Kenwood Excelon KDC-X494 In-Dash CD/MP3/WMA/iPod Receiver with USB/Aux Input

Kenwood Excelon KDC-X494 In-Dash CD/MP3/WMA/iPod Receiver with USB/Aux Input Review

Kenwood Excelon KDC-X494 In-Dash CD/MP3/WMA/iPod Receiver with USB/Aux Input Feature

• AM/FM radio, CD, CD-R/RW, MP3/WMA, USB, iPod, HD/SAT radio-ready, Bluetooth-ready receiver
• 4 x 50 Watts maximum power; three 4V RCA preamp outputs with crossover system
• Full Dot FL display selectable between two-line or large single-line text
• Includes auxiliary input and USB port, direct iPod control; add HD/SAT radio, Bluetooth
• One-year limited warranty

Kenwoods KDC-X494 is a great solution for those who want an iPod-enabled CD receiver with room to grow. With direct control of iPod devices, WMA/MP3 playback from CDs or USB devices, convenient front-panel illuminated USB port/auxiliary input, and a 50W x4 MOSFET amplifier, it's a powerful device. Add three preamp outputsfor system building and the ability to add SAT/HD radio, Bluetooth, or a CD changer, and you have a receiver that'll keep you immersed in sound for years.

Removable Faceplate
The faceplate of this model can be removed and taken with you, to help deter theft.

Select between two lines of regular-size text or one line of large-size text.

The grip control knob is similar to that of an iPod, making operation familiar for iPod owners.

Illuminated front-panel USB and auxiliary input with sliding cover.

Includes remote control.

Text Display Options
You can select between two lines of regular-size text or one line of large-size text. This helps you make music searching easier and faster, or make reading of the display easier.

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.

Front-Panel USB Port
Plug in a thumb drive or other USB storage device for playback of your favorite MP3/WMA files, with easy folder navigation. The port will also charge portable devices, and offers control of some music phones via the receiver.

Direct iPod Control
The eXcelon series is as iPod-friendly as it gets. Enjoy direct control of your device, along with great features such as:

• Advanced Control Wheel and High-speed Search Bar Key
  The grip control knob is similar to that of an iPod, making operation familiar for iPod owners. What�s more, the high-speed search bar key allows users to scroll up or down through music files. In addition the search function works for iPods, USB mass storage and Data CDs.
  
  
• My Playlist
  My Playlist allows you to create a playlist of up to ten songs from an iPod connected to an eXcelon receiver. The playlist is created by using the unique ID allocated for each song stored on an iPod.
  
  
• Search Functions
  Simply press the Direct Search key and enter the Search Mode to enable searching just by entering the first three letters of the playlist, artist, album, song, podcast, genre or composer and using the up/down key to get a list of songs. It is also possible to search using Alphabet Search, Skip Search and Related Search functions.

Front Auxiliary Input
Listen to external audio devices like MP3 players using the front auxiliary input. The USB port and Aux input are both illuminated, and kept safe from dust when not in use with a sliding cover.

FM/AM Tuner
When you feel like letting someone else control the programming, switch to the radio. Store your favorite stations as presets for instant access--mixed preset tuning allows both FM and AM stations to be preset on the same preset band.

Serious Room To Grow
The KDC-X494 is ready for you to add Kenwood components for SAT/HD radio, Bluetooth, or a CD changer.

It's also ready for system building. While the built-in 50W x 4 MOSFET amp is plenty powerful, it also features three 4V preamp outputs (front, rear, subwoofer) for adding external amps and speakers. It includes a rear/subwoofer switch with a subwoofer level and adjustable low pass filter, so you can send just what you need for your system.

System E's+ Crossover System
A single IC that allows the user to select from 8 different high-pass filter crossover frequencies plus pass-through, with independent selection for front and rear outputs. This makes it easy to optimize the performance of all amps and speakers in a car audio system without needing an external electronic crossover. System E's+ also incorporates a phase switch and low-pass filter for the non-fading output. The low-pass filter has selectable cutoff frequencies of 50Hz, 80Hz, 120Hz and Through.

Sound Excellence DSP
The Sound Excellence audio enhancement feature brings out all of the music masked by road noise and includes a unique iPod EQ function that improves iPod sound quality by deactivating the EQ setting, allowing you to select from twenty-two EQ curves optimized for iPod playback in any vehicle.

System Q EX Sound Control
Five factory pre-set equalization curves (Rock, Top40, Pops, Jazz and Easy, plus a flat setting) and three speaker matching curves (OEM, 6x9, 5/4 plus a flat setting) that can be combined to give the user extreme flexibility over the sound's tonal character. The preset curves include midrange contouring, giving music more clarity and presence. System Q EX allows the user to modify the preset curves by changing the amplitude of the bass, midrange and treble compensation, and the Q of the bass and midrange compensation. The new curves can then be saved as presets for future recall

What's in the Box
Kenwood KDC-X494, Remote Control, Wiring Harness, Installation Tools and Hardware, Owner's Manual, Warranty Card The Kenwood Excelon KDC-X494 CD receiver is built for quality sound reproduction, with a 24-bit digital-to-analog converter, 3-band parametric equalizer, and a host of other soundshaping tools. But while outstanding sound is reason enough to put the KDC-X494 in your dash, check out some of the other features offered by this versatile receiver.