Kenwood's 25th anniversary gear?

[yacob.naif 10+ year member]

Hey gang!

I've been searching the web for ANY information on the 4 channel and 1 channel kenwood 25th anniversary amplifiers, as well as the $999.99 25th anniversary component speakers.

I just recently bought the 25th anniversary head unit for my a6, and i love it. I was able to find lots of information on this board about it (both positive and negative) and decided to give it a shot.

I just recently realized that there's an entire line of audio gear for the 25th anniversary, and i was curious if anyone here has any of it in their car, or knows where i can find more info!

Right now i have a pair of last years Alpine type-r components in my front doors, a pair of last year's rockford fosgate components in the back doors, and a rockford fosgate 10" p3 sub in a 1.0 cf sealed box in the hatch. All 5 speakers all hooked up to a Soundstream Van Gogh VGA800.5 amp, and it sounds decent, but since i started reading up on these boards, i've got an urge to step up to the big leagues and get some better equipment.

I love my soundstream amp to death, but the power's a little lacking, so i was looking at the 25th anniversary 4-channel amp to replace it, to power either a set of Alpine type-x's, or a pair of the kenwood XXV-04S components in the front doors, and then putting my alpine type-r's in the back.

I'm not even worried about subs yet, i'm just trying to decide on some better comps, and a power plant.

So, does anyone know much about the Kenwood XXV-02A amp? Is this going to be on the same quality level as my vga800.5? SQ and durability are my 2 main priorities, i just need a little more power for some thirstier speakers.

And how about the Kenwood XXV-04S vs. The alpine type-x's vs. my current alpine type-r's? Does anyone have actual experience with two or more of these sets of speakers? And has anyone ANYONE ever heard the XXV-04S's? There's really NO information on the web about them, other than specs, which i've learned don't always mean very much with car audio companies. I would be really interested to hear how they stack up against the alpine type-x's, since those were my prior #1 pick before i found out kenwood actually took a stab at making a high end component set this year.

Thanks in advance!

Nate.

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[Jdizzle 10+ year member]

i've heard good things about the 25th aniversary stuff....i saw a 4 channel a few days ago i dont remember where and it was pretty nice and had a decent power rating....

 

[Blunt 10+ year member]

prowler is a kenwood fan he may know more. I believe he has the 25th aniv h/u

 

[Prowler573 5,000+ posts]

prowler is a kenwood fan he may know more. I believe he has the 25th aniv h/u

Yes I am and Yes I do. As the original poster also has an XXV-01D I'll assume that he doesn't need any info on that, though.

The Kenwood eXcelon 25th Anniversary amplifiers ~ XXV-02A and XXV-03A

 

I'll preface this by saying I have no direct hands-on experience with either of these units...

The XXV-02A multichannel and the XXV-03A monoblock are the 25th Anniversary editions of the KAC-X541 and KAC-X811D, respectively. When the KAC-**** units originally came out I was terribly unimpressed with the specs on them so I steered clear of them if for no other reason than they both had a

These 25th Anniversary units, however, (according to the published specs) apparently made considerable improvements over their older cousins and were I in the market for an amplifier I would likely look to those first (being the undeniable eXcelon fan that I am...) They are CEA 2006 compliant so you know that if you feed them 14.4vdc that you will get at or above rated output. The cosmetics aren't awful and that's a decided plus to my mind.

Additionally, since you already have the XXV-01D HU you could take advantage of the A.M.S. connection were you to get one or both of these amps. Here's a description of the A.M.S. "borrowed" from Crutchfield:

Amplifier Management System (A.M.S.): The XXV-*whatever amp* is compatible with 2004 or later Kenwood head units that feature an LX-Bus connection and the Amplifier Management System. When connected via a control cable (item #469KNWDIN) and standard S-Video cables (for 2-way remote operation), you can perform the following:

• Daisy Chaining Amplifiers: Up to 7 additional A.M.S.-compatible Kenwood eXcelon amps can be connected together and controlled by the head unit. The "master" amp is assigned the ID # 0, and subsequent amps are assigned ID #s 1-7 to give you independent amp control.
  
• Amp Adjustments: Using the display and menu control on the top of the amplifier, the following settings can be adjusted for each connected amplifier:
  
  Bass Center Frequency: select 60Hz, 80Hz, 100Hz or 120Hz
  
• Bass Gain: set between -15 and +15
  
• Bass Q Factor: select between 1.00, 1.25, 1.50 and 2.00
  
• Bass Extension: turn on or off; when on the low frequency response is extended by 20%
  
• Volume Offset: adjusts the volume compared to other connected amps
  
• Temperature Mode: select display mode of temperature measurement between Fahrenheit or Celsius.
  
• Default Values: resets all values to the initial (default) values
  

[*]Display: The following can be displayed on the compatible head unit for each amplifier:

• Amplifier Status: source voltage, current consumption, internal temperature (°F or °C), rotation speed of cooling fan (Fast/Slow/Off)
  
• ID Number: the ID number assigned to the amplifier you have selected
  
• Error Status: When a connected amplifier fails, the amp number and the error status message are displayed
  

I have no experience with the XXV-05V in-dash DVD unit but past performance on Kenwood's DVD units reviews positively so I have no reason to doubt this 25th Anniversary unit won't be at least as good if not better.

And lastly, the XXV-04S component set. I'm too lazy to go look but there was a debate regarding these being put up against another set (different brand) and even on paper, without doing an actual comparison in person, the Kenwoods were found lacking. As much of a fan of Kenwood as I am I hate to admit it - but historical performance would indicate that there is no way in Hades that Kenwood managed to pull off a component set that is worth anything approaching $1K. I have yet to hear a set myself, as there are no Kenwood dealers authorized to carry the eXcelon gear so I can't just go have a listen for myself locally. I'll simply say I have my reservations about them and I think for the $$$ (or even considerably less!) there are likely much better options available to you.

 

[yacob.naif 10+ year member]

Thanks a lot for the info.

I'm starting to really consider the 4-channel amp, i've read that their excellon line of amps actually puts out the rated power, or even marginally better, which is good. And also that even the sq on the normal line is excellent, and if they made it even nicer for the 25th anniversary, it sounds like a winner.

The control feature is definitely an awesome draw, too. I love the idea of being able to tweak the amp from my seat, so i can actually HEAR the adjustments without having to run back and forth to the amp, and back into the car with a screwdriver!!!! Not to mention being able to take a peak at my voltage and temperatures while on the go.

I still haven't decided on the mono amp for a subwoofer yet. It's mainly going to come down to whether or not the jl-mob convinces me to invest 99% of my savings into a w7, in which case i'll probably get the jl 1000/1. If i can maintain my sanity, and get a sub that'll make a 1 ohm load, i'll probably get the kenwood.

 

[Jdizzle 10+ year member]

you def cant go wrong with kenwood amps