Kenwood Excelon XR900-5 Class D 5 channel Amplifier Review

 

Gas prices are going up. So there is an emphasis on gas mileage. This translates into more smaller cars and space is a premium. Kenwood has designed products just for this predicament. And the Kenwood Excelon XR900-5 5 Channel Amplifier is a perfect example of it. It is a 5 channel amp that is designed to power your whole system.  And as a Reference Fit amp, it does its job in a small compact footprint. Yet it is also an Excelon Series model, which means it is also a flagship model with all the bells and whistles that Kenwood has available.

Features and specs:

CEA-2006 Standard	60 W x 4     RMS Watts per channel @ 4 ohms, 1% THD+N 400 W x 1     RMS Watts per channel @ 4 ohms, 1% THD+N 78dB     Signal to Noise Ratio (Reference: 1 Watt into 4 ohms)
Max Power Output	-
Rated Power Output	14.4 V     60 W x 4 / 400W x 1   (4Ω) (20 Hz - 20 kHz, 1.0% THD) (20 Hz - 200 Hz, 1.0% THD) 75 W x 4 / 600W x 1   (2Ω) (1 kHz, 1.0% THD) (100 Hz, 1.0% THD)
Frequency Response	20-20kHz(±1dB)
Input Sensitivity	0.2 V - 5.0 V (MIN-MAX)
Input Impedance	10 kΩ
Signal to Noise Ratio	100 dB
Low Pass Filter Frequency	(-24dB/oct)     50 Hz - 200 Hz (variable)   Low-Pass Filter Frequency
High Pass Filter Frequency	(-12 dB/oct.)     50 Hz - 200 Hz (variable)   High-Pass Frequency
Dimensions (W x H x D)	260 x 51 x 169 mm (10-1/4 x 2 x 6-5/8)

 

The Kenwood Excelon XR900-5 came in an attractive color printed box with pictures of the amp and it’s specs and features listed. Opening the box showed a well protected amp, wrapped in plastic, and held in place firmly by custom molded Styrofoam. Also included was the owners manual, warranty card, and hex wrench. Quality of materials used in the construction was very good, as well as the quality of the construction and the fit and finish. The amp also passed my heft test. High Quality components in amps such as power supplies, and heat sinks, are heavy.  So typically, high quality amps have weight to them, and such is the case of the Kenwood Excelon XR900-5.

I really like the features of the Kenwood Excelon XR900-5.  It is a Class D design, which is more efficient, and allows for a smaller footprint.  Kenwood does even more, however, to make the design even more space saving.  The use lower profile power supply caps to reduce its height by 33%.  They also angle the internal heat sink by 45 degrees to reduce the height even more, all the while doing so without taking a heat in its ability to dissipate heat.  To help dissipate heat even more, the XR900-5 uses air cooling with an internal fan.  The fan is situated next to the heat producing circuitry, drawing air across those circuits, and out an exhaust opening behind the fan. The wiring connector strip was moved to the inside.  Accessing the wiring connectors is done by removing a panel at the top of the amp.  Not only does this further reduce the size, but it also helps to protect the connections, all while giving a cleaner look.

Additional features include a variable low-pass and high-pass crossover, gold plated terminals, and hex terminals.  The -24dB Low Pass Filter and -12dB High Pass Filters are variable.  This allows you to dial in the correct filter sets for your particular component speaker system. The gold plated input terminals are excellent in conductivity, and also yields a wider frequency response, lower distortion, and better dynamic range and signal to noise ratio.  And the HEX type terminals make tightening down the terminals much easier.  All of the controls being on the bottom of the amp were easy to read, and made for easy adjustments and customization of the crossovers and gain settings.

Personally, I have been a big fan of the Class D design.  They are more efficient, and take up less space.  The sound quality has not been quite as good as the Class AB Topology, but the use of higher speed MOSFETS have improved that even more, making the narrow sound quality gap between them and the Class AB, even narrower.  Efficiency can be critical, especially in smaller cars like a Honda.  The stock Honda alternator, such as one on an older Civic, will produce less than 100amps.  And part of that has to be used to power the vehicle.  So an amp like the efficient Kenwood Excelon XR900-5 Class D 5 channel amp, that can run your whole system, is JUST what the doctor ordered.  I have also been a fan of the look that has been Kenwood, with the black brushed aluminum look.  Stylish!

The Kenwood Excelon XR900-5 was stellar in its performance.  Turning to many of my trusted tracks, it was quite transparent.  The sound was not colored at all, and providing the sound I am used to hearing in my music.  The highs were crisp and clean, the mids were natural and smooth.  The resolution was very good, providing great harmonics and details in the music.  Vocals sounded natural with nice timbre.  On the subwoofer side of the amp, we saw the same level of performance.  The XR900-5 provided great power with control of the sub.  My sub played loud, deep, was well controlled, and was also very musical.

The Kenwood Excelon XR900-5 Class D 5 Channel proved to be another excellent performer from Kenwood.  The controls were easy to read and adjust.  And I liked the clean look of having the wiring under the protective panel.  But the truth is in the pudding, and delicious pudding it was.  The Kenwood Excelon XR900-5 proved to be quite transparent, and very musical.  Highs were crisp and clean, the mids were smooth and provided plenty of energy.  And the sub channel provided plenty of power for just about any sub at 400 watts at 4ohms.  You can get 600 watts at 2ohms, but it does come at a small price of a bit in sound performance and additional heat.   Unfortunately there is no option for a wired bass boost remote.  While I would prefer to see the option of having a wired bass boost remote for the subwoofer portion of the amp, there is always the head unit for controlling the bass output of your sub.  At an MSRP of $599, it is an excellent sounding amp that can power your whole system in a very small package.  Based on its design, features, quality, and performance, the Kenwood Excelon XR900-5 Class D 5 Channel Amp has earned our Highly Recommended Award.  Kudos to Kenwood for a great amp.  For more info and complete specs, check out their website at www.kenwoodusa.com.

Reference gear used: Kenwood Excelon DNN990HD Connected Navigation Entertainment Receiver, JL XD 600/6 Six Channel Class D Amplifier, Vibe Audio Stereo 4 Four Channel Class GH Amplifier, Vibe Audio Black Death Mono Class GH Subwoofer Amp, AudioControl  DQXS Electronic 6 Channel Active Crossover and Equalizer, Kicker Front Row Digital Signal Processor, German Maestro MS 654010 3-Way Active Speaker System, Alpine SPX13-Pro Type-X 5.25" 2-Way Component Speaker System.  Massive Audio dual 8" DVC Subwoofers.

Kenwood KMR-355U Marine CD Receiver Review

We all tend to like to take of music with us. After all, music tends to make any activity more enjoyable. Car stereos started in the car, and then migrated to boats. Marine gear has now migrated to golf carts and ATV’s as well. Up for review today is a marine deck from Kenwood, their KMR-355U Marine CD Receiver.

Marine decks like the Kenwood KMR-355U are not waterproof. But they are designed to be used outdoors in a boat or ATV. They tend to have features that make them more durable against high heat and moisture, and use a conformal-coated circuit board that helps to prevent moisture from seeping in. This makes them perfect for these types of vehicles.

Features and specs…

RMS Power Output Loading...	22 watts
Peak Output Loading...	50 watts
CEA Compliant Loading...	No
RMS Power Bandwidth Loading...	20-20KHz
Preamp Outputs Loading...	4-channel
Sub Preamp Outputs Loading...	No
Preamp Voltage Loading...	2.5 volts
Display Color Loading...	Bluish white
Key Button Color Loading...	Blue
EQ Bands Loading...	3
Wireless Remote Loading...	No
Wired Remote Loading...	Optional
Flip-Down Face Loading...	No
Parts Warranty Loading...	1 Year
Labor Warranty Loading...	1 Year

The Kenwood KMR-355U came shipped in a standard attractive looking printed box, with features and images of the receiver. It was well printed, in molded Styrofoam, and included the detachable face, cloth holder for the face, and owner’s manual. Build quality, materials used, and fit and finish, were as good as and typical for car receivers.

It really is amazing at the features that came even with a lower priced receiver like the KMR-355U. MSRP is only $140. Yet they still managed to include features like dual front inputs, Sirius XM Radio, Pandora control with iPhone or music live for Android, 4 channel pre-outs, EQ, and crossover, to name a few.

The Kenwood KMR-355U Marine CD Receiver also performed very well, as I expected a Kenwood product would. CD playback and navigation was flawless. Radio tuning was also good. The built-in amplifier also performed well.

The Kenwood KMR-355U proved to be quite the performer. And it had a good amount of settings. The display and backlighting for the buttons were bright, and it also had a dimmer. Other settings included tone controls for treble, midrange, and bass. There were preset EQ settings such as rock, jazz, pop, etc. It also had a separate loudness, and even a bass boost. There is even a Volume Offset setting. The volume levels are not always the same for all sources.  Volume Offset allows you to adjust the volume of the different sources so they are the same.

Something should also be said of the detachable face.  I live in a golf course community, and with the increase in gas cost, many individuals will drive their golf carts all over the community, even the grocery store.  And many have fun tricking them out with after-market parts, and stereo systems. Here the Kenwood KMR-355U is a perfect addition, in an open golf cart. And if you drive down the road to a friends, or take it to the store, just take the faceplate with you for added security.

Living in a more rural setting, some radio stations are harder to pull in. The Kenwood KMR-355U tuner did a good job of pulling in the stations. While not perfect, it had some troubles with some stations. But the tuner performance was at least on par with other receivers.

CD Performance was flawless. Play, pause, searching tracks, random play, repeat, etc…no problem. Sound quality was also very good. The CD transport and built-in amplifier was also sufficiently transparent for what it is. I was very pleased with it’s audio performance. The built-in amplifier did very well pushing some of my Pioneer Tri-axels. And when pushing the bass settings all the way up, and cranking the volume, the built-in amp got them bumping pretty good. Bass is more taxing on an amp, and it did a good job.

All in all, the Kenwood KMR-355U Marine CD Receiver performed very well.  It has an MSRP of only $140 and can be found for less online.  Kenwood has a reputation of providing a good product, and the reputation continues.  If you are in the market for an entry level marine receiver, the Kenwood KMR-355U should be on your short list.  Based on it's design, features, quality, and performance, the Kenwood KMR-355U Marine CD Receiver has earned our Recommended Award.  For more info and complete specs, check out their website at www.kenwoodusa.com.

Massive Audio Hippo 84 Dual 4ohm Subwoofer Review by Jeff Roy

When it comes to subwoofers, bigger is usually better, or it has been in the past.  Technology is getting better, and has allowed more performance in smaller packages.  Smaller subs also means less space requirements for it, as well as a smaller enclosure.  The Massive Audio Hippo 84 - Dual 4 Ohm, is one of those products.  They are a small 8” subwoofer for a small footprint.  Yet they are still a traditional Massive Audio Product, in its massive performance.

Features and specs:

-Weight:              18 lbs

-Size:                    8"

-Peak Watts:       1000

-RMS Watts:       500

-Cone:                  Non-Pressed Paper

-Dustcap:             Reinforced Fiberglass Woven Dustcap For High Power Applications

-Voice Coil:         2.5" Dual 4 Ohm Black Anodized Voice Coil Former With Kevlar Spunlace

-Surround:           Tall and Narrow Foam

-Pole-Plate:         Black Anodized One Piece Pole-Plate For Added Motor Force

-Magnet:             145 oz High Energy Double Stacked Strontium

-Gasket:               Custom Tooled Rubber Gasket and Magnet Boot

-Terminals:          Heavy Duty Direct input Wires Connection

-Basket:               Rugged Industrial Textured Cast Aluminum

-Tinsel Leads:     Heavy Duty Triple

-Spiders:              Over Sized Mirror Image Dual Poly / Nomex

-X-Max:                13mm peak to peak

-SPL:                     88.27dB

-Ported Box:       14"H x 14"D x 10" W (Round Port 3" x 8")

-Sealed Box:       0.76 ft3

-MSRP:                 $249

The Massive Audio Hippo 84 - Dual 4 ohm, is part of their top of the line Hippo series and it shows. They arrived in a traditional Massive designed printed box with specs and features. Opening the box showed a piece of custom molded Styrofoam that the subwoofer sat in and was well protected. Pulling out the subwoofer revealed a well made product.  Materials used in the construction was very good, as well as the build quality and fit and finish.  Included was the warranty card, massive sicker, spec sheet, and cut out sheet.

The Massive Audio Hippo 84 is not a traditional 8” subwoofer. It is massive! While other 8” subs will usually handle 100, 150 or maybe 250 watts RMS, the Massive Audio Hippo 84 will handle 500 watts RMS! And the build of it shows from top to bottom. The huge double stacked magnets sit on cast aluminum brackets. The cone is Kevlar fiber reinforced non-pressed paper cone, and is attached to the huge surround with industrial strength stitching for added strength. The spiders, with the leads stitching were all high quality in quality of components as well as fit and finish.  Instead of push terminals, there are direct input wires connections.  It is a well built sub made to handle all the output it is designed to dish out. And the design of its look in the end product is awesome. It is only an 8" sub, but it still looks and feels like a tank!

Looking at the spec sheet, I am excited!  At 500 watts RMS power handling, it will play loud.  According to the specs it will also play deep.  And it will do so in a small enclosure due to its smaller 8” driver size. It can also be used in either a sealed or ported enclosure. Included in the specs are box sizes for both small and recommended. So depending on your space limitations, you know what your options are.

Massive Audio can also help with custom box design.  To fully test out their performance in different enclosures, we built an enclosure for two subs.  Each sub sits in its own separate airspace.  Only we went with one side as a compact sealed, and the other side as an optimum sized ported enclosure.  But we went with a slot design.  As these subs tend to be used when there is a lack of space, testing performance in a compact sealed design seemed only natural.  Yet many also need more output.  So also testing the optimum sized ported enclosure also made sense.  Not only do we like high output, we also look for sound quality.  So whether you opt for a sealed or ported design, stay tuned.

Dead or Alive: You Spin Me Right Round, had a nice quick beat that really hit you.  The ultra quick beats were only a smidge muddy.  No Doubt: Hella Good had very good extension and played with A LOT of authority.  It was absolutely chest pounding!  The same can be said of Justin Timberlake's Futuresex: Sexy Back.  The Massive Audio Hippo 84 8" subs played clean, loud, AND deep.  I kept  doing a double take to look at the subs, because they were only 8's (but shhh.....don't tell them that!).  They actually sounded like 12's!!  The surrounds are beefy and allow for a lot of excursion, which is necessary for them to move so much air.  To test their limits I turned to my old school Techmaster PB: Time To Jam.  While this seemed to push them close to their limit, they were still up to the task.  I like my bass loud, and they accommodated. They played deep, loud, and clean, with good resolution even.  I went with the optimum sized ported sub for one of them, and ended with a box tuned to 33hz at -3db.  Techmaster PB plays not only loud, but deep, and the sub nailed it.  The sub in the small sealed enclosure played clean with the tighter bass you get from a sealed enclosure.  All in all, they performed as well as I was hoping, and did so in a small enclosure.  And having one sealed and one ported sounded really good.  I will also say they seemed to like power.  They can handle 500 watts RMS, and would recommend it.  Especially if you plan on pushing them hard.

When it comes to car audio subwoofers, there are a lot of options.  There are a lot of manufactures that are fighting for a piece of the market and your hard earned cash.  Years ago we were able to review their award winning TW12's, and they performed amazingly.  We naturally had high expectations.  We are therefore very pleased to see the tradition is continuing.  Not everyone is in the know with car audio, so many individuals turn to brands they know and trust that turn out great products year in year out.  Massive Audio is a company that fits that mold.  That is a fact that many car audio fanatics....ones that are in the know....already know.  For those that already own Massive Audio subs, welcome to the club.  For the rest of you, once you hear them....you will want to join.  With their MSRP of $249, they bring a lot to the table and are worth every penny!  Hats off to Massive Audio for continuing in their tradition.

The Massive Audio Hippo 84 - 4 ohm DVC subwoofer turned out to be quite the contender.  They are well designed, and are built to handle all that the most demanding of us can ask from it.  And they delivered in spades.  Not only did they perform better than a small 8 inch sub should, they did so with nice sound quality as well.  Based on their design, features, quality, and performance, the Massive Audio Hippo 84 - 4 ohm DVC subwoofer has earned our Highly Recommended Award.  For more info and complete specs, check out their website at www.massiveaudio.com.  

Reference gear used: Kenwood Excelon DNN990HD Connected Navigation Entertainment Receiver, JL XD 600/6 Six Channel Class D Amplifier, Vibe Audio Stereo 4 Four Channel Class GH Amplifier, AudioControl  DQXS Electronic 6 Channel Active Crossover and Equalizer, Kicker Front Row Digital Signal Processor, German Maestro MS654010 3-Way Active Speaker System, Alpine SPX13-Pro Type-X 2-Way Speaker System.

Samsung Galaxy S4

Every once in a while a phone will come out and we get the opportunity to spend quality time with it. We recently had the Galaxy S4 in our hands. Today we're going to talk about all the features it brings to the table and our experience with the phone.

Specs

The Galaxy S4 has a long list of specifications which we've included below. To highlight a few, the display is a full 1920x1080 resolution on a 5 inch display. That means the pixels are extremely small on this phone which gives it a very crisp look. We're reviewing the Sprint version of the Galaxy S4 so the processor inside is the 1.9 GHz Quad-Core Snapdragon 600. The processor and 2 GB of RAM are the perfect setup for a buttery smooth experience.

Display

5inch Full HD Super AMOLED (1920 x 1080) display, 441 ppi

AP

1.9 GHz Quad-Core Processor / 1.6 GHz Octa-Core Processor

The seletion of AP will be differed by markets

OS

Android 4.2.2 (Jelly bean)

File Storage

16 / 32 / 64GB memory + microSD slot (up to 64GB)

Memory

2GB RAM

Camera

Main(Rear): 13 Mega pixel Auto Focus camera with Flash & Zero Shutter Lag, BIS

Sub (Front): 2 Mega pixel camera, Full HD recording @30fps with Zero Shutter Lag, BIS

Camera Features

Dual Shot , Drama Shot, Sound & Shot, 360 Photo, Animated Photo, Eraser, Night, Best Photo, Best Face, Beauty Face, HDR (High Dynamic Range), Panorama, Sports

Video

Recording & Playback: Full HD (1080p)

Sensors

Accelerometer, RGB light, Geomagnetic, Proximity, Gyro, 

Barometer

Temperature & Humidity, Gesture

Dimension

136.6 x 69.8 x 7.9 mm, 130g

Connectivity

WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (HT80)

GPS / GLONASS

NFC, Bluetooth® 4.0 (LE)

IR LED (Remote Control), MHL 2.0

Battery

2,600mAh

Build Quality

The Galaxy S4 is a beautiful looking phone. It's super thin and the brushed steel look on the band around the phone gives is a sleek look. The phone casing is made of plastic which several people could be turned off by. In my experience with all the phones I've had the pleasure to use, this is easily solved through any number of cheap or expensive cell phone cases. The trade off is added bulk. If the phone was made from more durable materials, a case is still arguably a good thing to have.

The micro USB slot is located on the bottom of the phone with the mic slightly off to one side. This is one annoyance I've had with most phones. If the phone is plugged in I can't easily rest it on anything without worrying about ruining the USB cable from kinking the cable too much.

The button configuration is identical to the Galaxy S3. There are two touch sensitive buttons to the left (menu) and right (back) of the physical button which is horizontally centered at the bottom of the phone. We've seen phones with soft keys, physical buttons, touch sensitive buttons or a mix. You might have a preference, but we think with a short amount of time anyone can adjust to the GS4 button layout.

On the left side of the phone you'll find the standard volume rocker and the power button is on the right hand side of the phone.

The phone comes with a set of earbuds, a nicely shielded USB cable and a power adapter. The earbuds have an inline mic and control which make them perfect for listening to music and answering the phone all in one. The power adapter is a solid 2.0A out.

The screen is made from Corning's own Gorilla Glass 3. It's nice to see a quality scratch resistant material being used on a premium phone like this. Of course the screen can still get scratched, but if you're careful you might be able to get away without a screen protector. We would not recommend this; however, I know plenty of people that refuse to use screen protectors. If you are one of those people, the Galaxy S4 comes with the toughest most scratch resistant screen you will find on a smartphone.

Hardware Features

I love innovation. In terms of hardware the Galaxy S4 has several sensors that enable smarter software which we'll get to later on. One of my favorite additions to phones is the IR light. I've been waiting for years to see this happen. I almost built my own device using an arduino, a USB shield and and accessory development kit. That would have been bulky and unpleasant to look at. The Galaxy S4 includes an IR LED at the top of the phone opening up a world of remote control possibilities and not just limited to home entertainment products. I downloaded an app and in minutes I was snapping photos with my DSLR Nikon without having to touch the camera. Anything that uses an IR remote could be controlled from your phone.

There are additional sensors on the front of the phone which can be used for proximity, gestures and even temperature and humidity. I'm sure the Nest home thermostat could hook in to this data to provide even better temperature control when the phone is connected to the same WiFi. The fact that these additional sensors are being added to the phone opens up possibilities to developers.

Wireless technology is definitely progressing. The Galaxy S4 supports the newer 802.11 ac WiFi standard. It also comes with Bluetooth 4.0 (LE) which will be nice for those of us that sometimes forget turn Bluetooth off.

The rear camera is a 13 MP camera and the front camera is a 2 MP camera. We were pleased to see support for HDR photos via their Rich Tone feature.

Software Features

Call Quality

Experience

Conclusion