My Experience:
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Time to move from the house to the car as far as reviews go and here I am going to tell you all about my car stereo the Kenwood KDC 334SA. I bought this stereo about two years ago when it was relatively up to date but since has been made to look like an ... Read review
Advantages: Great No Thrills Stereo Disadvantages: Not For Gadget Freaks
...about my car stereo the Kenwood KDC 334SA. I bought this stereo about two years ago when it was relatively up to date but since has been made to look like an antique already as do many electronic gadgets nowadays. I went to Halfords which is were I paid £120.00 for this unit and they installed it for me whilst I stood there it took about 15 minutes for the guy to fit it and looked very easy just undoing clips and replacing them with matching colored ... ...not fit myself and would always advise getting somebody to fit your new car stereo unless you really know what you are going in which case me telling you how to fit would be a waste of time anyway. What I can tell you if you know what you are doing when it comes to fitting is it has an ISO fitting switch and comes complete with the keys for securing and removing the cage that the stereo sits in again this was supplied with the unit.
My Experience: -------------------- Time to move from the house to the car as far as reviews go and here I am going to tell you all about my car stereo the Kenwood KDC 334SA. I bought this stereo about two years ago when it was relatively up to date but since has been made to look like an antique already as do many electronic gadgets nowadays. I went to Halfords which is were I paid £120.00 for this unit and they installed it for me whilst I stood there it took about 15 minutes for the guy to fit it and looked very easy just undoing clips and replacing them with matching colored wires sorry I can't be more specific but I did not fit myself and would always advise getting somebody to fit your new car stereo unless you really know what you are going in which case me telling you how to fit would be a waste of time anyway. What I can tell you if you know what you are doing when it comes to fitting is it has an ISO fitting switch and comes complete with the keys for securing and removing the cage that the stereo sits in again this was supplied with the unit.
Once the stereo had been fitted I gave it a trial run on the way home and was very impressed with the sound quality that it provided through my very good car speakers supplied in my Peugeot 307. Operation was very straightforward and self explanatory with a very useful manual to help with programming the radio settings. A full installation guide is also available within the manual but I get lost with such things so if I can get away with it I will and get somebody else to fit things for me. The CD quality was excellent with no CD jumping whilst in operation and the display which shows wither which radio station you are listening to or CD track currently playing is bright and clear although very basic by today's standards just displaying either Track 1 etc or the name of the station you are listening to.
There are various pre set radio stations which include FM, MW and LW and separate settings which mean you can set the sound balance how you would like by adjusting the bass and treble manually. All the selection buttons are lit by a very warm feeling red glow surrounding them but they are very difficult to tell apart at night not that this is an issue once you get used to the controls. The volume control is the old fashioned twist knob to increase or decrease and the four channel 4x45watt amp is sufficient for most standard car speakers I get great sound and am not the type to have music blaring so loud you can hear it 3 miles away past that stage a good few years ago. On the down side you can only play one CD at a time as there is no CD changer and it is not compatible with one but on the up side you can play CD-R and CD-RW discs on it so all that music from your computer can be carried around with you in the car to listen to all my 80's tracks live in the car.
Additional extras include random and track repeating if you are not fussed which order you listen to your songs, Traffic Alert which when selected tunes you into the traffic news every hour ideal when you are on the motorways and need to know what's happening ahead has saved me a few times. There are also 6 pre set equalizer settings to fit your mode but I tend to stick to the plain old normal setting as I find it gives the best overall performance. As far as security goes the front of the stereo is easily unclipped and the case I got with it keeps it nice and safe when you take it into work or into the house, this in turn means that there is no stereo on display and if anyone tries to steal it they are without the stereo face. There is also a loud setting for those that really like their music turned up this seems to increase the volume to a very uncomfortable level for me so never gets used besides if you have the music super loud how can you concentrate on driving. Below are the necessary specs of the stereo for those looking to compare features and a few bit's that I am not sure of but may be useful for those who are in the know.
Radio tuner features: -------------------------- RDS-AF (alternate frequency) feature inaudibly retunes the receiver to the best available signal for the station that is currently selected TA (traffic announcement) will switch station for the duration of a traffic report. The original station is restored at the end of the report PTY-EON (programme type) information displays and allows selection of similar types of programme (news, pop, classics, sport etc.) Full coverage of LW / MW / FM wavebands with 24 presets (18FM, 6MW, 6LW) Auto-memory entry feature stores preset stations Display of radio text information
CD features: --------------------- CD-R and CD-R/W compatible 8 times oversampling, 1-bit D/A converter Random track play, track repeat and intro scan functions
Amplifier features: ------------------------ Four channel 4 x 45W max power amplifier (4 x 30W RMS) Separate adjustments for bass, treble, balance and fader Loudness control System Q equaliser with three control bands and six preset settings Source tone memory stores equaliser settings for each source (FM radio, AM radio & CD)
Other features: ------------------- Vivid florescent display with manual two step dimmer Rotary volume controller Red illuminated control buttons Complete with release keys, ISO connecting loom, full fitting and operating guide
Security, warranty and insurance: ------------------------------------------ Removable front face Covered by 12 month manufacturers warranty
Overall Opinion --------------------- A great now cheap at about £45 car stereo that is not exactly a gadget freaks paradise but ideal for those looking for a stereo that is very easy to use and is in comparison to today's stereos very basic. The features are good and cover all you could really want to do with the stereo and on a down point as I have said it is not compatible with a CD changer. I would recommend to anyone looking for a simple to use stereo system at a good price it look's smart and is very functional and has not let me down in two years although the warranty is up soon and you can bet your life tomorrow something will give up on it lol. I hope this review has been informative and helps you in any decision making.
