Kenwood Excelon KDC-X701 CD Receiver with Built-In Bluetooth & HD Radio

I didn't like the control settings had it installed less than 3 hours

Just what I expected and more. Way more settings than I had hoped for. You could spend an hour setting up the tune if you wanted. It was worth paying a little more money to get this receiver when compared to the $100-130 range

This headunit appears to check all the boxes. 6 preamps out, 2x USB ports, HD radio built in, 13 band EQ, Bluetooth + NFC quick connect, and iPhone + Android support including Siri Eyes Free and AOA 2.0 for full control of music and music apps like Pandora and iHeartRadio. Unfortunately, it's on this last set of stats where the truth disconnects from marketing.I got the head unit installed and working with FM and CD no problem, next up I tried to use my Android device. No luck. So I turned to the manual and was disappointed to see this fun bit of legal disclaimer work from the Kenwood team: "Kenwood does not guarantee operation with all Android devices." I can't link to it in this review but if you go to their website Kenwood lists compatible phones. Ironically, even the compatible phones list includes a column indicating whether music playback is possible while bluetooth is connected. Many popular phones including the Galaxy S5, Xiao Mi RedMi 2, LG 2, and HTC One don't work. Then I turned to the support forums and learned that Google Pixel and Pixel XL owners are out of luck (as are others).I called Kenwood customer support (2x on 2 different days) and received no help at all. I've honestly never spoken to less enthusiastic support staff in my entire life. They simply don't care and didn't offer any suggestions or ideas at all. I even resorted to asking about more basic features and all they did was read me a page from the manual which did not relate to my problem. Kenwood clearly does not care about sales or support.Upon further investigation it seems that Kenwood set up their head units to rely on Mass Storage Mode for Android which Google disabled several years ago for safety/device security purposes. Panasonic and others have worked through this change by utilizing MTP mode and AOA 2.0 properly implemented. Kenwood has not. I even updated to a June 2017 firmware update (less than 4 weeks old) and there was still no support. Kenwood has basically abandoned AOA compatibility but is still marketing this feature as they seek to clear inventory.If you want to roll the dice, go ahead and buy this head unit. The specs are great and maybe your device will work. Just make sure you check it within the return window so you can send it back when it fails to meet expectations. I'm giving this device 2 stars because it's potentially good for some people...maybe those with an iPhone? (not tested) but they have terrible customer support and no plans to fix their incompatible head units.

Fast shipping and was as described

Excellent head unit! So many options for th price.

im going to start off this review with the pros of this unit. easy installation, amazing sound clarity even without an external amp. pretty sleek design. having the inputs on the back side of the unit cuts down on clutter and gives a nice clean look, and it also allows for you to wire in your own inputs and mount them anywhere you like. and that's where the good stops. this unit has has good features and great sound quality. however the overall build quality is terrible. the volume knob feels very cheap and seems like it won't last long, the buttons are extremely mushy and small making it hard to make accurate selections. ironically, the smallest buttons require more force to respond, making it easy to accidentally press the buttons next to it. the user interface is not well thought out and pretty clunky. and the HD radio constantly looses connections making the audio fade in and out as it switches back and forth from digital to analog broadcasts.to be completely honest, i really want to love the x701, but unfortunately there are far too many cons than pros with it. the whole design was poorly executed, and alot of the extra features like usb playback, Bluetooth, and hd radio just didn't hit the mark. just too many flaws.

I've had Kenwood Excelon radios for years and this one beats them all!

excellent product, easy to install, and most important, sounds great!!!!!!!!