After VW lost the pass code for my Heildelberg deck, it was time to get a new deck. After looking at a few inexpensive decks, I was sold on Kenwood. Since I'm studying in the audio field, having a good quality system is very important to me. Kenwood has a good reputation in the car audio world, and they didn't get it by putting out sub-standard products. Kenwood's commitment to quality comes just through like perfect FM reception on the KDC-8011.

Unlike factory installed, and lower priced decks, there are no knobs to fiddle around with on the KDC-8801. This makes operating the system, when in traffic, safe and easy.

The sound quality is to die for. The system sounds great, even over my factory installed Phillips speakers. With two-preouts, adding a pair of 12" subs won't cause you any problems. Good range, but EQ-presets lack bass. Maybe it's just my speakers.

A nice feature which lower priced decks either don't have, or don't do right is the "LOUD" setting. Unless audio is listened to at 100db or over, you won't hear all of the high and low end frequencies. With the "LOUD" setting on, an EQ boosts these frequencies when listened to lower volumes. This feature is very important when you consider the power of the deck's amp.

Another nice feature is the "ATT"ention button. Let's say you're cell phone rings, or someone in the car is yelling someone at you, or you have to turn down the radio to listening to a coughing engine. All you do is hit the "ATT" button, the sound is immediately dropped to a lower level. Hit it again ,and the sound quickly fades up to your original listening volume.

If you're some with kids, you might appreciate the remote function. One had use a remote to controll the radio from the back seat. No more having the ankles biters lean over the front seat to change stations or turn up the volume.

My only quip with the system is manual eq-ing. After studying audio for two years, and making my own recordings, I have a feel for EQ-ing, and the KDC-8011 doesn't respect my need to tinker. To EQ, you need to go to the EQ menu and go through a bunch of menus to control each frequency. A pain in the butt if you ask me. But if you aren't into that, you can always leave the EQ flat and use the pre-sets, but manual EQing will let you get the most out of your exsisting speakers.

This system is beautiful, especially at night. Maybe because it blends into my car's interior, but it truly is handsome.

Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 400