Home > Consumer Reviews > Kenwood eXcelon KDC-X692 - Radio / CD / MP3 player / digital player - Full-DIN - in-dash - 50 Watts x 4

Great head unit. I love the USB port that allows you to plug in your Ipod, Zune, or anything else that stores mp3s. Only thing that I didn't like too much was the graphics on it. If thats a big deal for you, then get the higher end eXcelon, and if it doesn't then these do the job.

I have always loved Kenwood units. I have owned many over the years, and this one has the most features of any to date, even though it is the lowest model I have bought in a while (my last two where X8, and X9 series units). This one has every feature I can see any enthusiast wanting short of DVD/Video/Navigation. The problem is, all these features makes it a handful to manage and control, and the manual was clearly written by people who already knew the product inside and out.

If you are not interested in dealing with a learning curve, spending time idling in your driveway just learning how to click through all the menus, and control all the functions, stay away from this stereo. It's a great unit with great features and an unbeatable price, but I am quite tech savvy, and this one was not easy.

Important for iPod use: you turn the scroll wheel to bring up the iPod menu, but if you have random turned on, it does not work. I can't explain this, or understand why, but it took me forever to figure out. If you press 3 to turn on random play, you can't access the menu, just turn random off, and then your good to go. The scrolling works great, but the selection button is not so good. Especially while driving, it is easy to miss it, or even feel it click, but nothing happens, or, worse, hit it up/down/left/right and you end up changing the menu screen and having to navigate again. It's also a pain if you have hundreds of artists, because scrolling through to higher letters can take a while. Overall though, I love it.

i up graded my old unit the kdc mp235 for this one. i like. takes a little while to get use to it. my biggest disappoint is i can't used my mp3 player. thats the whole reason i brought this unit. but i guess i have to buy and ipod now. but in all its a very good cd player as for as sound quality in all. yes i would recommend this unit.only if u want to listen muisc off your (ipod).

This head unit replaced an old Pioneer unit I had in my 4Runner. This unit has great radio reception, great audio (really improved the sound of the OEM speakers), and can install USB and satellite radio in the glove box. My only complaint would be that the controls are awkward to use while driving. Overall, this is a very nice unit for the price.

If you are considering purchasing a Kenwood reciever then you should upgrade to the Excelon models. Better components used in the manufacuring mean you get a two year parts and labor warranty not to mention the better overall sound quality.

This reciever sounds great with aftermarket speakers. There are more possibilities for sound adjustment than other units in this price range. I like the relatively simple face, also this model retains the preset buttons that are small but not lit up like blinding runway lights. The background graphics are rediculous looking but easy to turn off. The four line text display makes a huge difference because you don't have to have your eyes glued to the unit while selecting songs or artists from an ipod (very usefull while driving).

My only negatives would be the hinge where the faceplate folds down/seperates, and the dimming/lighting options. The hinge is cheap and flimsy and makes me not want to remove the faceplate for fear of breaking the plastic. The display screen will dim when your vehicle's lights are on however the control nobs do not seem to dim. 4/5 because nothings perfect. Great unit, grab one while you still can!