Great Sound!. Plays CDR,CDRW = Keeping adding mp3s to it. Looks great!. 3 seconds pause inbetween mp3s.

Graphics on the face panel. Can't fast forward in a song using the remote. Face panel doesn't come down easily.

I got this stereo as a gift and installed before going on a road trip to Palm Springs from Los Angeles. I fell in love with the way it looked as i was browsing thru the Goodguys catalog, though in the picture the face panel was chromed, in real its clear, that was a bit disappointing. I think the pic was of a demo unit, maybe the chrome face panel would reflect light in your face while driving? - Anyhow i was shocked by its sound while playing mp3s! i couldn't freakin tell the difference! and trust me i am picky when it comes to the quality of sound this is a great stereo. I've had it just when it came out thats 3 years ago? no problems what so ever - except someone broke into my car window and took only the face panel(nothing else no cds no nothing just the face panel) wonder what good that did them. Wish they took the car Lojack ;) Had to get a new face panel for $230. So now i remember to detach it and place it in the trunk with the trunk locked (so it can't be opened without the key).

It has nice lights.

It sucks

This unit will not play any mp3,s and when it does play it playes for a while then it starts making a very loud sound on the speakers like it will not reconize my mp3,s. Whats up with that. I just bought a 40,000 plus ford truck and this unit is in it . I,m thinking of getting it taken out and put something in that will play mp3,s.

Cool display (when it's working), good sound, scroll feature for ID3 tags, AUX input

Faceplate malfunctions, weak spring on faceplate when opening

I have had this head unit for just over two years. Although I like the features present in this head unit, I am having to return it for the second time due to a faulty faceplate. The display goes in and out and you have to push on it to get it to come back on. Sometimes that doesn't always work either. I have already sent this HU back once, and the problem was supposedly bad solder joints on the pin connectors. It's going back again, and I'm not too happy!

Sound adjustment with internal crossover. MP3, CDA, CDR, CDRW. Looks. Controls my Kenwood KAC-X401 (eXcelon) mono amplifier. Controls eXcelon disc changer (but do you need one with MP3 function?) Remote. Front, Rear, and Subwoofer 4.5 volt amp outputs. Sirius sattelite ready.

Faceplate doesn''''t really want to open. Takes a couple seconds to scan every time you put in a CD to check for MP3 files. Sound cuts out sometimes. (Again, maybe overheating?) Some dual button fuctions are not grouped logically. You accidently push a button and screw up your user presets. Price.

I bought this item refurbished. (Actually, the first one Kenwood outlet gave me didn''''t work, but they replaced it no questions.) This is a quite nice HU. The setup options are huge if you have a full system. You can adjust the internal crossover for highs mids and lows as well as the gain on each. Really nice display, but not really a selling point. It''''s awsome at night, but glare still makes it difficult to read in the day. The ''''demo'''' animations get real tired, however the spectrum analyzers are nice. You can also program disc names, and it scrolls your MP3 file names. Ok, problems I''''ve had with it. The face does not like to open when you push the button. (Weak spring as mentioned in other reviews.) Also, I have a problem with the audio signal cutting out every once in a while. The spectrum analyzer is still going so it''''s obviously processing the signal, but no sound is transmitted to the speakers. Maybe overheating? Sometimes it fixes itself quickly, sometimes I have no tunes for a couple of minutes or have to try hitting the little factory reset button on the back of the faceplate (which wipes out all user settings.) Also afraid that the ''''clearcoat'''' that covers the entire faceplate is going to get scratched to pieces over time. I love this radio. I''''m considering though if I have to use my two year warranty that I''''ll pay the difference and upgrade to Kenwood''''s newer eXcelon MP3 Head Unit. (Though the Z828''''s looks beat all other headunits hands down.)

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Other aftermarket headunits. Including Alpine (nice). Sony Xplod (sucks) Blaupunkt (awright) None had the features that the Z828 offers though.

Looks, sound, possibilities, ease of using,... So much good points!

No MASK, rather expensive ( but I managed to get a good deal on it). That''s all folks!

After comparing of bunch of HU, I finally bought the Z828 after playing with it in my local shop. I liked it from the start: the looks, the buttons, the sound, the possibilities. I read some reviews before buying. I honestly don''t knwo where the bad review come from. I guess tey''re having the wrong model... ;) It is not cheap, but worth it!

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Sony ES C90 (sounded more natural - but sucked overall), Alpine 7875 ( very good but not good enough), Kenwood 9050 (liked it also), and some older HU

-High voltage preouts, non fading sub allows for high quality installs (5 amps) -Controls are extensive and allows you to fully costomize your music -MP3 player is the most functional of any unit I have used -Very good unit for upper class installs

-a little bit confusing, too many buttons -NOT a good product for people who want a "cool" system. it does have some cool features, but this unit was designed to run an advanced system with exteral amplifier power

This product is very impressive. Many have mentioned problems with the MP3 feature, but you CAN jump straight to songs. The only problems encountered with this unit is due to incorrect installation. This is a very complex unit, and if it is installed at home, it is less likely to work. I have owned upper class fosgate, panasonic, clarion, pioneer premier, and alpine decks and this is the most advanced unit I have owned.

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fosgate, panasonic, clarion, pioneer, alpine

It plays MP3s!!! Need I say more? Resistance to skipping. Cross-over management. Sound quality. Features.

When accessing the bass level, if you don''t hold the button down long enough, you will change the DSP mode which can change all the cross-over points you have set. This could be damaging to your speakers and is a major problem for me! Weak face plate spring. The face plate will not always release and after it does, it does not fold down as it should. Annoying and useless lights which cannot be dimmed.

I don''t understand what some of the other reviewers were saying when they stated that they had to scroll through 140 songs to get to track 140. This unit DOES have the ability to jump to a track by inputting the number (use the remote). Also, when put on random, it seems to play from all songs for me. Maybe they didn''t take the time to read through the (poorly translated) manual. The manual reads like "All your base are belong to us". On to MY review... I think that this MP3 player is great. It has never failed me in any way and is a big improvement over my last unit, the Kenwood eXcelon KDC-X815. It incorporates all of it''s features, reads CD-R and CD-RW much better, and plays MP3s. People constantly ask me if I have a trunk mounted CD player and I respond that I don''t need one with 10 hours of music on one disc! I love the internal cross-over and the clean sound. The graphics are good, but I hate the useless lights around the sides! I also hate the VERY bright "Kenwood" light on the top. The looks are pretty tacky. In adition to the face plate looks, I think the spring which moves the face forward when you need to access the disc input needs to be much stronger. Sometimes I have to hit the button several times before it opens; pretty annoying. I like being able to skip to any track by number, which is better than some of my friends MP3 players. I don''t like how accessing the bass level is the same button which changes the DSP mode (in affect changing all the cross-over points). If you don''t hold the button down long enough, it changes the DSP mode and, when you scroll through all the DSP modes to get back to the one you want, it doesn''t retain all of the settings that you previously had!!! This NEEDS to change. If it weren''t for all the annoying quirks, I''d love to give this piece 5 stars. The engineers really need to work on some of this unit''s annoying problems (or maybe they like it like that). Even though I have some real problems with the unit, it is a great sounding and working unit.

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eXcelon KDC-X815

Looks good and sounds good.

Doesn''t read all media. Gets stuck at the end of the playlist. Does not have a search button on the remote. Sometimes the unit doesn''t read the remote. Sometimes it takes a long time when reading the next track.

It looks great and sounds great. But I''ve been having some problems with it. It doesn''t read all of my cdrws and sometimes it gets stuck when it reaches the end of the playlist. Also sometimes the ID tag doesn''t display properly either. I''m gonna contact Kenwood and see if they have addressed this problems and if they made any improvements on the units so I can trade mine in.

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None

I own a Lexicon home theater processor and can appreciate the configurable crossover settings. No skipping over several thousand road miles. (3,600 to be exact!) No issues with different CD, CD-R or CD-RW media. Plenty of power when matched with an efficient set of speakers. I installed 4 Soundstream SPL6.5G''s and don''t feel the need for a sub at the moment. The Fading, Non-Fading and Aux outputs make it easily expandable if you want to add amps, crossovers, subs or a TV/DVD player (Unit would work great as an RV entertainment controller). Display is more than configurable and entertaining. File search is quick and ID3 Tags can be setup to display any album or song info. Sound quality is very impressive! I am a real pickey person when it comes to sound quality. The code security feature is a good theft deterrent.There are too many more good things to list here! Check out the other features at your local Kenwood dealer.

Unit seems to be about 1.5" inches deeper than a standard CD player. I had to modify my Saturn Dash to make it fit and mount flush! The latching mechanism for the faceplate requires too much force! Scrolling through folders isn''t as logical and you have to get used to it!

This unit rocks! I have had it since July and used it while traveling from Arizona to Montana and back over 3300 miles without a single skip or problem. I ripped most of my CD''s at 192 and was able to get most of my music burned on 9 CDR''s; needless to say the unit was on playing music from Phoenix to Butte MT. I can say that this units has had no malfunctions, skips or dips in sound since I installed it. I don''t understand how the other two guys had problems with the display because this is the first I have heard of these issues with this unit. The only two things I don''t like about this deck is the depth; (I had to alter the dash in my Saturn SC to get it to fit) and the way the removable face plate clicks back in. The force required to reinsert the faceplate is excessive due to the angle of the channel that the latch pin clicks into. I usually use a pen knife to slide the latch pin over a little before forcing it down! Perhaps this is why the other two people had display problems. If you have a lack of technical or mechanical inclination you might force the faceplate back on enough to damage it or the gold connector pins. This is an issue Kenwood needs to address. The unit was well worth the money to me.

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None this is my first Car MP3 Player but I have always had Kenwood decks and have never been disappointed.

Great Sound, nice display, lots of options, 4.5 pre-out.

None to date.

I have had this unit for around a month, and have had absolutely no problems with it... The display is great, even though i''m not a huge fan of the whole animation crap, and the sound it puts out is awesome. It''s a great mp3 player, and from my experience hasn''t had any problems whatsoever. The only bad thing about it is not the unit''s problem, it''s mine because i have to enter in all of my id3 tag info for my songs. So in my oppinion this unit is as good as it gets.

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Other kenwood, alpine, RF.