Kenwood KDC-MP5032
Kenwood's KDC-MP5032 presented an elegant appearance in the dash. And I have to admit that I really liked the motorized face, which slides down at the touch of a button when you're inserting a CD.
Display and controls: The KDC-MP5032's display is understated but classy. The blue accents and the dot matrix display are nice features, but aside from some bar graph indicators on the right that display the current EQ settings, there's not a lot else going on. Of course, that's strictly a matter of taste — not everyone is looking for a light show in their dash, and the readability was excellent at all light levels, day or night.
Navigating the controls of the Kenwood did take a bit of getting used to. The buttons and control knobs on the faceplate are well laid out and have a nice feel to the hand, but didn't lend themselves to easy interpretation. In my case, it took a few dives into the manual to get a feel for things. Once I'd gotten my feet under me, I didn't have too much trouble, and the stereo was easy to use and felt familiar after a few days.
Sound: The Kenwood has a pretty high power rating, at 22 watts per channel, but it's worth noting that it isn't a CEA-2006 compliant power rating, so comparing the output to other receivers is an apples and oranges proposition. It didn't have quite the low-frequency punch of the Pioneer and started to sound a bit shrill to my ears as I cranked the volume.
Performance on the test tracks reflected this. While the Beethoven Scherzo came through with nice balance and clarity, the country and rock tracks could have stood a bit more fullness at times. It's worth noting that the EQ did a good job of compensating for some of the amp's limitations.
Music file playback: The KDC-MP5032 was a bit sluggish in reading music files burned onto CDs, with pauses occasionally as long as 3 to 5 seconds not unusual. When you're trying to navigate a lot of files, that can be a bit frustrating. The joystick control on the right side of the stereo is used for navigating the files and folders. Once I got used to it, it was a nice tool.
The Kenwood is really far ahead of its competitors in one respect. Unlike the Pioneer and Alpine stereos I tested, the KDC-MP5032 will read Apple's AAC file format. If you keep a lot of music on iTunes, like me, it was wonderfully convenient to simply burn a disc of AAC files and slip them into the player, rather than having to convert them to MP3s. One important note — the player will not play files purchased from the iTune Music Store, just files from CDs you've ripped using iTunes. AAC file compatibility is a very attractive feature, and I'd like to see more manufacturers follow Kenwood's lead.
Sound enhancement: The KDC-MP5032 System Q Sound Control was an excellent, very flexible EQ. There were six preset EQ curves, each of which could be modified at the bass, midrange, and treble. The altered curve could be stored as a "User" curve. For enhancing compressed music sources, like MP3 files and satellite radio, the Kenwood has a feature called Supreme Setting that digitally enhances high-frequency output. Its performance was spotty for me — I liked it on some selections, but it made others a bit too harsh for my ears.
The KDC-MP5032's speaker setting function let me adjust the System Q Sound Control settings according to the type of speakers in my vehicle. It functions as a high-pass filter, allowing a different range of low frequencies through to the speakers depending on their size. I liked the utility of this feature — it significantly "cleaned up" the sound output from my Cherokee's factory speakers, and had enough different settings to be useful in many different vehicle and speaker applications. If you're adding amps into your system, the System E's+ crossover system will allow plenty of adjustments right from the faceplate of the stereo.
Radio performance: The Kenwood's tuner is solid, pulling in AM and FM stations with real clarity. I especially liked the little joystick control — it made it easy to tune around and cycle through stations.
Expandability and other features: The Kenwood is ready for almost anything. You can add an HD Radio tuner, SIRIUS or XM satellite radio, a CD changer or auxiliary input, and Kenwood's iPod interface. There are three sets of preamp outputs for outboard amps. The Kenwood was the strongest of the bunch when it comes to expansion options.
