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Kenwood KGC-6042A

Equalizer

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Item# 1136042A offer details

Item# 1136042A

Review Sumary

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Give your car stereo that final tweak with the Kenwood KGC-6042A. You'll enjoy tone control precise enough to coax noticeably improved sound from even a high-end system.

Command 9 normal bands plus two with variable center frequencies (30-800 Hz and 800-16k Hz) with the KGC-6042A. These parametric (variable) bands really let you zero in within a given frequency range. So it's a snap to dial up your favorite lead guitar sound, from smooth, violin-like sustain to a percussive snap and twang.

Get a front-to-rear fader for dual-amp balancing and for adjusting the rear-fill, even with a head unit that has only one pair of pre-outs. The low-pass "sub-out" set of pre-amp outputs includes level control. And the KGC-6042A engages high-pass crossovers on the front and rear channels whenever this subwoofer output is in use.

Important Note: This unit has no built-in amplifier — must be used in conjunction with one or more external amplifiers.

Details:
  • two sets of full-range outputs with high-pass filter that engages when subwoofer output is in use.
  • subwoofer output has adjustable level control (up to +10 dB).
  • adjustable subwoofer crossover range (30-150 Hz)
  • dual illumination.
  • signal-to-noise ratio 100 dB
  • THD 0.01%
  • 7"W x 1"H x 7-1/2"D
  • warranty: 1 year
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What’s in the box? | In-depth notes

Product Research

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What's in the box?

Download owner's manual

  • EQ
  • Power harness w/ noise suppressor and 3-amp fuse
  • Trim plate (W=7.375 H=1.188 D=0.375)
  • Mounting brackets
  • Hardware
  • Manual
  • Warranty information

Our Product Research Team

At Crutchfield, you'll get detailed, accurate information that's hard to find elsewhere. That's because we have our own in-house Product Research team — they open the box, verify contents, check the owner's manual, and record dimensions, features and specs. We stay on top of new products and technologies to help people make informed choices.

Features

Illumination:

  • GRN/ORG: Switch changes the color of the rings around the fader and EQ and SUB knobs only from green to amber.
  • Slide Controls: Are always amber.
  • Subwoofer Controls: Are always green.

Note: The switch for changing illumination color is on the right side of the chassis, so the illumination cannot be changed while the EQ is recessed into a housing or your vehicle's dash cavity.

Outputs: This unit is equipped with front, rear and subwoofer RCA outputs. The subwoofer outputs are non-fading outputs.

High-Pass Crossover: when the unit is used in the "9 band + 2 band" mode and the subwoofer outputs are used, the rear RCA outputs will be high-pass filtered at 100Hz. When the unit is used in the "11 band" mode and the subwoofer outputs are used, the front and rear RCA outputs will be high-pass filtered at 100Hz.

Subwoofer Crossover:

  • Variable between 30 and 150Hz
  • Slope is 12 dB/octave

Sub-Level Control: Variable between -Infinity and +10 dB.

Parametric EQ: Has two frequency adjustment controls (30-800Hz and 800-16kHz) and two +/- 12dB level controls for them.

Set Up Options: Front and rear outputs can be adjusted with all 11 frequency controls ("11 band" mode) or the front controlled by the parametric controls and rear by the other 9 ("9 band + 2 band mode).

"On" Buttons: The parametric EQ and 9-band EQ sections have separate turn-on buttons.

 

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1-6 of 6 items Sort Results By: Date Reviewed | Rating | Helpfulness
 
5 out of 5

Kenwood KGC-6042A

Written By , alb. nm on Saturday, September 17, 2011
 
i just installed this into my blazer with a kenwood deck kenwood 4way 6x9s and a Sony 600w 4-3 chanal amp with a 12 fosgate dvc and it made such a great difference i am glad i did it.
Was this review helpful?    Yes | No
 
2 out of 5

Kenwood KGC-6042A

Written By Droopy, Raton, NM on Thursday, January 11, 2007
 
I recently purchased this eq and after I hooked it up I noticed that it really did'nt do anything it actually made it sound worse. The lows cut out and the highs don't sound right.
Was this review helpful?    Yes | No
 
3 out of 5

Good For Older Head Units

Written By michael, Pottsville, Pa on Sunday, November 26, 2006
 
I just installed a JVC 870AR HU in my car. To make sound adjustments easier and on the fly, I added this eq.

To be honest, it wasnt worth it.

Although my HU only has a built in 3 band, it is more than sufficient. The 6042a makes little difference.

I'm sure with older HU's this eq would be benificial, but with modern units, Its just not needed.
2 out of 2 people found this helpful
Was this review helpful?    Yes | No
 
5 out of 5

Highly Recommended

Written By Dave, San Antonio, TX on Tuesday, October 31, 2006
 
This EQ is the easiest way to get exactly the sound you want. You can definitely tell the difference in the sound engineering of your CDs, and adjust them perfectly to sound their best. I find myself using the Sub control the most, it is absolutely amazing what a difference the crossover point makes on some recordings. Cosmetically it looks fantastic. There is no fumbling around searching for the band to adjust, as on some other digital EQs, also the visual gives you an instant profile of what your sound preference stands. The small size gets it into tight spots. One negative, when new; the sliders felt cheap, and it was hard to find the sweet spot, but that went away after about 2 weeks. Keep in mind you could have 4 RCAs leading in/out of this unit. My setup: I have an older Pioneer head unit, the EQ, Infinity 5761 (6 ch.), 4 Pioneer 5x7s, and one Infinity Perfect 12" in a 1 cu ft box in the trunk of a Thunderbird. I swear my groceries get softened up on the way home from the pounding they get. I will probably upgrade my front speakers to components, as you can carve exactly the sound you want. I love this EQ.
3 out of 3 people found this helpful
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5 out of 5

Kenwood KGC-6042A

Written By Frank, Matamoras, PA on Sunday, January 08, 2006
 
It is the best EQ around. You can adjust every freq and the sound is so clear you would think the music group is in your car. I can't belive Kenwood still makes this EQ. I had my EQ for 12 yrs. still runs strong and refuse to give it up. It went though 6 cars and upgraded speakers, radio, and amps. Took the EQ out and install in another car, just replaced the wire harness due to the harness wiring was getting to short from installing in the differant cars. If you love music you won't be disappointed with this EQ. Oh by the way I think the price of the EQ I paid for in 1993 was $249 also. LOL
13 out of 13 people found this helpful
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5 out of 5

Kenwood KGC-6042A

Written By normalicy, St. Louis, MO on Sunday, July 24, 2005
 
Well, I'll start by saying that I've had this EQ for almost 2 year running. It has been one of the few components in my system that's been there all along.

PROS:
-It just seems to have just the right ammount of bands to make the music sound right without having to go extreme with 31.
-Excellent subwoofer control. It's rare to get an EQ that can control not only the subwoofer level, but also the crossover point at the touch of a knob.
-I also really appreciated the ability to change the illumination. Nothing bothers me more than an amber EQ in a green lit dashboard or vice-versa.
-The built in high pass crossover is also very nice so that you're not killing your coaxials/components. Let the sub do the work.

CONS:
-The only flaw that I found on this thing is probably the short distance that the sliders travel make it hard to pinpoint right where you want the boost/cut.
-High price
54 out of 63 people found this helpful
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1-6 of 6 items

Learn more about Equalizers

Learn more about Equalizers

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Crutchfield Writing Team
11/17/2011
based on 22 ratings (4 comments)
 

Besides giving you tight tonal control over your music playback, equalizers offer you plenty of other useful features. Find out how to choose the one that's right for you.

 
Jeff's Tips for Getting Maximum Sound Quality in Your Car

Jeff's Tips for Getting Maximum Sound Quality in Your Car

Jeff Fay
12/28/2010
based on 506 ratings (31 comments)
 

Your car can be a great place for music listening. Many commuters suffer for hours each day with inferior sound quality that they'd never tolerate from their systems at home. Others assemble...

 
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7/14/2009
based on 10 ratings (2 comments)
 

Most of the time, an equalizer is installed in the passenger compartment. It is usually mounted above or below the receiver in the factory radio location. Find out about power and signal wiring.

 
Equalizers FAQ

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11/17/2011
based on 31 ratings (3 comments)
 

Q: What will an equalizer do for me? Where do I mount an equalizer? What's a spectrum analyzer and do I need one? Since I installed my EQ, my receiver's fader control won't work. Why not? Plus more...

 
Way cool interactive frequency chart

Way cool interactive frequency chart

Jim Richardson
8/17/2009
based on 2 ratings (1 comment)
 

While doing some research, I stumbled across something remarkable that I just have to share. It's an interactive frequency chart  published by the Independent Recording Network. ...

 
Visit our Learning Center to learn more about Equalizers

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