TOP-5 advanced 1DIN processor car radios

The Kenwood KMM-BT206 car radio is one of the most affordable offers in the class of single-din processor receivers. In addition, it captivates with a couple of interesting features. Let's dwell on those in more detail.

The device became the first sign of Kenwood with support for the Amazon Alexa voice assistant (understands only English) and tight integration with the Spotify music service. Head unit settings and audio track playback control are “rotated” through the Kenwood Remote smartphone app. For example, the graphical menu interface of the proprietary programme allows you to fine-tune the cutoff frequencies according to the caliber of the speakers and the distance to them, rather than setting these parameters directly from the receiver.

The audio system configuration is set in two available modes: two-channel (2WAY) and per-channel (3WAY). The car radio is "friendly" with all major audio track formats, incl. confidently "reads" uncompressed FLAC files (24 bit / 96 kHz). In one sitting, two smartphones are connected to it in hands-free mode and up to five mobile devices in audio track playback mode.

The buttons and rotary volume control of the head unit are illuminated in red, the symbols on the display are in white. Among other features of the model, it is necessary to note a shortened body, which, in particular, simplifies installation and facilitates wiring. Well, the cherry on the cake is the tasty price tag of a car receiver, akin to a well-made non-processor car radio.

Many of us like to sing along while driving to the beat of our favorite audio tracks. Together with the Pioneer DEH-S5000BT car radio, from now on you can arrange a real concert in the car.

The exclusive “feature” of the head unit is the karaoke function, for which it is possible to connect an external microphone through the AUX connector on the front panel of the radio. A wide range of sensitivity adjustment allows you to use almost any dynamic microphone for singing. This feature will be appreciated by fans of outings by large companies in nature, and the head unit will also look appropriate in the interior of sightseeing buses and taxi cars.

As for the “stuffing” of the Pioneer DEH-S5000BT, the built-in sound processor, which can operate in two modes: standard and network (per channel), pays close attention. In the standard mode, frequencies and time delays are adjusted for the front, rear and subwoofer. In the network, subwoofer inputs remain, the front turns into mid with independent high-pass and low-pass settings, and the rear becomes an output to the tweeters with its own high-pass filter. For the final adjustment of the sound, a 13-band graphic equalizer is provided.

The primary signal sources for the car radio are CDs, USB flash drives, smartphones and tablets. Mobile gadgets connect to the head unit via Bluetooth and allow you to operate the settings through the Advanced Remote Control App. Unfortunately, the expanded functionality of the programme is revealed only on Apple smartphones. Gadgets running Android are perceived by the radio as ordinary flash drives. The charm of the model in appearance is given by the multi-color illumination of the elements of the front panel, which is configured together and separately for the buttons together with the mechanical volume and screen knobs. The car radio fully justifies its price tag, besides, it simply does not have special analogues.

In the wake of the success of the KDC-300UV CD receiver, the Japanese brand Kenwood released its successor in 2018 - the KDC-320UI processor head unit, in which many aspects have been improved without compromising the price.

The radio is assembled on a full-size chassis and has a built-in CD-drive. In addition, a USB port and an AUX connector are placed on the front panel of its case. There are 6 RCA connectors from the rear in the receiver case - three pairs of line outputs with a signal amplitude of 4 V. The updated car radio processor allows you to configure two system operation modes: 2WAY (standard operation mode in front + rear + subwoofer configuration) or 3WAY (for systems with per-channel two-way front and subwoofer). In a three-way configuration, everything and everything lends itself to adjustments. It is most convenient to manipulate the settings using the Kenwood Remote application by connecting a smartphone via USB.

Through the menu of the radio , it is possible to adapt the sound settings to a specific type of car, whether it is a compact hatchback or a car in the back of a minivan. Thanks to the presence of time delays, a developed system of filters and frequency correction based on a CD receiver, you can build an audio system of a very serious level. A number of settings serve to improve overall sound perception. These are the Sound Recnstr, Space Enhance, Snd Realizer, Stage EQ and Drive EQ functions.

The "facade" of the Kenwood KDC-320UI head unit is made available to a 13-character display with a Russified menu and multi-color backlighting (adjustable separately for buttons and screen). The only complaint about the model is the ability to operate advanced sound settings through a mobile application only from “apple” gadgets. Otherwise, we face one of the strongest players in the arena of single-din processor car radios.

Audio equipment under the sign of the Japanese brand Pioneer is respected by fans of high-quality sound. The MVH-S520BT head unit will serve as the basic link for deploying a high-quality audio system on board the "iron horse".

The car receiver has a mounting size of 1DIN and a shortened body, which greatly simplifies the installation of the radio in the regular places of the front console. The model does not have a CD drive. Sound sources for it are USB-drives and mobile gadgets connected via a Bluetooth wireless network. The radio tape recorder reads all common audio file formats, incl. beloved WAV and FLAC.

The sound of the radio is adjusted to the ear of a particular listener by dragging the sliders of the 13-band equalizer with 6 out-of-the-box presets. and two custom settings. The operation of the head unit is established in two modes: standard (the entire frequency range goes to the front speakers, plus a subwoofer connection is provided for this) and network (with the possibility of dividing the upper and lower frequencies into speakers). In both cases, the sound field for the speakers is adjusted individually, in particular, the parameters of the time delay and signal level are subject to change.

You can adjust the sound of the receiver directly from the menu. But it is much more convenient to use a paired smartphone to adjust the sound. This action is rotated through the Pioneer Smart Sync application for mobile gadgets running iOS and Android. A 31-band equalizer is available in the programme, quick tuning according to the type of car body and adjusting the backlight tone is provided. As a bonus, the owners of the car radio get the karaoke function, which, in the absence of “clean” backing tracks, cuts out the words from the songs itself.

Alpine's trademark styling cues make Alpine head units stand out from thousands of their peers. Yes, and in terms of sound, the receivers of the Japanese brand will give odds to any opponent. In support of what has been said, let's sort through the ins and outs of the advanced single-din radio CDE-196DAB.

The head unit occupies the top lines of the podium in the cavalry of 1DIN processor CD receivers. At the head of the "insides" of the model is a digital sound processor, which provides the ability to set the values of the time correction of the system as a whole or each speaker separately, enjoy the benefits of a three-band crossover, and flexibly adjust the sound by dragging the sliders of the 9-band equalizer. In addition, the built-in amplifier has a declared power of 50 watts for each of the four channels.

It is best to set up the car radio through the Alpine Tunelt mobile application, since the single-line display of the model does not have a very comfortable setting of many parameters. Also, in close relationship with a paired smartphone, you can organize wireless broadcasting of music in quality up to 96 kHz / 24 bit (we are talking about FLAC files). The category of other advantages of the model includes control from the buttons on the steering wheel and fine-tuning the backlight (regardless of the buttons and the screen).

A deterrent from a momentary trip to the store for a car radio is the immodest price tag for the product. In other matters, you will not find equal to it in terms of purity of sound (together with the corresponding acoustics) during the day with fire. The model will please the ears of avid audiophiles with rich bass, well-developed mids and an “airy” top - all in the best traditions of Alpine's top-end radios.