I didn't feel the need for a touch screen stereo or even another double DIN unit to replace the failed stereo in my 2001 Honda Accord, and I think I made a great choice on this bargain Kenwood.
The installation was not very difficult and between the instructions and youtube videos it all went pretty much without a hitch and only a bit of trepidation. I will also put a plug in for the $20+ dash kit from ASC that replaces the second "DIN" with a nice cubby shelf. The brand of the kit is Xscorpion, not ASC, but it was under the ASC name on Amazon. This is a great kit and contains anything you would need. First it came with a tool that was very helpful in removing the radio/climate control surround without tearing the soft dash or denting/cracking the wood-look surround (that was still not easy pulling off!). I watched several videos of the surround popping off with little effort - well I am sure that was after they already struggled with it and then did a second take!
I ended up only using the front plate and under tray of the dash kit. I did not need to put the single DIN radio surround on and just left it off because the stereo had a nicer looking beveled edge to its face plate. I also did not need to use any of the included brackets as the original metal Honda brackets had two stock screw holes that matched up perfectly with the Kenwood KDC-168U stereo that I installed. So, even though the supplied plastic brackets seemed quite beefy, I re-used the metal Honda ones and it went together perfectly.
The dash kit also came with two wiring harnesses, one for Honda and one for Acura. The Honda wiring harness worked perfectly. After wiring together the matching wires I was left with three wires I wasn't sure what to do with. Research on the web was not very helpful. The three wires were all labeled as to what they were for (a dimmer for the display, power antenna, and something else I can't remember - I think a mute for a phone). I left two of them capped off and did not use them as I wasn't sure the dimmer would work with my stereo and I do not have phone or bluetooth features with the Kenwood unit I was installing. The power antenna I did hook up as indicated and the stereo works just great and gets very good AM and FM reception. The 2001 Honda Accord doesn't have a power "pole" antenna that goes up and down, rather it has an antenna embedded in the auto glass. I believe (but won't bet my life) that it has an amplified antenna, and this might have not worked right if I hadn't hooked up the blue antenna wire.
I would also add that you can buy a separate kit for $50-70 to make the steering wheel controls work (volume up and down and one that changes modes or programs or channels, etc.). I did come across a few reviews were people with more skill and knowledge than me were able to cannibalize a second wiring harness of the pin and wire and get their steering wheel controls to function with the aftermarket stereo. If this is something you can figure out, the ASC kit is great as it includes the Acura harness that will save you an additional $5 bucks buying another one from Metra or Scoshe.
As I said, this unit gets great AM and FM radio reception. The sound quality in radio, USB, Aux cord to iPod, and CD is great. The power seem plenty for this car's almost 20-year old premium 6-speaker system.
One thing that bugged me was trying to figure out how to get the stereo to display the time as the car clock no longer lights so at night I can't tell the time. I read the manual and researched the web and couldn't find any information even after setting the date and time during set up. It was completely by accident I touched the "DISP" button and that did the trick.
My only other real complaint is using all the various functions. Car makers design their stereos to be able to use mostly by feel. Aftermarket stereos have more features and functions and in a tighter space, so it can be a challenge using this, or any unit, while driving. Eventually I will be able to tell the radio stations by the bumps on the rocker switches.
I do like that if you plug an iPod into the USB port or AUX port it recognizes the input and will switch to it. However, trying to select the music is more difficult so I just use it on shuffle and skip tunes I am not interested in.
The cons for this stereo are the same as any you might find on any aftermarket unit. The pros make this a great bargain in my book and I am expecting years of use of of this unit.
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This Item  Kenwood KDC-168U In-Dash 1-DIN CD Car Stereo Receiver with Front USB Input |  |  |  |  |  | |
| Price | — | -28% $79.00 List: $109.95 | $92.00 | $149.00 | $148.00 | $69.00 |
| Delivery | — | Get it as soon as Tuesday, May 14 | — | Get it as soon as Thursday, May 16 | Get it as soon as Wednesday, May 15 | Get it as soon as Tuesday, May 14 |
| Customer Ratings | ||||||
| Sound quality | ||||||
| Easy to install | ||||||
| Touch Screen | ||||||
| Bluetooth connectivity | ||||||
| Value for money | ||||||
| Sold By | — | West Peak Retail | Audio Watt Store | West Peak Retail | Audio Dreams | Creative Audio |
| number of channels | 4 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 2 |
| connectivity tech | USB, Auxiliary | Bluetooth, USB, Auxiliary | Bluetooth, USB | Bluetooth, USB, Auxiliary | Bluetooth, USB, RCA, Auxiliary | Bluetooth, USB, Auxiliary |
| control method | — | voice | — | voice | remote, application | voice |
| controller type | — | Android, Amazon Alexa | Android | Android, Amazon Alexa | Amazon Alexa | Android, Amazon Alexa |
| audio output type | Speakers | Speakers | Speakers | Headphones | Speakers | Speakers |
| supported services | Pandora | Pandora, Spotify | — | SiriusXM | SiriusXM | Pandora, Spotify |
Reviews with images
Good unit for the price
I was quite impressed by the sound this puts out. I been a Sony fan for many years. Still have a amp and subs 20 years old but my unit finally died. Money is tight right now so after looking I decided on this. First off don’t be cheap on a radio if you got a choice. Even though it doesn’t have Bluetooth the trade off is better sound. A direct connection will always be better than wireless. With both usb and aux input is all you need. I tried android and apple no problems. The unit is well built. Buttons are firm. That was something nice I never seen in other brands. Standard Eq settings, sub control, base boost are all good. Nice size display, dim able. The thing with this is you almost need a amp and non factory speakers to get the most out of it since it’s low range friendly. It doesn’t put out the very low thumps but depending on what you got is good so you don’t get distortion. My only con is the heat sink in the back, you got to watch out for making sure nothing is touching it. Otherwise installation is simple. Bottom line for 57 bucks can’t be beat
Top reviews from the United States
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Reviewed in the United States on January 21, 2019
Reviewed in the United States on October 10, 2018
I was quite impressed by the sound this puts out. I been a Sony fan for many years. Still have a amp and subs 20 years old but my unit finally died. Money is tight right now so after looking I decided on this. First off don’t be cheap on a radio if you got a choice. Even though it doesn’t have Bluetooth the trade off is better sound. A direct connection will always be better than wireless. With both usb and aux input is all you need. I tried android and apple no problems. The unit is well built. Buttons are firm. That was something nice I never seen in other brands. Standard Eq settings, sub control, base boost are all good. Nice size display, dim able. The thing with this is you almost need a amp and non factory speakers to get the most out of it since it’s low range friendly. It doesn’t put out the very low thumps but depending on what you got is good so you don’t get distortion. My only con is the heat sink in the back, you got to watch out for making sure nothing is touching it. Otherwise installation is simple. Bottom line for 57 bucks can’t be beat
Images in this review
Reviewed in the United States on April 14, 2019
Reviewed in the United States on August 31, 2018
