Kenwood XXV-01D or something else for $200

[bigj06040 10+ year member]

I am thinking about getting either the kenwood XXV-01D for $200 from http://www.salectronics.com/detail.asp?product_id=XXV01DRB, the only thing is that it is refurbished. I was also thinking about getting the DEH-P680MP for $165. Which one should i go with, i want to keep it around $200

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[phyphoestilic 5,000+ posts]

My bro got the Kenwood X890 from ebay for about $185, he loves it.

 

[bigj06040 10+ year member]

does the x890 have a good eq

 

[SQBubble 10+ year member]

4-band for each front and rear speakers.

 

[Prowler573 5,000+ posts]

The EQ in the X890 (I believe) is the same as the EQ in the XXV-01D.

A 4-band PEQ rather than graphic (adjustable center frequency for each band).

 

[MasonSmitty 10+ year member]

My refurb from Salectronics appears brand new

I love this unit

 

[MBrock4u 10+ year member]

That 25th anniversary unit is a beautiful head unit. It has amazing tweeking capabilities. I would personally be skeptical about putting anything refurbished in my system. For me if its not brand new I don't mess with it. On the other hand, that is a great price so if your willing to take a risk, thats a great deal. Good luck!

 

[dleccord 5,000+ posts]

i got my refurb and it's working flawlessly so far. i also purchased the 3 year warranty along with the deck.

 

[XTRProBoy 10+ year member]

I would personally be skeptical about putting anything refurbished in my system. For me if its not brand new I don't mess with it.

You do realise that in some cases refurbished products are better than brand new ones right?

It's dependent upon who refurbishes it (manufacturer or manufacturer-contracted is best) and why the product(s) had to be refurbished but it is indeed very possible that a refurb version is better than the original brand new production run...

Here's an example. Say a manufacturer puts out a product that has an inherent design flaw. Perhaps the optical pickup, an IC, the firmware, or some other component wasn't designed right or the manufacturer got a bad batch from the supplier. There's lots of different scenarios, really.

Anyway first you could ask "why are all these refurbs showing up on the market?" If there's a significant number of them it likely means a lot of the originals were returned under warranty and the manufacturer shipped out a replacement unit (either new or refurbed) to the customer and the returned ones were repaired in the meantime, to be sold as refurbs later. The ones returned were likely returned for a common problem (if there's a lot of them).

Say the part(s) that were known to cause failure were replaced with updated or non-flawed ones in the refurb and all the cosmetic stuff (faceplate lenses, buttons, etc) replaced to make it look new again. There you go, you have a refurb that looks like new and is actually better than the product it started as due to updated parts/firmware, etc. to avoid/repair what might have been a potential problem in the initial production run of the product. I mentioned "avoid" as well because even if something else is repaired other than the common-failure or problem part, those parts will often still be replaced with updates ones (and firmware updated if applicable) in addition to other repairs, before the product is shipped back out to be sold as refurbished.

It's not always the case with every refurb, but it is very possible to have refurb products which are technically better than brand new ones--it often irks me that people deliver catch all statements about refurbs like "I'd never buy anything refurbished" when that isn't really an informed statement, IMO.

 

[dleccord 5,000+ posts]

good info on refurbs

 

[Chad T 10+ year member]

Does the XXV-01D allow time alignment presets? i.e. can you select one preset that is optimized for the driver's seat for when you are alone in the car? Then select another preset for when you have passengers in the car?

Also, what differences are there between the 890 and the 01D? Thanks!

 

[BodegaBay 10+ year member]

Does the XXV-01D allow time alignment presets? i.e. can you select one preset that is optimized for the driver's seat for when you are alone in the car? Then select another preset for when you have passengers in the car?  

Also, what differences are there between the 890 and the 01D? Thanks!

Yes it does. Differences can be read in this thread.

 

[Chad T 10+ year member]

Unless I overlooked it, in that thread I mainly saw comparisons betweeen the 990 and 01D. I was looking for the differences between the 890 and 01D. Thanks.

 

[hondarider 10+ year member]

well the 01D is very similiar to x990. It should be better equal or better than the 890 in everyway. The 890 only has 3 band PEQ. And the 890 does has a USB input if that matters to you. But it doesn't have time alignment or SRS WOW.

 

[Chad T 10+ year member]

Well, after chewing on this for a couple months, I finally pulled the trigger and ordered an XXV-01D! I've had a hard time deciding between it and a Pioneer 880, but the Kenwood won out. This will replace the very old Kenwood PS907 in my 1991 Toyota 4x4 Extended Cab pickup.

I got it for $215.83 including shipping from saletronics.com.