T use the ipod eq on iphone when connected to the kenwood via usb cable but you CAN use the eq on the phone when streaming. Maybe (just maybe) you have an EQ preset selected and it only sounds $hitty going through the kenwood....know what I mean? Let me know the results.



Nope. I tested again and found a "HD" or high quality audio streaming setting on the phone and turned it on.


That did not change the garbled high frequency sounds. Cymbals are garbled. Even the snare drums sound wacky. Definitely noticeable.


Don't think it's my phone. Just think it's A2DP. At least until I hear it working correctly anywhere else...


Till then it's easy enough to hook up my phone via USB and listen to what's on it that way if necessary. I have listened off it a few times to recharge it. The issue there is that it's hard to control since the iPod thinks it's plugged in - and the stereo tells me to control it on the phone...


----------



## revsone

Ok, I know this is an old thread, but I recently installed the unit and I love everything, except the bluetooth. My phone connected, phonebook downloaded fine, music on my phone played no problem, can't use it to talk at all. I figured I need to update the firmware but it seems I have to update it using bluetooth, how in the world do you do that?! I guess I need a laptop with BT , but I'm not that privileged, is there a way to update via usb? One of the main reasons I got the unit was for the BT, have no clue what to do! Any ideas?


----------



## Noubourne




> Quote:
> Originally Posted by *revsone* /forum/post/18239622
> 
> 
> Ok, I know this is an old thread, but I recently installed the unit and I love everything, except the bluetooth. My phone connected, phonebook downloaded fine, music on my phone played no problem, can't use it to talk at all. I figured I need to update the firmware but it seems I have to update it using bluetooth, how in the world do you do that?! I guess I need a laptop with BT , but I'm not that privileged, is there a way to update via usb? One of the main reasons I got the unit was for the BT, have no clue what to do! Any ideas?



Where did you mount the mic?


----------



## sdmfer

1 - Im pretty sure you can update via USB thumbdrive. But that being said, is there even an update for it?


2 - yah check the mic placement. Can you hear the other person talking through your speakers? can you provide more detail on the symptoms....what works and doesnt with BT?


----------



## Noubourne




> Quote:
> Originally Posted by *Noubourne* /forum/post/17856402
> 
> 
> Nope. I tested again and found a "HD" or high quality audio streaming setting on the phone and turned it on.
> 
> 
> That did not change the garbled high frequency sounds. Cymbals are garbled. Even the snare drums sound wacky. Definitely noticeable.
> 
> 
> Don't think it's my phone. Just think it's A2DP. At least until I hear it working correctly anywhere else...
> 
> 
> Till then it's easy enough to hook up my phone via USB and listen to what's on it that way if necessary. I have listened off it a few times to recharge it. The issue there is that it's hard to control since the iPod thinks it's plugged in - and the stereo tells me to control it on the phone...



As another followup on my X993:


Recently I took my car in to replace the stock front speakers. The high end was just missing compared to my home, and so I wanted to upgrade the fronts - the stock ones just sounded soft and rolled off to me.


I decided on some Hertz DSK165 components. They were well recommended, sounded great in the store, and were high sensitivity so I was likely to be able to get away running them off the 993. I also had a Dynamat kit installed in the front doors.


The difference is night and day. The dampening made a noticeable difference, but really it's the speakers that have done the job. WOW. Just wow. I used to think only certain albums were "good" for cymbal crashes to hear where the old speakers were not quite up to snuff. Now, almost every album I have listened to has sounded crisp and crystal clear. The cymbals sound much more like real cymbals.


I definitely want to emphasize how important it is to turn off DSP on the KDC X993. When I first sat in the car after the shop had worked on it, I noticed a big difference. I settled in and started to test out material I had been checking for lack of that crisp high end.


After about 10 minutes, I realized there was a significant hiss in spots that were previously near-silent on almost all albums. Some albums I have noticed in the past to have a different noise floor - I have a couple live albums with a noticeable hiss - but I did not notice it across every album! I wondered if the higher sensitivity and somewhat quieter cabin was making this noticeable?


Then I started to notice a harsh, garbled sibilance on S and T in Radiohead and on cymbal crashes. I hopped between a few other albums and I could hear it in almost every song. The speakers were starting to tear apart my ears and I couldn't turn it up as loud as before because of the wicked harshness!! I wondered if I was going to have to spend another $500 to get rid of this crap!!!!!


Then I realized where I had heard those artifacts before. I checked the settings - and sure enough - that DSP setting had been turned back on. The moment I disabled it, the hiss disappeared (or at least dropped to its previous near-unnoticeable level) and the cymbals started to sound round and shimmery - without the prickly pinny harshness that was scraping my eardrums before. Just like that - BLISS.


THESE ARE AWESOME SPEAKERS. I am really totally satisfied with the huge leap in performance. Again: Night and day!! I know you can get much better - but at this price point - I would not hesitiate to recommend them for anyone on a budget who is not looking to run a separate amp. They perform spectacularly well on the 12-17w that this deck puts out.


In summary:

Hertz DSK165 - great entry level speakers, even without a separate amp.

Kenwood KDC-X993 - great entry-level head unit - AS LONG AS DSP IS TURNED OFF!!!


----------



## sdmfer

hey by turning DSP off, you mean "bypass"? I just tried this and it sounds like absolute compressed Shiet.


----------



## Noubourne




> Quote:
> Originally Posted by *sdmfer* /forum/post/18398123
> 
> 
> hey by turning DSP off, you mean "bypass"? I just tried this and it sounds like absolute compressed Shiet.



Exactly.


Perhaps this is an issue with your source? That's the only way I could believe that adding this layer of processing - which clearly adds a hiss to everything and mangles the high-end frequencies - would provide a benefit.


My media is all either CD (only a few) or 320kbps VBR insane quality rip from FLAC. It sounds outstanding - indistinguishable from CD for me.


----------



## Noubourne

On the DSP: I have narrowed the issue down to the Supreme + feature.


The hiss is always present when DSP is enabled. It's only really noticeable on very quiet songs.


The distortion is a feature called Supreme+ intended to "restore" high frequency sounds to poorly encoded mp3s.


So there you have it. I am actually getting even better sound now with DSP - due to the crossover controls.


----------



## sdmfer

Hmm Interesting. Maybe I should look at upgrading my stock speakers....what kind of car do you have this in?


----------



## Noubourne




> Quote:
> Originally Posted by *sdmfer* /forum/post/18401168
> 
> 
> Hmm Interesting. Maybe I should look at upgrading my stock speakers....what kind of car do you have this in?



Just a Corolla. It has fairly decent tweeter placement.


----------



## Noubourne




> Quote:
> Originally Posted by *Noubourne* /forum/post/17856402
> 
> 
> Nope. I tested again and found a "HD" or high quality audio streaming setting on the phone and turned it on.
> 
> 
> That did not change the garbled high frequency sounds. Cymbals are garbled. Even the snare drums sound wacky. Definitely noticeable.
> 
> 
> Don't think it's my phone. Just think it's A2DP. At least until I hear it working correctly anywhere else...
> 
> 
> Till then it's easy enough to hook up my phone via USB and listen to what's on it that way if necessary. I have listened off it a few times to recharge it. The issue there is that it's hard to control since the iPod thinks it's plugged in - and the stereo tells me to control it on the phone...



I now have a Droid Incredible. The A2DP streaming remains unlistenable for me. As previously stated, even with high-bitrate mp3s on my device, the cymbals are garbled and there is a wavy-ness to the sound - almost like it is going in and out a little. It's subtle but once I notice it, I can't continue listening.


Another thing I have noticed: Pandora is significantly worse than streamed on-board mp3s.


My conclusion after testing both the iPhone 3GS and Android Incredible: Either A2DP is not ready for high-quality audio streaming, or the Kenwood falls down hard on their implementation.


One plus I will give to the Incredible: Voice detection is 100x better than it was on my iPhone, and the HTC Car Nav app is killer for dialing from the phone in the car - you get huge buttons on the screen that you can easily read/identify without much more distraction than changing the song on your stereo.


----------



## newlinux

streaming via A2DP from my motorola droid can be best be described as okay. It didn't sound bad, but wasn't anywhere near the quality of songs on the hard drive. I don't use it much.


----------



## easteuropean

So I bought the Kenwood X993 this last Xmas as a gift for myself, I was using the iphone 3g to stream music without having to connect it to the USB. Well I switched to the new iphone 4 and it "skips" or cuts out like crazy while trying to stream. Phone calls are a little spotty now too, people say they can't hear me or there will be a strange echo on the other end. So I am looking for some troubleshooting tips. The place I bought the deck from is great and updated the bluetooth Firm Ware for me. But I have the following problems:


1 The Bluetooth streaming cuts out. Sometimes it seems like it is when I am accelerating or braking and maybe the car is overloaded but it only does it on Bluetooth. It doesn't cut out on CD's USB or Radio. I realize that it might be the phone being as my previous iphone only had trouble on occasion.


2 I would like to use the USB all the time but I absolutely HATE the fact that the moment you plug the phone in, it starts playing the first song on the iphone alphabetically. I have heard the intro to that song sooo many times now that I hate the song. I would just take the song off of there but then I will just hate the intro to whatever song is next in line. Is there a setting that allows you to turn off the autoplay?


The stereo is great in a lot of ways but the user interface sucks. It is completely UNintuitive in the design. I can't navigate to find anything on the menus because as it turns out the menus change depending on the source you are on. However it is on par with all other decks in that way.


So can anybody answer those two major issues of: 1 It skips/cuts out while streaming from iphone 4, and 2 I would like to turn off the AUTOPLAY feature when plugging in anything to the USB.


----------



## jvc

How is the radio reception? I liked Kenwood sound, but the last one I had had horrible recepion. Once I sold it and put the stock back in, I was once again able to get stations that I got with stock and a Sony or JVC. Since chocies are rough these days, I looked at Kenwood and JVC...


----------



## mntmst




> Quote:
> Originally Posted by *jvc* /forum/post/18958501
> 
> 
> How is the radio reception? I liked Kenwood sound, but the last one I had had horrible recepion. Once I sold it and put the stock back in, I was once again able to get stations that I got with stock and a Sony or JVC. Since chocies are rough these days, I looked at Kenwood and JVC...



The signal issues are mainly caused by the lack of power to the internal car antenna amp that's powered from the OEM radio but a lot of installers don't run the correct antenna power wire from the new radio causing crappy reception. The RF section in most aftermarket radios (Kenwoods too, they really know what they are doing just ask any ham radio operator) are better than most OEM units.


----------



## scifan

I believe the X993 is basically the same family as the X994...


Are you guys running 3.11 bluetooth firmware or 3.12?


I have a X994 and have significant issues getting my HTC Hero to sync up consistently... (if I downgrade to a 1.5 rom, it seems to work fairly well for phone calls, but not for A2dp...) I had Streaming Audio working (kind of) under 2.1... and the 2.2 "build" seems to work fairly well, but has other issues...


I'm getting a cable to flash 3.12, but wondered if anyone has tested with 3.12?


----------



## nascarpluto2002

I am having issues with the favorite - no memory set up feature.

I want to delete all the favorites that were in this radio prior to me purchasing the vehicle it happen to come with.

Could anyone tell me how to delete the favorites in the audio set up feature?

I can't even manually turn the radio stations because of the favorites.


Please help...


----------



## RC300

A bit of context:

In my Audi car, I have a MP3 USB/SDcard additional module that plugs into the CD changer plug of the OEM navigation unit and emulates the CD changer behaviour (6 CDs = 6 MP3 directories on the USB stick). This module has bluetooth capabilities too (A2DP and HFP/HSP profiles).

The behaviour is following:each time my Iphone 4G emits a sound alert over bluetooth, the music is cut, the alert is broadcasted and then, the music comes back normally. Such behaviour is very comfortable for speed cameras alerts as everything is done transparently and the alert is broadcasted in the car speakers, you cannot miss it.

Btw, I dunno which profile is used to achieve that. I suppose it's A2DP as the sound quality is great and similar to when I stream music from the iPhone:

1) reading mp3 from USB stick

2) pressing play button on the Iphone or a remote button on the module

3) the module switches automatically to A2DP streaming mode

4) the iPhone music is played into the speakers

==> only one press to achieve all of this



Now, what's the behaviour of the kenwood headunits having bluetooth ?

Particularly the KIV BT901 family (HFP/HSP, no A2DP) and KDC BT61U family (HFP/HSP, A2DP and more).

I'm pretty sure they use the same base for bluetooth than the past KDC X993.

Imagine my iPhone and the kenwood are already paired, and I'm listening FM radio or mp3 on USB stick. What would occur if my iPhone emits a sound alert ? Will the kenwood unit switch off the current source to broadcast the alert and hten go back to the original source ?

Or should I use a trick with auto-answering mode set to 0 ? (if the alert is emitted using HFP profile).


Btw, what is the headunit behavior if listening to the FM radio and pressing playback button on the iPhone (both are already paired of course), does the unit switch to Iphone/iPod source directly ?


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