BEST CAR RADIO

THE SOUND & SEQUENCE IS AMAZING. THE FEATURES ARE AWESOME. I LOVE THE CONVENIENCE OF THE REMOTE, BLUETOOTH,MP3. THE QUALITY OF MY KENWOOD PRODUCT IS ABSOLUTELY GREAT. I'M TOTALLY SATISFIED !

Love the remote!

I needed a radio for my sail boat and this one was on sale with a remote. I can function the radio from the rudder area and even from the shore as long as I have line-o-sight. I can use my Walkman Red for the music with less power drain on the boat battery. Also, it has a adjustment for the type of speakers used for the best sound.
I left the remote out on the deck in a rain storm, removed the batteries, placed it over the heater, dried it out, replaced the batteries and it worked just fine.

Nothing fancy here

I replaced an older Kenwood unit with this, making for an easy swap. Primarily bought for the aux input out in front. when looking at iphone playback devices that run 100 bux +, this seemed the more sensible way to go. At least for me, easy to install and no additional hardware except for the 3.5 mm cable running to the phone. Aesthetically this stereo is nothing fancy but not bad looking, though the display is pretty much the same as on the 12 year old unit this replaced. the rubberized buttons are a nice touch but the audio knob feels very flimsy, I find myself being too careful and always either turning the volume way too high or way too low. Also, this comes with a useless remote for you to stash away and never use.

great stereo

This stereo is an excellent product. Great sound for the price. Controls are easy to use and arranged well. Other reviews mentioned a problem with a Demo mode which is not a problem. Simply read the instructions to turn off the mode. Best Buy installed and the installer had already turned the Demo mode off before I returned to pick up vehicle. Installation was nicely done by the store. Well worth the money spent for installation. Only took about an hour before vehicle was ready. You will be happy with this product if you purchase it.

Defines Value

This unit performs far better than the price would indicate. The tuner is very sensitive and pulls in far away stations. The EQ and Sub woofer settings allow a large range of settings to tailor the sound of the system to the specific vehicle. Variable sub woofer pre-out level and cross over frequencies make setting up the sub woofer easy and quick. The amplifier has enough punch to give high volume with very little distortion. Easy installation as with most modern head units.
The only negative I have found is with the menu system. Some menus require very quickly punching one button and then another or you have to start over again. A little more delay between button presses would help.

Excellent value

The value is the high point. Nice features - not state-of-the-art, but nice. Not terribly easy to use. For instance, you have to press and hold the power button in to turn it off, switching to and from CD to tuner etc. should be easier. The most important thing to keep in mind is that it is NOT Bluetooth ready like the ad leads us to believe. In order for this to work with bluetooth, you need to purchase an additional attachment which is more than 150% of the price of this!

Shiny Stereo

I bought this for my boyfriend because his last stereo got stolen out of his car, and he deemed it not-girly enough to keep and put in his car, and he did it that night, which didn't take him that long.

It took us about a month to figure out how to turn off the demo screen thingy, which was undesirable, and rather annoying, because the button to change THAT option was different than to change every other option. But besides that, everything else was fantastic. I bought this on sale online, and it was definitely worth it.

Satisfied so far...

So far so good. Unfortunately, I did not have have it installed right away so I haven't had much time to play with it yet. I was satisfied with the reasonable price. I paid more for the parts & installation! I am not sure I like the smaller buttons yet...I'll need to get used to it. I love that I can hook up my ipod without finding a clear station or losing the station as I drove along. That was the plan! I haven't noticed a difference on the sound quality. I just had to tweak the sound a little for my preferences & it sounds pretty good.

all around great cd player

just a great all around stero 2out puts 4 2 amps plays mp3 players on aux cant beat it for the price when i bout mine i piad $79.99 i have paid $300 for a pioneer and this kenwood is alot better

Why bother with the MP-242!?

I grabbed this up while on sale and briefly looked at all the specs, seemed great. I got it and realized there was no wire, re-read the Best Buy Specifications and realized by "Ipod Ready" they listed a "cable" required to use an Ipod. The cable is actually a Kenwood module that utilizes the recievers potential with Ipod which only costs $60 more and Best Buy doesn't carry it. The whole reason I was purchasing this was for the Ipod Readiness! Whats even more a slap in the face is the KDC-MP342U which is $30 more but takes a cable that is only about $20 and connects to the front. The MP342U unit is also better equipped for subs.

IN DASH CD DECK

Cost, form andfit make it a good buy! Performs better than some higher priced models. Making it a even better deal would be reduced or free installtion with the purchase.

Excellent system for the $$

We love everything about this stereo. It sounds great, has great features and looks really good. The buttons are easy to use (many of the new stereos have tiny, tiny buttons). The only draw back was trying to program the menu out of demo mode. We followed the directions but finally had to call customer service to get it fixed.

Not all that happy

I am very disappointed with my new stereo system. It dropped all radio stations shortly after leaving Berkeley. It does not allow me to scan to other radio stations. I dislike how the flashing scroll stays on all the time. Not a happy camper.

Good Buy

The unit was easy to install and had all the functions we were looking for. The bigest part was being able to easly use an iPod and navigate between functions. Sounds great!

Car radio

This sterio was easy to install and looks great. I have yet to get it out of demo mode and unless you have all day to stay on the phone service is impossible to get

Good value

I installed it in my truck after purchasing the wiring adapter and bezel adapter. The installation was very easy and only took about 30 minutes.
The player works flawlessly and the sound quality is exceptional.

The only shortcoming I find is the lack of manual tuning the radio to specific numbers. It has push buttons which scan up or down the band to get the next station. Otherwise it is an excellent device I'd recommend.

Well Satisfied

Installed in a 01 Nissan to replace factory unit. Even with factory speakers the sound quality doubled. Installation was a breeze. The Aux input is soooo nice. With good speakers this unit will put out all the car can handle with out a doubt. The out puts for a sub woofer /HD radio and iPod adapter are icing on the cake. Great head unit at an even better price.

GREAT Stereo!!

Got this stereo to replace the dead CD player in my '02 Chrysler Sebring Sedan just before Christmas, had to pay for my local BEST BUY retailer to install it (looks like an easy install job anyways, with the right kit/adapters), and was really amazed at how well it sounds & plays CDs (whether new/store-bought, burned copies, or MP3 collections). Tuner is good & sensitive, pulls in local stations well. Works quite well with the factory 6-speaker setup, even has a customizable system EQ setting for different shapes/sizes of speakers as well as OEM, any number of over-all music EQ settings (Pop, Rock, Top 40, Country, Talk, etc.).

It even has a built-in, adjustable low-pass filter, along with the usual external outputs for an amp & sub(s). Includes an adjustable subwoofer level. Add to that it's both satellite & HD-radio ready (requires the additional tuners & subscription, of course), Bluetooth-ready (radio/CD will automatically mute when a call from a compatible  more

Great Buy!

Awesome sound from a dreat priced radio. IPod input awesome, great bass sound... controls a little difficult to use while driving. Overall, an excellent radio, especially for the price.

Great Deck Great Price

Replaced the oem radio/cassette in 1991 Topaz. Sounds excellent, love the remote. Unit was on sale for $79. Bought 2, one for me & one for my son. Paid to have mine installed due to year of car, but only took the tech like 25 mins to do it with a harness. Very Happy with it.

good product, great value

i bought this to play my ipod through the stereo since the quality of FM transmitters was really terrible. This did the trick! all i needed to purchase was the 3ft stereo cable ($10) and I was set. It's really easy to set up. The only annoying thing was the demo mode, but that was easy to get rid of once I read the manual. The bass isn't super strong (unless you set it up that way) which I actually like now since I can put the volume up louder with less vibration.

Great performance for the price!!!

I am extremely happy with this unit. I installed it myself along with some Jensen speakers and the sound is amazing. No comparison to the OEM system, and sounds as good as much more expensive units. I like the features, especially for the price of this unit. Highly recommend.

Amazing

I purchased this radio after returning a cheap pioneer that came with a set of 6 1/2" speakers. The difference was night and day even though the price was only $10 more. This is a great system for the money. The sound is clear and makes even my factory 10 year old speakers sound great. This unit looks really nice installed also. It doesn't have that toyish look to it like some units do. I plan on expanding my current system and this has everything I need to do that. This is the highest RMS rated radio that I could find (at 22 watts) in this price range. Anything higher and your looking at doubling the price. I'm not sure why Best Buy doesn't have this listed on their site. I had to look it up on another site. I got this unit on sale and don't think I could have gotten any more for my money.

The radio comes default in demo mode which was annoying, but luckily the manual was pretty clear on how everything works and it was easy to turn off. I also wish it had 3 sets of RCA outs, for  more

Great Stereo for the Price!!!

I bought this stereo to replace my factory one in my truck so that I can plug my iPod into it. Sound is awesome, even through factory speakers. Easy to set up and use. Everything you need at a great price.

Good Head Unit

I purchased this today December 26, 2009 and had it installed same day its a great stereo so far i like the many sound options-many settings its kinda difficult to figure out at first but if your a person like me and just go ahead and try to figure it out without looking at the manual it can be a little tricky but after i looked at the manual and got through it was simple it has a dimmer setting on the screen to dim the backlight. For the price that i paid was great ($79.99). I have a 98 Ford Ranger and it looks really nice. I had them install it and couldn't be happier with the finshed product. On mine the old head unit that some one had in it they wired it worng and the guys rewired it for $35 and said that it would be an extra hour on top of the orignal 45mins to install it and the guy had it done within a hour and ten min so overall it was worth the 80 for the strero the 20 for the trim the extra 35 for the rewring plus the 50 for the install. Mine came out to around $220. Worth the  more

Best car stereo yet at a nice price!

I was in the market for a new car stereo/cd player for a while due to my old deck just getting worn down(pioneer). I wanted to go with Kenwood because I've used them in the past and never had a problem with any of the audio equipment. This unit has a ton of features which come in very handy and are very simple to use. Very powerful sound from a nicely priced deck.

This thing sounds awesome

I put this stereo in a 99' windstar van with the factory speakers,its been 6yrs or so since i have installed a system in my car but this was fairly simple to install,i purchased this from reading the reviews it had and they were all accurate,this thing sounds awesome and it plays mp3's so you can download a cd with 100 songs from your PC and play them plus there is a remote which is cool,you can be in the yard working or back the van up to your fishing spot and open the hatch and listen to an awesome sounding stereo,the sound that comes from this receiver is phenominal,there is no disapointments with this sytem,i think i will buy another and put in my sable,if your stereo sounds junky and you put this system in your rig,don't let no one talk you into buying speakers till you hear them with this stereo,the stock radio in are 99' van sounded horrible,this stereo brought the best out of the speaker system in it,i have had 5 or so top recievers in my cars and this model is by far the best,this  more

Great stereo for Price!!!

My factory stereo was shot: cd player broken, tape deck broken. I had to use one of those bad fm transmitters to listen to my mp3s.
Now, I jump in my car for work or wherever I'm going and let the bass boom!
I had Best Buy install it and they really did an awesome job! It took maybe thirty mins. and once i got in my car, I just felt my life change. That's how much my stereo means to my drivability.
I'd recommend this stereo and service to anyone looking for a great listening experiece.

Darn good deck!

I just purchased this unit about 3 hours ago, and within 45 minutes I had it installed and in use. The install was incredibly simple. The manual is full of good info on how to use it. The display is clear and easy to see even in sunlight. The price combined with all of its features was an incredibly good deal! Sound quality is superb and really brought my sound system to life. This is the best unit Ive ever bought.

Nothing out of the ordinary

The stereo is good for the price but it has nothing out of the ordinary. It is nice and user friendly, it has good functionality and the sound is good.

Good Radio!

This radio is perfect for somebody that just wants a simple and cheap radio to replace there factory one. The best part about it is the satellite ready feature and the front Aux input. It also comes with a remote.

kenwood is quality

my stock radio went out, so i bouth this from best buy and had them install it. its wonderful to be able to play any cd i want again. system expansion was a breeze, i had my sup hooked up the next morning. if you just need a cd/radio/ mp3 player for your car in dash, you can go wrong with this cd player.

High quality at a low price

The Kenwood MP-242 is simply fantastic! Real clean, crystal clear sound and bass boost plus proper EQ will make any existing stereo speakers sound great. Easy to navigate controls, looks real nice with the blue backlighting. Perfect for an iPod and a really decent price for such high quality. You can dim the display for night driving and there's no annoying beeping like so many other modern car stereos. I love it!

the best in-dash

I got this cd player today, and best buy also put it in. The price was great, and the product is even better. The cd player has my speakers sounding better then i thought it could. I cant want to go back n shop some more to add on to it.

Great product for the money

I bought this unit because it was cheap. I installed it in my toolbox , yes tool box at work. It replaced a brand new Sony system. Sony Explode to be exact. I was very pleased with the results. It sounds way superior to the Sony. And it was cheaper too. The only thing I can find negative about it is that I can not figure out how to use the HD radio. It really doesn't matter though because I mainly bought it for the Satellight radio feature.
Hook up was very easy. I definately got what I paid for with this unit.

Excellent Radio

I've been researching radios for a while and two of my main reasons were, the price and connecting my iphone, So I decided to go with this radio and I was just blown away with how clear the sound is and the way it makes my amps work to their actual potential. I would've never, ever thought that my car could sound like the way it sounds now, plus as an added bonus I was able to connect my cd changer which i haven't used in years. I plan to get the optional bluetooth adapter for my iphone and i'll be all set.
my current car stereo configuration is the following.
2 6x9
2 front doors speakers
1 box 12 inch woofers
1 amp for the speakers
1 amp for the woofers
2 tweeters
This is the first radio that makes all of this speakers work and sound the way they were meant to.
I'm happy with my purchase and I highly recommend this product to someone else.
Just keep an eye out because they put it on sale, but I bought it at regular price.

The best Radio Ever!

The sound quality is phenomenal, I've never had a radio sound so clear and so vibrant. This radio is very nice and clear and I love the fact that I can plug up my G1 phone to it as well and I'm able to talk hands free by plugging up to the Aux. I also love the fact that I can use my G1 as my own personal XM radio. This radio is awesome with the features and clarity. I would recommend it to anyone. This is the radio to get, it is cheap and works way better than expensive radios I've purchased in the past.

Great Car Stereo for the Price

I had Best Buy install this yesterday, I had NO sound at all in truck, factory radio was toast when I bought it (1992 Dodge Dakata). I was looking over speaker replacement options, fearing the worse, as the radio was being installed.

Low and behold, the factory speakers were not only adaquate, but sounded amazing with this deck to my suprise. I didnt catch a FREE Installation week, so I took a hit there, but after hearing FM, CD, and my Zune (MP3 player plugged easily into AUX jack in the front) ... It's definately a keeper. You can read specs, so I dont need to elaborate much, but the bass boost, and preset EQ selection are great. Pick one you like out of the dozen or so choices, and enjoy. I've spent 3X as much and not been as happy as I am with this $100 Kenwood. I highly recommend if you are looking for a fair priced, high power, radio/CD/MP3(wma) amp/deck.

Also controls iPod with optional cable. Charges battery, and ipod info displays on deck. Ipod can remain in locked  more