Kenwood KDC-6011

Price Paid:  $200.00

Summary:
I brought this receiver mainly for its RDS capabilities. RDS is very cool, and I did not regret getting a receiver with this. The KDC-6011 supports just about all RDS features (TI, Genre search, SNPS, R-TEXT, etc). It allows you to also title stations and discs which do not have text. The screen is bright, readable, and non-distracting. Sound quality is clean.

One major outstanding feature is the receiver sensitivity. Shy of 8dBf, It blows most receivers out of the water and is perfect for weak station reception (DX, Pirate, etc) and of course any static with local stations. Selectivity is very good, and I have not experienced any overload.

Strengths:
RDS, CD text, ~7.8dBf FM receiver, bright display, plays CDR's and CDRW's, never has skipped on rough road/dirt/etc

Weaknesses:
none, however, tuning is only from 87.9-107.9, making out-of-band tuning impossible -- not really a bad thing :-)

Similar Products Used:
None

Summary:
Kenwood has pretty much done away with and now a more expensive eXcelon takes its place. If you can still find it for $220 or less, I highly recommended it.

Strengths:
Great features for the money: RDS (Radio Data System), CD Text, Flip-down face, and many more. I've only seen these features available on $300+ receivers.

Weaknesses:
None that I've found.

Similar Products Used:
None

Year / Model Reviewed:
 74 Malibu 250

Summary:
Paid $220 from Crutchfield, great buy. Definitely recommended. Ordered the 10-disc changer today. 2 pre-outs are fine enough for me. Switchable button illumination is cool, too.

Strengths:
Great unit, I love the flip-face design. Clean power, sounds great. Cool functions that are easy to use. LOVE THE REMOTE!!!

Weaknesses:
A weird function--cd can be ejected w/o ignition or face on. I guess it's cool though, because if you forget the cd, you dont have to turn the key on. Also--leave the window open, and your cd can be taken before you know it. Dot matrix display--the dots are a little bigger than normal, not a good resolution.

Similar Products Used:
Well....it replaced an old JVC...

Summary:
Got it for about $250, I would say it sounds and performs like $500 to $700 units. Definetely recommended.

Strengths:
Excellent sound, very good mechanically. Strong output with clean sound.

Weaknesses:
Controls are a little hard to use while driving. Must be familiar with how buttons work.