Kenwood Excelon KDC-X704

Connections, clarity, and control

Whether you're simply looking for a solid replacement car stereo or a versatile media hub for a growing system, the Kenwood KDC-X704 CD receiver includes lots of music options, connectivity for adding gear, and several ways to control the setup, including Amazon Alexa voice control. Its built-in Bluetooth® offers wireless convenience for your smartphone. If you crave radio, this receiver also offers Pandora® and Spotify® controls, a built-in HD Radio® tuner, and an option for satellite radio, too. Kenwood tops it off with deep tone controls and hot preamp outputs for additional amps. Kenwood also backs up this receiver with a 2-year warranty.

Alexa voice control

After you load the Alexa app onto your phone and pair your phone to this Kenwood receiver, simply press the dedicated "Alexa" button on the faceplate, and you can access music, audiobooks, news, weather, traffic, and smart home controls using your voice.

Bluetooth = wireless

Bluetooth is the norm for wireless phone functionality these days. The KDC-X704 lets you pair two Bluetooth-equipped phones and quickly switch between them for hands-free calling. You can also stream music, audiobooks, and podcasts from the phone that's active. Kenwood also added a little fun to audio streaming with their Music Mix feature — pair five phones so everybody can pick their tunes for the ultimate road trip playlist. Bluetooth also lets you control this stereo directly from your iPhone® or Android™ phone by downloading Kenwood's free Remote app.

Media to the max

You can play and charge your iPhone® or check out a USB drive filled with high-res FLAC and WAV files through the front USB port. Android™ users, you can control and play music using Bluetooth. Kenwood rounds out the connectivity with a front aux input for a portable music player.

The KDC-X704 gives you all kinds of radio options, with controls for Spotify and Pandora, along with an option for SiriusXM (optional satellite radio tuner and subscription required). This Kenwood also lets you enjoy HD Radio from participating stations, so you'll hear FM that's close to CD quality or AM that comes in clear and static-free. And most participating stations send out secondary programming, giving you more choices when you're in the mood for radio. And if you're not in an area with HD Radio stations, don't worry — this Kenwood's sensitive radio tuner will pick up local analog stations, too.

Mega tone controls

This Kenwood's 13-band equalizer and digital time alignment lets you zero in on the sweet sound you prefer. You can even use their handy Remote app to easily set your vehicle type, crossover settings, and preset EQ choice — all to get the best sound from your music. Kenwood included three sets of hot 5-volt preamp outputs for ultra-clean sound to go to additional amps or a powered subwoofer.