Customer Ratings & Reviews

Great

I love the features, this a simple unit, and has great features. BT works flawlessly on the phone and music. Equalizer is more extensive then most other units I have worked with. I like the unit, if you don't like simple, then look elsewhere, but if you want simple and great quality, this is for you.

feature galore!

this is by far the best head unit ive ever owned!. it has built in features that usually require external sound processors. it has so many color options the sound quality is superb, the unit is great, haven't tried Bluetooth yet but the iPod connection is great, makes listing to the iPod easy and sounds great. the radio reception is crystal clear. the downfall to the radio is how the radio presets are set up, no biggie though.

On then Off again loss of sound

Since the day I installed this radio it has been a headache after replacing a very reliable but outdated Kenwood KDC-MP922. The receiver was installed and worked fine for a couple of days then no sound! Did everything Kenwood customer support asked ex: software/firmware updates checked wiring and still the same issue. I would have to disconnect cable from car battery then the sound would come back on but for how long who knows? A few days, weeks or a month? Look on line for other reviews and others have had the same issue. No more Kenwood receivers for me!

Its okay - not great

I picked this HU based on the RMS output but wish I had chosen something different. The menus can be a bit of a challenge to operate. Had to download full operators manual to figure out how to navigate the SiriusXM. Couldn't intuitively figure it out. I preferred my previous Sony, Alpine, and Pioneers over the Kenwood. This is my second Kenwood. Sound quality is okay, but my previous decks were much better, especially the Sony. I find that periodically menu navigation does not work, leaving me to remove the faceplate in order to power cycle to get function back. Bluetooth freezes often leaving me to again remove faceplate to power cycle off and on. I have a Blackberry Bold 9900 and it connects 95% of the time to the phone but only 10% of that the actual phone function/hands free works. When the phone rings and its "connected" I need the ability to answer and speak hands free. No point if the phone is connected but doesn't actually work. Very disappointing.

Amazing Deck

I've owned this deck for 6 months and im 110% satisfied. The options are a little tricky to learn but after a week or two its no big deal. If your looking for a nice quality deck this is it, I run two 12" subs with this deck and with all of the fine tuning available you will be impressed. Another thing I'd like to mention is the Bluetooth option. I mounted my mic ontop of the rearview mirror and with the Windows down and doing 70 mph the person on the other end hears me perfectly. I plan to buy another one of these decks for my girlfriends car because she likes mine so much. Her favorite things are its compatabilty with android phones and how she can access her phonebook through the deck itself. So go Kenwood this decks the one.

Oh and if your a sub/amp nut looking for serious tuning options I'd recommend this deck but the xcelon version. Its 13 band eq as well as better speaker setup options. Go Sonic Electronics!

great unit

The controls are not for a novice user. I like the amount of detailed adjustments. The Bluetooth works great. I live a little further out so the HD likes to cut out.

Second Review - 6 Months After My First Review

Menu's become easier and more familiar to navigate although not intuitive. Bluetooth challenges continue...connectivity not very effective.

WORST PART - playback on all functions has been lost this last week. Menu/function/source changes still audible with the beeps however no music on any function. All connections are proper and there were no reasons why this should happen. Will try to disconnect battery that will hopefully reset whatever glitch has caused this.

Recently installed a Pioneer DEH-X8500BS in my other vehicle and wow what an improvement over this unit. Menu's easier to use, sound adjustments easier, same features, and bluetooth works better. Oh and its less expensive.

Kenwood KDC-BT952HD head unit

This head unit is amazing. the features you get for the price is unbeatable. There where features on this head unit that my friends $1500 double din pioneer unit did not have and he was envious of. If you are thinking about getting this product i suggest you get it, you wont regret it. The audio it pushes out sounds amazing even with my stock speakers.

Amazing H/U

I bought this for many reasons, Bluetooth being one of them and it works great. I have a four door sedan and with both front windows all the way down they can hear me clear as day. I mounted the Mic on top of my rear view mirror and don't even need to adjust the echo cancellation, noise cancellation or Mic gain. Its a little confusing at first to operate but it gets easier over time. Best H/U I've owned.

Great Choice

This is an excellent radio with great sound and loads of features. I had some issues with it in the beginning but once I updated the firmware it solved the problems. The menu is difficult as there are just too many things that you must set and if you loose battery power you get to do it all over again. The display is very difficult to see during the day but I put a cell phone anti-glare screen over it and it helped.

Kenwood KDC-BT952HD

Excellent product.....reliable radio....usb works perfectly.....bluetooth is great and never has any problems to connect with my iphone...people tell me they dont notice i speak through a handsfree.....Fm sound is great....all options are more than enough to satisfy any demanding user.

Typical Kenwood... AMAZING on paper, but only Good in execution

- - - THE GOOD - - -
Durability:
This unit replaced a Kenwood KDC-MP238 originally installed in my 20' Stingray bow rider. To 'weatherize' that unit, the only steps the OEM took was to place it behind a flip down marine face plate cover (not even a good one, definitely not water tight) and cover the top of the head unit with a plastic film. After 4 years of bouncing around and being exposed to salt air AND inadvertent water splashing on the face (with and without face plate in place) I can report no mechanical or electrical failures and surprisingly no corrosion. The old unit was only replaced to add features and is currently still in service in my daily driver/beater vehicle. Unless Kenwood has drastically changed materials or processes I expect this new unit to perform similarly.

Why I chose this unit:
The main reason I stuck with Kenwood for the replacement stereo was ease of installation (it seems most/all kenwoods use the same harness) and compatibility with the marine remote controls I already had installed.

Inputs and Features:
The main features that drew me to this unit vs other Kenwood offerings were: Pandora/Android compatibility, HD radio BUILT IN, better EQ, 3 RCA outs, blue tooth, rear usb and 3.5mm jack. The KDC BT952HD did all of this for the cheapest price. It really is a jack of all trades as far as inputs.

Other:
The rotary volume control is much improved over my previous unit. LCD color selection is nice (I choose white for maximum visibility in bright sunlight). The CD player is able to cope fairly well with mild chop. If you install in a car or different boat (stingrays are known to ride rough... flat bottom = speed) you will be hard pressed to get this thing to skip. I have this unit paired with one of the Rockford Fosgate 5ch 1000 watt class D amps (P1000X5D) and the unit delivers very clean sound.

- - - THE BAD - - -

-I could do without the flip down screen for CD access. Feels cheap.
-Audio setup menus are cryptic and cumbersome at BEST
-Blue tooth setup more hassle then it should be
-Re-Pairing with a stored device is finicky and unreliable (Galaxy S3)
-EQ is good but DSP and speaker size settings are rather useless
-Generic blue tooth connectivity vs. pandora linking is rather goofy and feels like it was added on after the fact (see BOTTOM LINE)
-LCD graphics are cheesy
-ALL settings are stored in volatile memory... ie if you lose battery power, ALL settings are lost. This wouldn't be a huge deal if it didn't take 20 minutes to re-input all of the EQ and crossover settings. This is a bigger deal for me as I like to disconnect my batteries when the boat is not in use.


- - - BOTTOM LINE - - -
This is a well constructed unit that has an expansive feature set, high quality pre-amp signal, ability to connect to EVERY device you may come across and does all of this for a fraction of the cost compared to competing brands.

HOWEVER, like every Kenwood unit I've owned (this is my 4th) it simply doesn't live up to the hype. Like all Kenwood's, the features are there but do not work as you would expect. The interface lacks polish and feels incomplete. A word of advice: if you buy a Kenwood, do not expect it to do anything that requires an add on module. They always suck.

Every time I buy a head unit, I look at the other brands. In most cases, I would rather have the other brands but ultimately I end up settling for Kenwood because of the price. That cost savings is always at the expense of the user interface. That is the only compromise I'm ultimately willing to stomach as I refuse to listen to crap and at least Kenwood always delivers on hardware and sound quality...

Ultimately, if you want the most bang for your buck, this is a winner. If you want a rewarding user experience and slick interface, look elsewhere.

Great Head unit for your car on a budget

Its a great improvement over the previous model. Setting the radio stations is a whole lot easier. Never had the Bluetooth in my older radio but grew to like it whole lot. Pandora I do not use here Cell Phone cover here is not all that good, on a side note not sure if I like it all time will tell. The radio face is still hard to read in the sunlight, but it is set up well in my opinion. Ipod controls are different that the older model but works pretty good maybe better control. The Bluetooth will play Podcasts from your Smart Phone using your Bluetooth on the Phone. So if you have other Apps on your Smart Phone it will go thru it as well. ie.. iHeart Radio. etc..
Over all I'm very happy with this purchase they definitely have a great product. I have an older model in another vehicle and I'm very happy with it also. They are both very very similar to each other except for built in Bluetooth, XM radio hookup, 7 band EQ, and the way you store and retrieve radio stations.

Good Product

I bought this head unit and have had it in my car for about a week now and I really like this head unit. The amount of options and menus for customization is great IMO. I don't know what kind of sound quality this head unit has because its running 2 amps but the 4v pre-amp outputs make everything sound crystal clear. The display shows quite a bit of info for a single DIN which i like a lot as well. Only con is that the volume control is your menu control and using it takes time to get used to. But overall great product would recommend to anyone.

Best single Din on the market!

Awesome radio! Easy to use I LOVE the fact I don't need to have my head stuck in the users manual for a week just to figure out how to set the clock. The Parrot Bluetooth is the best hands down.. Clear call quality as well easy to access my phone book, missed calls, etc. This unit has THE best EQ/processor hands down compared to any other unit out there. DON'T think twice on this one!

Junk!

What a piece of junk... Audio stopped coming out after about 10 months of use. The only way to fix it is to reset the unit, losing all settings. And it will only work for another week or two before happening again. Kenwood put out new firmware to fix the issue, but it didn't fix it. The only way to fix the issue is to bypass the DSP, but then you lose ALL audio settings other than volume and bass level. The repairs will likely cost more than a new unit.

Good stereo

Purchased this and Kenwood sub with mono amp. Also purchased the cheaper Kenwood speakers as this stereo's amp can drive these just fine. Using the sub for the bass evens everything out. I love the features of this HU. HD radio sounds much better than reg radio and I also get a boost with the sub. You can change the color of the lights to any color. I also like the USB to play as many MP3 as I can load. I recently had a computer problem (no sound) but this was fixed with a software update from the Kenwood sight.

One of the best HU's out there

I have owned about 9 diff HU"s and this is one of the best by far. I used to own the older model of this and both of them are great! never had any problems with it!

pro's -
bluetooth mic clear on both ends
color changing
usb in rear
pandora
a lot of controls for speakers and subs
great product, would recommend it to everyone
sirius xm

cons -
not sure how HD radio works =/

Amazing H/U

I bought this for many reasons, Bluetooth being one of them and it works great. I have a four door sedan and with both front windows all the way down they can hear me clear as day. I mounted the Mic on top of my rearview mirror and don't even need to adjust the echo cancellation, noise cancellation or Mic gain. Its a little confusing at first to operate but It gets easier over time. Best H/U I've owned.