Kenwood XD-A701 Home Theater Compact Stereo System

Rating:
Summary: More than I expected.
Review: The Kenwood XD-A701 has several features that one doesn't expect in an inexpensive home theater system. First, it has Full Dolby Pro-Logic and the speakers that that requires. It lacks only a powered subwoofer, but it has a center speaker as well as two surround sound speakers. The two surround sound speakers are designed to be placed next to or behind the listener, and Kenwood has even had the foresight to provide enough speaker wire to reach and a slot on the back of the speakers for wall mounting. The system features a changeable sound delay (from 15 to 30 ms) so that surround sound effects coincide with the sound coming from the front speakers. The system is also equipped electronically to either upgrade the speakers or add a powered subwoofer. The 3 CD changer works quickly and allows the user to change CDs while another is playing. It also has modes for shuffling 1 CD, shuffling all the CDs, programming on 1, 2 or 3 CDs, repeating songs, or playing all the CDs through. The system has an attractive and easy to use display that includes full scrolling text. The dual jogs allow quick movement through menus and submenus once you get used to it. The sound control is impressive, with four genre settings, 4 computer controlled ambient sound emulations, 3 surround sound features, 3 programmable equalizer settings, and a even a flat equalizer setting. The dual cassette is able to be synchronized with the CD player for making mix tapes or recording whole CDs (or a series of CD selections). It is fully reversible, does song searching, and has Dolby noise reduction. As a whole, the unit is sharp looking and solidly built. If placed on the floor, however, it would be easy to apply too much pressure to the CD drawer and break it when it is open. The remote is complex enough to make navigation through the unit's features fairly simple. Oh, and the sound is very good. If you are a frequent rap listener, an added subwoofer will be necessary to pick up those 20-40Hz sounds that you can feel more than hear. I've played rock, jazz, and classical on this unit and it sounds like the artists are right there. Raiders of the Lost Ark sounds fantastic too. I expected a good unit from Kenwood, and I got a very good to excellent one.

Rating:
Summary: More than I expected.
Review: The Kenwood XD-A701 has several features that one doesn't expect in an inexpensive home theater system. First, it has Full Dolby Pro-Logic and the speakers that that requires. It lacks only a powered subwoofer, but it has a center speaker as well as two surround sound speakers. The two surround sound speakers are designed to be placed next to or behind the listener, and Kenwood has even had the foresight to provide enough speaker wire to reach and a slot on the back of the speakers for wall mounting. The system features a changeable sound delay (from 15 to 30 ms) so that surround sound effects coincide with the sound coming from the front speakers. The system is also equipped electronically to either upgrade the speakers or add a powered subwoofer. The 3 CD changer works quickly and allows the user to change CDs while another is playing. It also has modes for shuffling 1 CD, shuffling all the CDs, programming on 1, 2 or 3 CDs, repeating songs, or playing all the CDs through. The system has an attractive and easy to use display that includes full scrolling text. The dual jogs allow quick movement through menus and submenus once you get used to it. The sound control is impressive, with four genre settings, 4 computer controlled ambient sound emulations, 3 surround sound features, 3 programmable equalizer settings, and a even a flat equalizer setting. The dual cassette is able to be synchronized with the CD player for making mix tapes or recording whole CDs (or a series of CD selections). It is fully reversible, does song searching, and has Dolby noise reduction. As a whole, the unit is sharp looking and solidly built. If placed on the floor, however, it would be easy to apply too much pressure to the CD drawer and break it when it is open. The remote is complex enough to make navigation through the unit's features fairly simple. Oh, and the sound is very good. If you are a frequent rap listener, an added subwoofer will be necessary to pick up those 20-40Hz sounds that you can feel more than hear. I've played rock, jazz, and classical on this unit and it sounds like the artists are right there. Raiders of the Lost Ark sounds fantastic too. I expected a good unit from Kenwood, and I got a very good to excellent one.

Rating:
Summary: killer sound for a killer price
Review: this stereo is awesome! great sound, great look, it provides evreything you need in bookshelf stereo!